Grow the Game®

20 Players or Less
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Coaching Lacrosse With 20 Players Or Less, Part 2

Editor’s note: What follows is Part 2 of Connor Wilson’s series on coaching lacrosse teams with twenty players or less. Click here to read Part 1.
____________________________________________________________________________

20 Players or Less

The Advantages of a Smaller Team

Most people would instantly jump up and say that a team with a smaller roster is always going to be at a disadvantage, but I’m not so sure that is true.  The smaller team has two major advantages, and if you are coaching a team like this, they are well worth considering, and I hope you take advantage of them.

1) By having less players on your team, you can get to know all of your players better.

Not only is it easier to remember all your players’ names, but coaches can actually get to KNOW the kids very quickly. There is nowhere for a player to hide on a small team, and even small team or personality issues can jump out at you as a coach.

A smaller team is more manageable by a smaller staff, and this can definitely be an advantage. One coach with 40 kids is a tough situation. One coach with 15 kids is definitely doable.

The smaller setting also means that each player can get more individual attention from the coach(es), and it can be easy to put 10 kids on a passing drill while you work with 5-7 others on one-on-one defense. With 40 kids, this type of thing is much more difficult to accomplish.

2) Players on small teams must be versatile.

We have a first year player on our team who played midfield and defense in his first game. He used a short stick and a long stick, and he was equally comfortable with both. We need him to be versatile in practice, and he is therefore versatile in games. He even scored his first ever goal in a lacrosse game off a feed, almost adding another goal only minutes later.

A lot is required of this player in practice as we demand that his skill set be diverse. But when he got into the game, and was in possession of the ball being covered by an “O-mid” from the other team, it showed. He was comfortable out there, and able to do it all. Not bad for a kid who picked a stick up only 2-3 months ago.

A smaller team can result in more versatile players, and it can help foster a tighter team chemistry as well. Maybe it’s not all bad after all!

Does your team have a small roster? Are there any other advantages you’ve experienced? Share your knowledge in the comments section below!

Look for Part 3 of this series on Monday, and if you haven’t already, check out Part 1 here.