Man-Up “Sneak” From X
This is one of the easiest Man-Up plays we can think of, and one that every coach should teach their players. Score goals with as few as two passes with this simple play!
We see teams miss easy Man-Up goals every day because they don't understand 2-on-1 situations! With six men on Offense and only five on Defense, there is a 2-on-1 and an open man somewhere on the field. Make sure your players know that they are looking for the open extra man in Man-Up situations. That's what "Man-Up" means!
Maybe you've heard of "Wheel" or "Rotation Overload" plays before. This play is really just a simple 2-man Wheel. You could also call it a simple "Give and Go". You will be amazed how many times per game you can score with this play.
Don't leave your open extra man behind the goal! Most youth and high school lacrosse teams will set up in a 2-3-1 formation to start their Man-Up possession. At the same time, most teams will run a “Box-and-One [in the Middle]" for their Man-Down Defense. This creates a 5-on-5 situation in front of the goal, with the 6th offensive man stuck behind the goal where he can't score.
HERE'S THE PLAY:
We run this play most often on the right side of the goal (when looking out from the Goal or Goalie) since most of our players are right-handed, and most of the passes and shot opportunities are also right-handed.
Figure 1.) Get the ball behind the goal to "X" (Blue 6). Here we are working against the bottom right corner of the basic "Box and One [in the Middle]" Man-Down Defense (Red 4). Blue 6 will step up from X on the Goalie's bottom right.
RELATED PLAYS & DRILLS:
- 3-on-2 from the Sideline: One of our favorite summer camp drills! Teach your players to draw the Defense and create space for the extra man, just like you do in Man-Up plays!
- Man-Up Basic Wheel: This is another basic version of "the Wheel" you can use if the other team's Defense doesn't know how to rotate!
- Man-Up Box/Field 3-on-2 Up Top: Another simple Man-Up play we got from Box Lacrosse you can use against the top two corners of the basic "Box-and-One" Man-Down Defense.
- Man-Up 3-on-2 Pick & Roll Up Top: We got this great play from Team Canada in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships! Use the 2-Man Game to give the Man-Down Defense something extra to worry about!
