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FLG Spring Training RECAP #4

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Corey Winkoff

Hey All,

Last Sunday was the 1st ‘somewhat’ Spring Day. The sun was out, the weather started to warm, the air was calm, and the ball was flying around. It was a super productive day on all fronts. Personally, I thought it was the most productive FLG Training session since the teams had their first training session in September of 2017. From Small Group Training to practice, all our teams & participants training looked great.

Below is a RECAP of Sunday’s Spring Training. We focused on a ton of skills and implemented some great drills. If you have questions on anything we do, don’t hesitate to reach out! I’ve gotten some great calls and answered some great questions as it relates to youth training.

Good luck to everyone in their PAL games this Sunday as well!

See everyone on the fields,

Corey

Boys

Ground Ball Stations: 2, five minute stations focusing on 2 different types of ground balls, Man-Ball & Boxing Out. 2v1 GB’s is a classic GB drill that works on man-ball. Advantage box out is a classic GB drill where players start back to back with a ball between them. Every man for himself.

3v0 Give and Gos – Player 3v0 with 1 point player and two low players. Have players execute two give and gos before they take a shot. This drill teaches players to give, cut, and replace. Off-ball movement is key here to maintain balance and get the offense to re-set.

6v6 Scramble: Organize six lines of offense all slightly outside the box (2 at X, 1 on each wing, 2 above the top the box). The first player at each line must have a ball in their stick. Defensive players are in one line directly at X. Start drill with a 2 v 2 anywhere on the field. Once ball is shot, turned over the coach blows the whistle and points to the line that will join the drill. The defense adds a player from X but he cannot mark the offensive player entering the drill. Build up to 6v6.

Attack

Shooting Variations: Below are the differnet types of moves and shots we worked on this past Sunday at small group training. All are 100% applicable to attackmen.

Finalizers – using a double move directly at X to get a step on your man for a shot. Key is to make your moves so the defensemen are forced to hop over the back of the cage.
Low Wing Dodges – dodging from the low wing is a growing trend in college lacrosse. A great way to get your hands free for a shot, feed, or simply to get the defense to start sliding and rotating.
- V-Dodge
- V-Dodge into a Split Dodge
- S-Dodge

Challenge 1v1s with Attackman: Pick a guy you want to go 1v1 against, approach the man, defend to a shot

Defense/Goalie

Defend the Cone: focus on approach, positioning, hand placement, and defending guys from up top. Don’t use your stick, use your hands when defending above GLE!

Three-man Approach Drill

Challenge 1v1s with Attackman: Pick a guy you want to go 1v1 against, approach the man, defend to a shot

Midfield

Marquette Shooting Drill: 2-man games from the wings, cutting the field in half, and working on getting your hands free for a shot.

2 Variations to work on
- Pass to razor pick → Dodge to alley shot
- Pass to razor pick → Dodge to alley hit slip

2v1 Dodges from High Wings: Great way to rep the two-man game and put the shooting variations to practice with a defender in the drill

2v2 Razor Picks: The Razor pick is a great pick variation to give the dodger an opportunity to dodge down the alley or to the middle.

Girls

Defense

V Shuffle in Alley – Focus on Footwork, Form, stick position

Ladders into GB’s, then into Breakdown and Contact (6 min)

Vary the foot patterns, stress ABCD’s

1 v. 1 in Alley

Attack & Midfield

Dodging and Shooting from the Wings
- Face Dodge under, Face Dodge and Roll, Split to top side.
- Demonstrate and then have them rep. it from alternating sides, do from right side then left side. Focus on footwork, change of direction, stick position.
Shooting – if release is early (before mid-crease) aim for far pipe, if release is late (after mid-crease) shoot back.

Practice Drills

3 Lady Passing – Right, Left, Catch left throw right, Catch right throw left, gb’s (center person changes every min.)

Crazy 8’s – one of our favorite Fusion games that includes a 2v2 ground ball into a 3v2. Whoever earns the GB gets the extra player. Play to a shot and stay inside the 8 meter. Players on the outside of the drill are responsible for keeping the ball in play.

4 Corners 1 v. 1’s – 1v1s from 4 popular dodge locations around the 8 meter.

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Smithtown West vs. Hills East PREVIEW – Birds or Bulls?

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Devin Votta

Preseason ranked number 4, The Thunderbirds of Half Hollow Hills East will take on number 2, Smithtown West Bulls on Thursday, April 12th at Smithtown West High School. Struck by lighting, Hills East is electric when they take the field. Under new management, Coach Paul Benway and Justin O’Connell, have managed to get these boys flying higher than ever as they are off to a 4-0 start in the 2018 campaign. Hills East returns talent all over the field on both ends including midfielders Drew Martin (Air Force), Brett Martin (Hopkins), Mike Monitto (Lehigh), attackmen Ryan Doran (St. Joseph’s PA), Zach Cosentino (Catholic), LSM Sal Pascarella (St. Joseph’s PA), and defenseman Mike Gomez (Hopkins) and Conor Caiazza (Ithaca). Equally combatting Hills East’s strengths, Smithtown West is shaking up the competition all over the Island as the Bulls are 5-0 on the season. A philosophy built on focusing “One at a time,” Smithtown West is dialed in, ready for any challenge 2018 brings. Senior leadership is a huge aspect working in West’s favor. Talent in all positions, Smithtown West returns midfielders Matt Cattigan, Conor Calderone (FOGO- Maryland), Brandon Meir (Siena), Andrew Arce (Binghamton), attackmen Kyle Zawadzki (Yale), John Hoffman, Matt Miller (Quinnipiac), defenseman David Gonzalez (Christopher Newport) and goaltender Kyle Walker (Army). What is sharper, the horns of a Bull? Or the beak of a Bird? It all goes down today, Smithtown West vs. Half Hollow Hills East.

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Massapequa vs. Wantagh PREVIEW ‘South Shore Showdown’

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Devin Votta

A BIG week in the LI Lacrosse world. FLG Lacrosse will be covering top A schools competing all across the island. Keep an eye out for these games and make sure you follow the along as high school lacrosse begins conference play.

The South Shore Showdown: Massapequa vs. Wantagh

Sitting as preseason poll 2 and 3 respectively, The Massapequa Lady Chiefs will battle it out against power conference foe The Wantagh Warriors. A south shore showdown, these two teams will take the field on Wednesday April 11th at Massapequa High School to claim their territory as the dominant program south of Merrick Road. Coming off a Class A Nassau County Championship in 2017, Massapequa returns a skilled and experienced upper class. Possessing a plethora of threats, the Chiefs are dominant in the offensive half. At the midfield, ‘Pequa is led by senior Jackie Gatti (Hofstra), followed by junior trio Kate Fiola (Hofstra), Sophie Macchia (JMU) and Cara Sciano (Hofstra) as well as sophomore Alexa Gentile (UNC). Making plays all over the field these girls have the ability to put the ball in the net, as well as transfer to senior attackers Laura Callahan (Army) and Jordan Taylor (Binghamton). Can the Warriors of Wantagh match the intensity that ‘Pequa brings? In her inaugural season, Coach Lauren Schwalje brings the energy to compete at the highest level. The Warriors are led by seniors Kayla Conway (Pace) and Anna Kauffman (Hofstra), alongside junior Danielle Carson (USC). It all goes down today in the South Shore Showdown.

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Zach Hobbes For the WIN!

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Corey Winkoff

Zach Hobbes, Harvard Commit, scores the game winning goal in OT for Ward Melville to beat West Islip today!

For the game winning goal, check us out on Twitter and Instagram @FLGLAX

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Public Vs. Private

Posted on April 4, 2018 by FLG Lacrosse Staff

With both teams recording win streaks to start off their seasons, Massapequa will face off on their home turf against parochial powerhouse Chaminade on Wednesday April 4th. A Public vs. Private match up, these two programs are arguably the best in their league. While they both have started off their seasons on the right foot, only one victor can be named. It all goes down next week on the south shore of LI.

Massapequa was unanimously voted the top lacrosse program in Nassau County. Working hard in the offseason, the Chiefs have built a winning tradition predicated on skill and finesse. Head Coach Tim Radomski accompanied by legendary NCC Coach George Powers, have truly built a powerhouse program, year after year proving that they are at the top of the totem pole in Nassau County Class A. Working hard in offseason training, ‘Pequa returns talent on both sides of the ball. Starting on the offense, All-County attackman Timmy Ley (Boston U.), controls the pace, owning the hash and stretch shooting through defense on the left side. He is accompanied by an insane amount of talent at the midfield including key notables Garrett Gibbons (Maryland), Kevin Lynsky (Wesleyan), Sam Lufti (Hofstra) and fogo Angelo Petrakis (Cornell), all possessing the ability to come up with big plays all over the field. On the defensive end, The Chiefs are loaded, defending the knowns and protecting the house. In the cage, All- County goaltender Mike Venezia (Lehigh) is surrounded by defensemen All- County Griff Hawthorne (Notre Dame), Brian Leneghan (Bowdoin) and Kenny Brower (Duke).

For 39 seasons, Head Coach Jack Moran, has built one of the most competitive lacrosse programs in the country. Built on three pillars “God, Family and Teammates,” Chaminade brings energy and effort like no other when they play. Settling for nothing less than excellence, the Flyers walk into every game with the same mojo, playing to the best of their ability. For the 2018 season, Chaminade is stacked on the offense end. At the midfield, seniors Sean Kuttin (Yale), Will Kusnierek (Princeton) and Chris Nicholas (UNC) all know their roles and get their jobs done. At attack, Aidan Byrnes (Army) and Pat Kavanagh (Notre Dame) are dynamic, controlling the ball, translating their skill into points on the scoreboard. Piloting the defense, the Flyers are led by Andrew Bonafede (Duke) in the cage and Frank Marinello (Duke) and Anthony Trangredi (Lehigh) at defense on the low bases. Chaminade prides themselves on playing and extremely strong schedule. They are motivated to rise to the challenge and fly over their opponents.

Based on my analysis, and key returners of both squads for the 2018 season, I believe that Chaminade will come out on top of this game. The Flyers, are Boeing 747 powerful on the offensive end, maybe a little too much to handle for the Chiefs. I believe that Massapequa will have the edge with Petrakis at the face-off X, which will definitely be a factor in order to keep them in the game however Chaminade will get to 10 and take home the victory.

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Hewlett vs. Lynbrook PREVIEW

Posted on March 28, 2018 by FLG Lacrosse Staff

Midweek Match-Up, separated by a few streets the Hewlett Bulldogs will face off against the Lynbrook Owls on Wednesday March 28th. Named “The Seawane Cup” these two Nassau County powerhouses will look to get their second wins of the 2018 season. Longstanding rivals in all sports, Lynbrook vs. Hewlett is something that you will not want to miss. When these two varsity lacrosse programs take they field, prepare for an absolute battle for 60 minutes. Can the Owls maneuver past the bite of the Bulldogs yet another time? It all goes down today at 4:30PM.

Hewlett returns an overall young team, led by two standouts, Alex Vadaro (Princeton) and Gavin Adler (Cornell). These two guys are tough, willing to lay it all out on the field for their teams. “Do it all” type players Vadaro and Adler are seen all over the field at every position. Gavin isn’t afraid to make plays on the defensive end, and even showcases his stick skills on man up with the pole. Alex is the commander on the offensive end, and he even takes wings on the face off and locks it in as a man down shorty. Trying to fill the void of Hewlett 2017 standout Ethan Grossman, who amassed 60 goals a season ago, these two guys will be doing everything in their power tomorrow and in every game this season to ‘win.’ A key link that will definitely lighten the load on these two guys is senior goaltender Max May. All- County a season ago. Max is lights out in the pipes. If the Bulldogs want a shot at taking home The Seawane Cup, these guys must be on fire in tomorrow’s game.

Combatting Hewlett will be next door neighbor Lynbrook. Known for having a plethora of team spirit and Lynbrook town pride, the Owls are proud to represent their team, their school and their town. Since 2013, The Owls have had their head on the swivel, taking home The Sewane Cup over the Bulldogs. Only losing twice to the Bulldogs, once in 2012 and another way back in 2004, Lynbrook is for sure the dominant team in this matchup. After making the Nassau County Class C final a season ago, the Owls are geared up looking to claim their second win of 2018, and build up momentum in order to take them back to that moment. A true ‘brotherhood,’ the Lynbrook way focuses on building team chemistry off the field in order to have more success on the field. It all starts with great leaders as Lynbrook returns a tough senior class. Offensively, the Owls return some weapons. Starting with senior midfielder Tommy O’Brien, who stepped up big and made a great campaign in 2017, followed by senior attack trio Mike Bouhall, Garret Handel and Matt Renz. Locking down the low bases, senior defenseman Tom Urena and junior defenseman Joe Demonte will be the backbone of the Owls, focusing on getting stops, creating havoc and getting the ball to the offense to finish the job.

Predictions are difficult to make as both teams are relatively young, losing many standouts in 2017 due to graduation. It should definitely be noted that the Seniors of both squads will absolutely need to step up if they want to take home The Seawane Cup. While Lynbrook may have the advantage on the offensive end, I believe that Vadaro and Adler will be able to rally the Bulldogs and combat Lynbrooks strengths. This game will for sure be an absolute dog fight, and a score separated by no more than 3 goals. Hewlett vs Lynbrook, see you there.

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FLG Spring Training RECAP #3

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Corey Winkoff

FLG Families,

It was a treat getting a chance to move indoors this past Sunday. We are doing our best to not let the elements effect our development this Spring. Sunday was a great chance to not only work on skills and positional work, it was a chance to learn and get those “mental reps!”. Eliminating the shivering from the equation, we always get more focus and attention from our athletes. Personally, I thought Sunday was a super productive day for our boys and girls in small group training, as well as, practice for our 8th grade and down teams.

Below is what we worked on, enjoy!

Girls Small Group Training

Station 1

Dodging from High Wing

-First sequence→ attack coaches top foot to same side split dodge to to shot
-Second Sequence→ Push middle and roll down alley
-Third sequence → dodge underneath and shoot off roll back

Station 2

Ladders into approaches and retreats
Move through ladder or full sprint
Approach the ball, proper fundamentals, stick back, match-feet, communicate, read pass, retreat

Station 3

Coach Chris footwork

Variation of footwork drills to free your hands for a pass, re-dodge, shot!

Girls Practice

Ladders to Ground Balls

Vary foot pattern, explode into and thru gb
Ladders into ABCD (explode out of ladder into the Approach, decelerate and lower your body to Breakdown, establish low legal Contact on the hip of the ball carrier, position yourself so as to take something away and Direct her where you want her to go.

Dodge, Retreat

(in triple threat position), Re-Dodge to Shot (I saw Robyn do this in the fall)

Figure 8 One v. One’s

Defender and O player start back to back
On whistle both players run around cone in front of them
O player receives the ball or starts with it
Initiate a 1v1 to goal
Defense working on approaches
Offense works on reading approach and dodging to goal

Dodging the Alley

Focus on dodgin north south
Getting into your defender and creating separation
Girls dodged down an alley with a defender on them the whole way

4 Corner Shooting

Work on moving to the ball
Catching and squaring up to the cage
Using left and right hand on the crease
Looking at the goalie and shooting to a good spot
Players on the crease have to move and cut in and out to receive a pass for a shot

Fusion Game: 3v2 Side By Drill

Set-up two cages facing out
Cut the field in half
3v2 on both sides. Blue team offense on one side, White team offense on the other side
Defense clears the ball to opposite side of the field when they get it
When ball goes out of bounds or goal is scored, roll new ball into play
Drills works on moving without the ball, playing in tight spaced, and finishing with an extra player.
Ball movement is key in this drill
Defensively we are sliding recovering constantly

Fusion Game: 3v3 Give and Go Drill

Play 3v3 half-court above the goal
Offense set should be in a triangle, with point player top center
Players must execute 1 give and go look before they can go to cage
One they get good at it, put rule into play that they must execute 2 give and go looks before they go to cage
Drills works on moving without the ball, playing in tight spaced, and finishing with an extra player.
Ball movement is key in this drill
Defensively we are sliding recovering constantly

Boys Practice

6 Line Passing

Full field stick work drills
Working on catching over shoulder
- Breaking out
- Using both hands
- Communication
- Goalie outlet passes
- Coming to the ball

4 Line-drills

Working on cradling 2 hands
Cradling 1 handed
Split dodges
V Dodges
Roll Dodges
Studder steps
Fake shot face dodges

4v3 Fast Breaks

Working on reading the defense
Scoring on fast breaks
Moving to the all
Reading the slides
Decision making
Shooting to score
All the spots on the fast break

Teaching Midwest & Atlanta – 6v6 Set

2 variations to our 2-1-3 motion offense
Midwest is a midfielder initiating from the high wing
Atlanta is an attackman initiating from the high wing

Small Group Training Drills

Defense Drills

Duckwalk Checking
Dodge→ Bounce→ Redodge
Push→ check, push → lift, push→ wrap

Attack Drills

Dodging from High Wing

-First sequence→ attack coaches top foot to same side split dodge to to shot
-Second Sequence→ Push middle and roll down alley
-Third sequence → dodge underneath and shoot off roll back

Midfield Drills

Dodging & Shooting

Marquette Shooting Drill
Emphasize looking back to slip and giving hitch fake to freeze defenders
Pass to razor pick → Dodge to middle shot
Pass to razor pick → Dodge to middle hit slip

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FLG Spring Training Week 2

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Corey Winkoff

FLG Families,

Hopefully everyone has thawed out from yesterday! Despite some pretty chilly weather, it was a very productive day for our FLG select teams. I’m really glad we got a chance to get outside to train, compete, and develop.

Below are some drills that we worked on yesterday. Within each drill description you’ll find purpose and objectives for executing those specific drills. We look forward to continuing our development this Spring!

Line-drill Warm-up – Every player gets a ball and moves through different variations. This drill gets players loose, warm, and comfortable with the rock in their stick. In this drill we worked on Ground Balls away, Flips, Two handed Cradles, One handed Cradles, Split Dodges, and Fake-shot Face-dodges.

1v1 Mirror – One player stars with a ball, the other player without. Players line up on opposite sides of the crease. The player without the ball tries to catch the player with the ball. Both players have to stay outside the crease. This drill works on changing direction, recognizing where you are when near the crease line, balance, cradling at full-speed around the crease with your right and left hands.

Two-Ball Break-out – 3 middies and 3 poles break out of their defensive end to our spots in the clear. 2 goalies outlet the ball to the closest players to them. Like a ladder, players work the ball up the field breaking out towards the side-line. The drill ends with our attackmen V-cutting for the ball, getting it through X, and executing a back door cut for a goal. This drills gets our players used to breaking out at full-speed to their spots on the clear, getting the ball up the field quickly and efficiently, players learn to use both hands while breaking out over their shoulder, and attackmen learn to score in transition.

Red vs. Green Fast Breaks – This drill is a full-field continuous 4v3 Fast Break drill. Goalies outlet to our middies who come down on a 4v3 fast break. Middies must read the slide and decide what to do with the ball. Defensively we are working on 2 different calls, “Red” and “Green.” Green is your tradition fast-break (3 Man) rotation where the point defensemen slides to the middies, the low right defenseman slides up to the point attackman, and the low left defensemen slides across the crease. Red is when the point defensemen gives a fire call to the middie, getting the middie to throw the ball to the point attackman, and then the point defensemen immediately goes back to guarding the point attackman. We do this to prevent the two most dangerous attackman from touching the ball and scoring, the low right and low lefty players.

Ride the Bull – Defensive drill to work on turning players at GLE goal line extended. Great for getting players to beat attackmen to good spots by taking a good angle, turning your hips around, and driving players back behind the goal.

Smiley Face Shooting – A drill that works on getting players to finish in front of the goal, move the goalie, fakes the goalie, and finish in tight. Players go from feeding to shooting. The cut is in the smiley shape that allows players to be cutting towards the ball.

Diamond Stick Work – Drill has players breaking out in a diamond shape while working on different pass/catch variations. Some of these variations include: pull passes, shovel passes, catch roll away throw, catch one hand throw with another, and over the shoulder catches.

Shooting on the run – Drill works on shooting down-hill and on the run. Alley dodges, high wing dodges, and top center dodges proceeded players getting a shot off on the run. Great drill to rep shots that simulate game like situations.

Looking forward to continuing our development this Sunday! Hope everyone has a great week.

-Corey

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Wall Ball

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Bob Schmitt

Want to develop skill? All you need: a ball, your stick, a wall.

Below is a basic wall ball routine that works great for girls looking to develop skill on their own.

This weekend we have no team training. That being said, don’t put down your stick. Pick it up. Find a wall. Bring some music. Get better. #LoveTheGame

Wall Ball Routine

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Seek More.

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Corey Winkoff

Checking emails is something I do every day. When you are confronted with daily tasks, you can approach them one of two ways:

Go through the motions
Seek more

When checking email, you are going through the motions if you are seeking emails that are considered ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ so you can quickly and efficiently get your inbox closer and closer to zero. Emails that seem worthy of an immediate response remain unread or get quickly flagged (aka I don’t feel like dealing with this right now, I’ll go back to it later). Ever catch yourself avoiding emails because they seem too long, too unfamiliar, or too new? Well, that’s going through the motions.

Seeking more is giving a little more information than is actually requested in a response. Seeking more is proactively reaching out via email to get information, knowledge, ideas, or sign-ups. Seeking more is sending more emails so you can collect feedback from a large group of people. More leads to opportunity. More sets you a part. More leads to better. More is what I expect of more (people, companies, schools, parents, and kids).

We need less people going through the motions, we need more people seeking to do more. More good. More better. More quality work that makes a difference.

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