7 Box Lacrosse Goalie Drills for Positioning, Saves and Outlets

Box lacrosse goalie drills should train more than reactions. A goalie must arrive square to the ball, hold a balanced stance, track passes through traffic, recover after a save and make the first pass of the breakout.

For this progression, use a box goal, balls, cones and one to five shooters or passers. The goalie should wear the equipment required by the team’s competition whenever live balls are used. Begin with controlled, accurately placed shots. Increase speed only when the goalie remains balanced and tracks the ball without turning away.

For stance and equipment basics, start with the box lacrosse goalie guide.

1. Five-position crease movement

Setup: Number five positions from one post to the other: post, intermediate angle, center, intermediate angle and opposite post. Begin without a ball.

Action: Call a number at random. The goalie moves to that position, sets, then waits for the next call. Run three 30-second rounds with a short rest between them.

Checkpoint: The goalie finishes with knees flexed, head up, shoulders square to the imagined ball and the stick slightly ahead of the feet. The feet remain ready for another move instead of crossing or becoming planted.

The Calgary Sabrecats goalie manual lays out five basic positions and suggests calling their numbers as the goalie moves between them. Its stance cues include slightly bent knees, weight on the balls of the feet and the stick between and just ahead of the feet (Calgary Sabrecats Goalie Instruction Manual).

2. Pass-and-square star

Setup: Place five passers around the scoring area, safely outside the crease. Use one ball. The coach stands where the goalie can see a hand signal.

Action: The players pass in a star or another non-adjacent pattern. The goalie moves with every pass and sets on the new ball carrier. On the coach’s signal, the player holding the ball takes a controlled shot to a called area. Complete 10 to 15 shots.

Checkpoint: The goalie follows the ball rather than a passer’s eyes. On every catch, the goalie’s chest and toes settle toward the stick before a shot can arrive.

The star format comes from the Sabrecats manual, which has five players pass until a coach gives an unanticipated shooting signal. Once the goalie consistently arrives set, add quicker reversals or an occasional pass across the middle.

3. Called-location saves

Setup: Put one shooter in a useful lane at a comfortable distance. Begin with four targets: stick-side low, off-stick low, stick-side body and off-stick body.

Action: Call the target before each shot. Send five controlled shots to one location, then change locations. When the goalie’s technique is repeatable, alternate between two targets without announcing which one is coming.

Checkpoint: The goalie moves the body into the shot line and remains balanced after contact. A repetition is not complete if the goalie ends twisted, seated or unable to reset.

This is technical work, not a scoring contest. Reduce the shot speed if the goalie guesses, turns away or loses stance.

4. Screen, find and set

Setup: Place a stationary visual screen a few feet outside the crease and a shooter farther out. The screen does not contact the goalie.

Action: The shooter carries or passes the ball from side to side before taking a controlled shot. The goalie looks around the screen, calls “left” or “right” to identify the sightline and gets square before release. Run eight shots, then allow the screen to move slowly across the lane.

Checkpoint: The goalie moves the head to find the ball without leaning the whole body out of position. When the ball changes sides, the feet move and the stance is rebuilt.

Add a defender only after the goalie can track the simple screen. The defender can then communicate the ball’s location, connecting this work to team box lacrosse defensive drills.

5. Save, locate and reset

Setup: Use two shooters in different lanes. Shooter one has the first ball; shooter two has a second ball and waits for the coach’s call.

Action: Shooter one places a low or body shot. The goalie tracks the result, calls “safe,” “left” or “right” to identify where the ball went, regains the stance and squares to shooter two. The coach releases the second shot only when the goalie is nearly set. Complete six repetitions from each side.

Checkpoint: Watch the recovery rather than only the first save. The goalie should locate the ball, regain the feet and stick position, and turn the full body toward the next threat.

Progress by gradually shortening the delay before the second shot—not merely by shooting harder.

6. Breakaway mirror

Setup: A shooter begins near the restraining line or at another distance appropriate for the players’ age and ability. Start without a trailing defender.

Action: The shooter approaches under control and moves laterally across the face of goal, remaining outside the crease, before finishing. The goalie mirrors the angle while staying upright and square. Alternate right- and left-handed shooters for eight to 10 attempts.

Checkpoint: The goalie does not retreat automatically to the goal line or commit on the first fake. The movement remains compact enough to respond when the shooter changes direction.

The Sabrecats manual uses a comparable shootout drill to develop side-to-side goalie movement. It lists a trailing chaser as a progression; add one only when all three players can maintain spacing and avoid uncontrolled contact near the crease (Calgary Sabrecats Goalie Instruction Manual).

7. Save-to-outlet race

Setup: Put one outlet player near each side board and one passive forechecker in the middle. The coach sends a controlled shot that the goalie can stop and collect.

Action: Once possession is secure, both outlets move up the floor. The goalie scans, calls a name and leads the safer option away from pressure. Rotate the forechecker’s starting position. If neither pass is available, stop and reset the repetition rather than rewarding a forced throw.

Checkpoint: The goalie secures possession before passing, looks to both sides and avoids floating the ball through the middle. Progress from a passive forechecker to an active one only when the goalie’s decisions remain controlled.

A Canadian Lacrosse Association age-related development guide introduces goalie-initiated offense before goalie-initiated fast breaks, which supports teaching the first outlet before adding full transition pressure (Community Coach Development—Box Lacrosse, Appendix A).

A 45-minute goalie session

• 5 minutes: Dynamic warm-up in equipment, including controlled lateral movement
• 5 minutes: Five-position crease movement
• 6 minutes: Pass-and-square star
• 6 minutes: Called-location saves
• 5 minutes: Screen, find and set
• 6 minutes: Save, locate and reset
• 5 minutes: Breakaway mirror
• 5 minutes: Save-to-outlet race
• 2 minutes: Easy movement, equipment check and review

Keep the goalie involved when the team moves into broader shooting and transition work instead of isolating the position for the entire practice. The same Canadian development guide says goaltending skills should be taught before players are used in goal and recommends starting goalie training with all interested players (Community Coach Development—Box Lacrosse, Appendix A).

Rules and equipment requirements vary by competition. The 2026–2028 World Lacrosse box rules govern World Lacrosse competitions, while national governing bodies may set their own implementation timelines and adapt the rules for national needs (World Lacrosse Box Lacrosse Rules). Check the code used by your league before practice. If you are inspecting a goalie stick, use the correct box goalie stick-width measurement for that competition.