5 Lacrosse Passing Drills for Accuracy, Movement and Pressure

A teammate cuts into open space, but the pass arrives behind them. They catch it, then have to stop and reset. For box lacrosse, a useful passing drill should reward more than a completed catch: it should let the receiver keep moving or make the next play.

These five lacrosse passing drills progress from target accuracy to movement and reading a defender. The triangle, four-corner, give-and-go and keep-away patterns adapt exercises in the Canadian Lacrosse Association’s Drill & Skill Cards. Distances, timings and checkpoints below are suggested practice settings, not official standards.

Before you start

Use sticks, balls, cones and your program’s required protective equipment. Choose a clear floor with room to slow down away from the boards. All defender work below is non-contact: interceptions only, with no body or stick checks.

Start with controlled overhand passes. Turn your shoulder toward the target, step into the throw, rotate your hips and shoulders, and follow through toward the target. The receiver should show the stick head and cushion the catch back toward a ready position. Those fundamentals follow the CLA’s Community Coach Initiation box manual.

For short passes, use only as much throwing motion as you need. Do not turn every feed into a shot. If receiving is the main obstacle, simplify the passing task and use these box lacrosse catching drills first.

1. Partner target passing

Setup: Two players, one ball, roughly 3–5 metres apart. Move closer if either player struggles to reach the target comfortably.

Action: The receiver presents the stick head near shoulder height. The passer feeds that target, then becomes the receiver. Work slowly enough to adjust after a miss. Complete a short set with each hand at a comfortable distance.

Passing cue: Aim at the pocket, not merely at the person. Keep the pass firm enough to arrive cleanly, but manageable for your partner.

Checkpoint: Try for eight of ten passes that the receiver catches without moving their feet or reaching across their body. Count pass placement separately from catches: a difficult catch does not make an inaccurate pass a good one.

Progression: Have the receiver take one lateral step and show a new target before each feed. Look up and locate it before releasing.

2. Triangle catch-and-transfer

Setup: Three players form a triangle with sides about 4–5 metres long. Use one ball. Name the players A, B and C.

Action: Pass A to B, B back to A, A to C, then C back to A. A is the distributor, repeatedly changing the passing direction. Rotate that role every 45–60 seconds.

Passing cue: While the ball travels toward you, locate your next receiver. Cushion the catch, bring the stick into a passing position and send the ball without an unnecessary extra cradle.

Checkpoint: The distributor places five consecutive return feeds at the receivers’ presented sticks, without dropping the stick head toward the floor between passes.

Progression: B and C each take a small step into space before showing a target. Stay with one ball until the pattern is controlled.

3. Moving four-corner passing

Setup: Five players, four cones in a square about 5 metres across, and one ball. Put one player at each cone and the extra player behind the starting passer.

Action: Pass clockwise to the next corner, then follow your pass to join that corner. Join behind anyone already waiting there. The receiver passes onward before following. Reverse direction halfway through.

Passing cue: Keep the ball moving before your feet follow. Send it to the next player’s visible stick, not automatically toward the cone.

Checkpoint: Complete one circuit in each direction without a receiver chasing a pass or players crowding one another at a corner.

Progression: Receivers step a short distance toward the incoming pass, catch and pass onward before moving to the next corner. Begin at walking speed; faster rotation is useful only while placement stays accurate.

4. Give-and-go through a gate

Setup: Two players, one ball and two cones forming a roughly 1.5-metre-wide receiving gate. Place the gate diagonally ahead of player A, with player B about 4–5 metres to A’s side. Keep the cutting route clear.

Action: A passes to B, then cuts toward the gate with the stick presented. B returns the ball so A catches while moving through the gate. Reset and switch roles. Practise cuts from both sides.

Passing cue: Lead the moving stick. Release when the cutter shows a target and the lane is open—not while they are still turning away.

Checkpoint: The cutter catches without stopping, turning back or reaching behind. If not, adjust release timing and placement before increasing speed.

Progression: Add a stationary, non-contact defender between B and the gate, clear of A’s cutting route. B holds the ball if the defender blocks the passing lane; A can adjust the route around—not through—the defender. Reset if no clear lane opens. Do not force the return pass just to finish the pattern.

5. Three-on-one passing reads

Setup: Three passers and one defender inside a square roughly 6 metres across. Use one ball. Keep the area away from the boards.

Action: The attackers keep possession while the defender tries to intercept. Attackers may reposition within the square. After an interception, a ball out of bounds or 30 seconds, reset and rotate the defender.

Passing cue: Read the defender before choosing a receiver. Off-ball players should move out of the defender’s shadow—the space where the defender blocks a direct pass—and show their sticks.

Checkpoint: Aim for five consecutive passes with an open lane at release. A pass that slips through a defender’s reach is not the same as a well-chosen feed.

Progression: Begin with a walking defender. Add speed gradually. If attackers struggle, enlarge the square before adding a time limit; if they succeed easily, shrink it slightly.

A 25-minute passing block

After a separate warm-up, use four minutes each for partner and triangle passing, then five minutes each for four-corner passing, give-and-go and three-on-one. Allow the remaining two minutes for transitions and water.

Track three things: target placement, catches that preserve movement, and passes released into open lanes. Increase one difficulty at a time—distance, movement or defensive pressure. For a longer team session, build from this block into the 60-minute box practice for passing under pressure.