A Three-Zone Shooting Drill for Box Lacrosse

In this zone shooting drill, “zone” means a shooting station—not a zone defense. Players work from three angles around the goal: first scooping and shooting, then catching a feed, and finally deciding whether to shoot or pass back.

The basic three-station format appears in TeamGenius’s youth lacrosse tryout guide: players scoop, shoot and rotate through three positions. The version below adapts that idea for a box practice, with shorter, adjustable distances and one active shooter at a time.

Set up three shooting areas

You need: one secured goal, a suitable backstop, three cones, balls, a coach or feeder, and a properly equipped goalie if available. All players should wear the equipment required by their program. Run this after a warm-up.

Place the cones in front of the goal, with left and right defined from the shooter’s view facing the goal:

• Left: a diagonal approach.
• Middle: a straight-on approach.
• Right: a diagonal approach.

As a starting practice distance, try roughly 5–8 metres from the goal, adjusting for the players’ control and the goalie’s readiness. Keep every shooting and follow-through area outside the crease, with room to stop. These are suggested drill distances, not rulebook markings.

Put waiting players behind the cones, outside the active shooter’s path and shooting lane. Keep the ball supply behind the stations. The feeder should stand off to one side, outside the shooting lane; check that position whenever the active station changes.

Use one ball at a time. Call stations in order—left, middle, right—and wait until the shooter has cleared and the goalie is ready before starting again. Stop shooting for ball collection; nobody should chase a rebound across the next shooter’s lane.

Ontario Lacrosse’s 2024 entry-level box coaching manual specifically advises clearing loose balls during drills, closing rink doors and checking the floor for wet spots.

Round 1: Scoop, set and shoot

Place one ball just in front of the active cone.

1. The player scoops through the ball and brings the stick under control.
2. They take one or two preparation steps without crowding the crease.
3. They choose a visible target and shoot.
4. They exit along a coach-designated route, away from the next shooting lane.

Rotate groups to the next station after everyone has taken a turn. Continue until each player has shot from all three angles. Use the same rotation in later rounds.

Keep power secondary to control. Cue the player to use the legs and trunk, rotate toward the target and finish balanced. Ontario’s manual emphasizes generating shooting force with the larger muscles of the legs and trunk rather than the arms alone, and keeping the hands soft for accuracy.

Checkpoint: Can the player link the pickup, preparation and shot without losing control? If not, slow the repetition and allow time to reset the grip before shooting.

Round 2: Catch and release

Remove the pickup ball. The player starts at the cone with the stick presented as a target, takes a small step into space and receives a feed.

The sequence becomes show a target, cushion the catch, check the goal, release. Do not require an immediate shot before players can catch reliably. Ontario’s catching guidance calls for watching the ball into the stick and cushioning it, rather than swatting at the pass or twirling the stick afterward.

Feed at a manageable pace. A poor pass should trigger a reset, not a desperate shot.

For field players entering box, use this round to shorten unnecessary preparation: avoid adding a cradle or a large wind-up to every catch. Start at whichever diagonal station lets the player comfortably present the stick head toward the middle, then work through the other stations.

Checkpoint: Does the player catch with the stick ready to shoot, or lower it and rebuild the action? For more release cues, see box lacrosse shooting technique.

Round 3: Read a defender

Add one defender between the active shooter and the goal. Use walking-speed movement and no checking. As the feed arrives, the defender either leaves a clear shooting lane—the ball’s path to goal—or steps into it, then holds that position for the decision. Do not have the defender rush into a shot already being released.

• Clear lane: catch, identify a target and shoot.
• Closed lane: protect the ball and pass back to the feeder. Do not shoot at or through the defender.

End the repetition after the shot or return pass. Rotate the defender regularly. This is a small decision drill, not a simulation of a full five-player zone; use attacking a 3–2 zone for that team problem.

Fit it into practice

Try a 12-minute block: three minutes of scoop-and-shoot, five minutes of catch-and-release, and four minutes of controlled defensive reads. Stay at an earlier stage if control breaks down.

Track shots on target—goals and shots saved by the goalie—separately from goals alone. In the final round, also record correct decisions: a sensible pass back counts as success. The useful measure is whether the player can handle the ball, recognize an available lane and finish under control—not simply how many shots they take.