5 Point Stick Handling Drill

This build up stick handling drill is great for teams of all ages and skill levels.

This Drill Highlights:

• Stick Handling with Pressure

• Footwork with the Ball

• Protecting the Ball

Description:

1. 5 lines on each of the red cones. Each person is going to go through the stickwork and footwork sequence, then advance the ball to the next line.

   • You can get two balls going with no defense on (start the ball on opposing cones to allow for good spacing).

   • I recommend just one ball if you’re going with live defense

2. The main idea is to start at the red cone, advance to one yellow cone, back to the red cone, advance to the other cone, then come back to the red and pass off to the next line.

   • Example 1: All right handed. Footwork: Left yellow cone, back to red, left yellow cone, back to red, then pass (pass clockwise)

   • Example 2: All left handed. Footwork: Right yellow cone, back to red, left yellow cone, back to red, then pass (passing is clockwise).

   • Example 3: Switching Hands. Footwork: Left yellow cone, back to red, square up and switch hands, right yellow cone, back to red, then pass (passing is counter-clockwise)

3. Once you get a good number of reps in without defense, you can throw defense in there to challenge the ball handlers even more.

Equipment:

15 cones (5 red, 10 yellow)

Highlighted Skills:

1. Stick Handling (protection and passing)

   • Body angled to protect the stick throughout the entire drill

   • Bottom elbow out and used to stay big and strong with pressure on

   • Eyes up throughout the entire drill to maintain solid vision

   • Get hands away from body when retreating back to red cone to make direct and accurate pass to a teammate.

2. Footwork

   • Concise, quick steps when attacking the yellow cones

   • Strong, powerful retreating steps when getting back to red cone

3. Handling the ball with defensive pressure (challenge and rechallenge)

   • Getting hands free of retreat steps to be able to unload the ball once you hit the red cone

Key Coaching Points:

Offense:

• Work on anticipation and timing. Players who will be receiving the ball net should pop out and demand the ball from the player who has just gone through the sequence.

• When defense is on you, offensive players should still want to drive their defenders down to the yellow cones (just because you have pressure does not mean you should skimp on getting to the yellow cones).

• Head up and hands free while retreating to the red cone so you can get a pass off immediately upon hitting the red cone. Don’t get to the red cone and cradle. Get to the red cone and be ready to pass.

Defense:

• On-ball defensive players are applying solid pressure and can check if offensive player is hanging their stick.

• Off-ball defensive players not immediately involved in the stick handling sequence can be in good off pall position and talking.

Diagram of Drill: