A Lacrosse Weekend 11.30.19

Welcome to "A Lacrosse Weekend" my weekly compilation of thoughts, ideas, stories, myths, truths, about the great game of lacrosse. I hope you enjoy it!

Phi-Lacrosse-ophy Podcast UMass Head Coach Greg Cannella

One of my favorite activities is talking lacrosse with coaches.  I've been doing this regularly for my whole adult life, but it's only been the last 18 months that I've been recording them on my Phi-Lacrosse-ophy Podcast!  This week's pod with Coach Cannella was awesome! We talk about Greg's mentors:

• Starts with Greg's Dad!
• Tony Seaman, Lynboork HS
• Dick Edell, University of Maryland
• Rich Speckmann, Nassau Communitey College
• Dick Garber, UMass
• John Espey, Stony Brook University
• Ted Garber, UMass

Coach Cannella and I chat about playing games at UMass and the "Hill" and how wild games were back in the late 80's.  We also talk about the many UMass greats at that time: Tommy Carmean, Scotty Hiller, Gerry Byrne, Sal Locasio, The Carr brothers, Jimmy McAleavey, Mark Millon,  Timmy Soudan and more!  Some great stories too!

 Learn how this famous villain has become a part of the UMass lexicon without Coach Cannella even knowing it!

 Finally, we discuss player development, offense, defense, and recruiting and you can learn how this evolved over the years!

The Peak 200 Camp 1995

Earlier today I received this picture in an email from Craig Ward (below in the Blue Air Force tank) of the camp staff at Peak 200 1995.  Craig had been listening to the Greg Cannella podcast and it took him on a little walk down memory lane.  Coach Cannella and I spoke about this great old instructional / recruiting camp from way back!  I attended this camp at Springfield College many times and recruited some great kids from it!  Back in the day, coaches attended camps to teach, learn, and share the great game of lacrosse while they were looking for players!  Good times!

See if you can pick out the legends that were working this camp!

• Jack Emmer former Army Head Coach
• Scotty Anderson former Head Coach, Harvard
• Bob Shillinglaw former Head Coach, Delaware
• Dom Starsia former Head Coach Virginia and Brown
• Dave Urick former Head Coach, Georgetown
• Jim Townsend Head Coach RPI
• Jack McGetric former Head Coach, Hartford and Bellermine
• Erin Quinn former Head Coach, Middlebury 
• Mike Corrado Head Coach, Villanova
• Kevin Corrigan, Head Coach Notre Dame
• Sid Jamieson former Head Coach Bucknell 
• Frank Fedorjacka Head Coach, Bucknell
• Dave Zazzaro Head Coach Rhodes College
• Tom McCabe former Head Coach Bowdoin 

Coaches Training Program 7 Day Free Trial 

If you haven’t signed up yet, the time is NOW!  For a limited time I’ve made access to all of the JM3 CTP and Academy Content for FREE!  It would be humanly impossible to get through all the content, but you will get a taste of the depth and quality of the program!  Whether you’re a youth coach, HS coach, college  coach, you will find this program a combination of cutting edge and practical. 

• Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Training Program 
• Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Training Program 
• 10 Chapter Boys' Player Academies 
• 10 Chapter Girls' Player Academies 
• Virtual Lacrosse Summit Access 

Lacrosse season is around the corner and it's time to start preparing!  

Slickest Finishing Technique Ever!

If you are coaching youth lacrosse, HS Lacrosse or College Lacrosse, you all have one thing in common: you have to get your players to finish!  Right?!  Think about the close games your teams have lost, and then think about what would have made the difference in the game.  No doubt, if your players could have finished even 50% of the one on ones with the goalie, your team probably would have won the game!

About two years ago I happened upon a finishing technique that I now call The Face Dodge Finish, which is a very simple yet effective finishing technique.  If first noticed this technique watching UNC's Chris Cloutier's finishes vs Loyola in the NCAA Final 4.  When I began researching, I found that a large number of NLL players were using this technique in one way, shape of form.

Below is a video explaining the Face Dodge Finish from the JM3 Coaches Training Program & Academy.

Not to change the subject from finishing (stay with me!), but one of my favorite skills in the sport of lacrosse is the Backhand Pump!  I love to watch Backhand Pumps.  I love doing Backhand Pumps!  They feel SO GOOD!  Backhand Pumps have many different applications.  Sometimes they are used to freeze a switch or a slide, sometimes they're used to get through a gap, and sometimes they're used to fake a goalie, other times they create space to get a shot off or draw a check to set up a rollback.  Whatever the application, Backhand Pumps work so well because they really appear to be what they are faking until the last moment.  Backhand pumps aren't hard to do, but they can be hard to remember to do!  That's why in the video below you will see examples from pros and from amateurs playing in the street!  Have fun with your Backhand Pumps!

OK, one more thing before we get to the "Slickest Finishing Technique Ever."  Do you remember this commercial?  The 1980's commercial depiction of the way Reeses Peanut Butter Cups were invented? 

Dude and girl cranking tunes on their Walkman, walking down the street eating a candy bar and a jar of peanut butter (BTW, who walks down the street with a jar of peanut butter?) and they bump into each other.

Dude, "Hey you got your peanut butter in my chocolate!"

Girl, "No, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!"

Dude and girl "What?!!"

The rest is history, two great tastes that tase great together!

 OK, here it is!  If you combine the Backhand Pump and the Face Dodge Finish (just like peanut butter and chocolate), you get what just might be the slickest Finishing Technique Ever!  I first saw this done a couple years ago while watching Northwestern Women's Lacrosse practice film.  The Wildcats were working on Face Dodge Finishing, Twisters and Reaches, while doing a Snake Shooting drill.  I noticed that some of the players were faking backhands before pulling their stick back across their face to Reach Far Side.  As we know, goalies have a hard time keeping up with the Reach during a Face Dodge Finish, but when you add the Backhand Pump, it magnifies it big time!  Watch this video of a bunch of kids doing this technique for the first time and you will see what I mean.  And then go back to the Backhand Pump video and see if you can find examples of this technique in there now that you know what it is!

 Have a great weekend!