Zone Defense in Lacrosse

lacrosse zone offense

A well-executed zone defense in lacrosse can be a great way to limit what the opposing offense can do. However, many teams play a weak zone that doesn’t get the job done. They often leave too much space for the ball carrier and don’t properly prepare their players to handle a man-to-man defense.

There are several myths about zone defense that prevent coaches from implementing it correctly. One of the biggest is that a team playing zone doesn’t push transition as fast as they would in man-to-man. This couldn’t be more wrong. A good zone encourages your offense to push the game into transition, which speeds things up and creates opportunities for your players to make plays.

Another myth about zone defense is that it requires less athletic players than a traditional man-to-man. While it is true that a great zone does require smarter players to read and anticipate, it also requires incredible athletic ability to get out to cover a player passing through the zone. It is not uncommon for a defender to have to run a full 40 yards or more to cover the ball carrier when running a deep zone. It takes top level conditioning and athleticism to be able to run that distance consistently.

In addition to the physical requirements, a great zone requires excellent communication between all of the players on the defense. Each defender must be able to communicate with his or her teammates about who is covering what gaps and how to handle the ball carrier when they arrive in those areas. In addition, the defenders must constantly look around and be ready to quickly jump on any offensive player coming into their area.

If the defense can’t communicate effectively and doesn’t have the athletes to quickly react to any offensive player, they will struggle. A zone isn’t for everyone and it shouldn’t be used by any team that doesn’t have the personnel to handle a quality attack.

A great way to beat a zone is to find the gaps between your defenders and then time your cuts accordingly. This will draw multiple defenders and make it difficult for them to keep up with your offensive movement. If you can find these open spaces you will be able to score consistently against a strong zone.

There are several different zone formations that can be utilized by coaches. Some like to run a 1-3 zone where the short sticks are in the 1 and 3 spots. Others like to use a backer zone where the long sticks are in the 4 and 6 spots. Some teams even run a 2-5 zone with the long stick middies in the corners.