Library: PLY — Plyometrics (Part 1)
PLY — PLYOMETRICS AND JUMP TRAINING
LAX Goalie Hub Reference Library (v2)
Plyometrics are jumping, hopping, and bounding exercises that teach your body to produce force fast. For a lacrosse goalie, that is the whole job: you stand still, and then in about a quarter of a second you have to move. Plyometrics build that quarter-second.
This file is the how-to. The daily email tells you which entry to do and how much of it today; this file tells you exactly what the movement is, how to do it correctly, and what to watch out for.
HOW TO USE THIS FILE
Find the code. Your daily email will say something like "Lateral Bound to Stick (PLY-08) — 3 sets of 4 each way." Look up PLY-08 below. Read it once all the way through before your first time. After that a glance at the cues is enough.
Land first, jump second. The single most important idea in this entry list: we teach landing before we teach jumping. PLY-01 and PLY-02 are landing entries, and every athlete — third grade or twelfth — starts there. An athlete who cannot land quietly on a six-inch hop has no business dropping off a box. If you are new to the program at any grade, spend your first two weeks of plyometric work on PLY-01 through PLY-04 regardless of how old you are.
Quality over quantity, always. Plyometrics are a nervous-system exercise, not a lung exercise. If you are gasping, you are doing conditioning, not plyos. Every rep should look like the first rep. The moment reps get sloppy, heavy, or loud, the set is over — even if the email said four more.
THE SAFETY RULES (read these before your first session)
1. Surface. Grass is the preferred surface for every entry in this file, and it is the assumed surface unless an entry says otherwise. Firm, level, dry grass with no holes, sprinkler heads, or hidden roots. Acceptable alternatives: rubberized track, a gym floor with a sprung wood surface, or a thin exercise mat over a hard floor for low-amplitude work only. Never do plyometrics on concrete, asphalt, tile, or a wet or slippery surface. Never on sand for landing-mechanics work (unstable ankles).
2. Footwear. Supportive athletic shoes with laces tied. No cleats for depth or box work (studs catch). No sandals, no bare feet on hard ground, no worn-out shoes with a collapsed heel.
3. Volume caps — foot contacts per session, by grade. A "foot contact" is one landing. A set of 10 two-foot line hops is 10 contacts. Stay at or under these numbers:
| Grade | Contacts per session | Sessions per week | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd–4th | 40–60 | 1–2 | Low amplitude only (hops under 6 inches). Games and shapes, not "training." |
| 5th–6th | 60–80 | 2 | Low to moderate amplitude. No depth work, no boxes. |
| 7th–8th | 80–100 | 2 | Moderate amplitude. Mini-hurdles allowed. Still no depth work, no boxes. |
| 9th–10th | 100–120 | 2 | Box and depth work permitted with supervision; cap high-intensity contacts at 30 of the total. |
| 11th–12th | 120–140 | 2–3 | Cap high-intensity contacts (depth, box, repeat hurdle) at 40 of the total. |
"High-intensity" means anything where you land from above your own standing height of hip drop, land on one leg from a bound, or land from a box or drop. Everything else is low or moderate.
4. Rest between sets. Plyometrics need more rest than they feel like they need. Low-amplitude work (line hops, pogos, ladder): 30–45 seconds between sets. Moderate work (broad jumps, bounds, tuck jumps, med ball): 60–90 seconds. High-intensity work (depth drops, box, single-leg bounds): 2–3 full minutes. If the rest feels boring, the rest is correct.
5. Never do plyometrics when: you are sore from the last plyo session; you are sick; you have any pain in a knee, ankle, hip, shin, or back; you are on a hard surface; you are in the dark or in poor light; you are alone doing box or depth work; you have already trained hard for 45 minutes and your legs are heavy. Fatigue is when injuries happen. There is no such thing as a plyometric session worth pushing through.
6. Never do these things, ever: - Never land with straight, locked legs. Ever. On any entry. - Never let the knees cave inward on landing. Stop the set immediately if they do. - Never jump down off a box. You step down, every time, on every rep, at every age. - Never do depth jumps or box jumps before 9th grade. This is not a "when you're ready" rule — it is a hard line tied to growth-plate maturity, and it is not negotiable by talent, size, or eagerness. - Never do plyometrics on consecutive days. Give the legs 48 hours. - Never add height, distance, or box height in the same session you add volume. One variable at a time.
7. Growth-spurt caution. During a fast growth spurt (shoes outgrown in a season, new knee or heel aches, sudden clumsiness), cut plyometric volume by half and stay in low-amplitude entries until the aches settle. Growing bones and tendons are temporarily more vulnerable. Heel pain in a 9–13 year old, or knee pain just below the kneecap, means stop plyometrics and see a doctor.
8. Parents and grades 3–6. For third through sixth grade, an adult should watch the first few sessions of any new entry. You do not need to know lacrosse to coach this well. Watch for three things: quiet landings, bent knees, knees pointing the same direction as the toes. If all three are true, the athlete is doing it right. If any one is false, stop and reset.
HOW A PLYOMETRIC ENTRY IS PRESCRIBED
Your email will give sets and reps like this: "PLY-07 — 3 x 4." That means 3 sets of 4 repetitions, resting the amount listed in that entry between sets. Contacts for that example: 3 x 4 = 12 (a broad jump landing counts as one contact).
Warm up first, always. Never start a plyometric block cold — the daily email always places plyometrics after a mobility warm-up (MOB entries), and that order is not decoration.
QUICK-REFERENCE INDEX
| Code | Name | Grades | Intensity | Primary purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLY-01 | Stick the Landing | 3–12 | Low | Foundational landing mechanics |
| PLY-02 | The Snap Down | 3–12 | Low | Absorbing force, athletic position speed |
| PLY-03 | Two-Foot Line Hops (Forward and Back) | 3–12 | Low | Ankle stiffness, rhythm, quiet feet |
| PLY-04 | Lateral Line Hops | 3–12 | Low | Side-to-side elasticity for the arc |
| PLY-05 | Four-Square Hop Patterns | 3–10 | Low | Multi-directional coordination |
| PLY-06 | Pogo Hops | 3–12 | Low | Ankle stiffness and ground contact time |
| PLY-07 | Broad Jump to Stick | 4–12 | Moderate | Horizontal power with a controlled landing |
| PLY-08 | Lateral Bound to Stick | 5–12 | Moderate | Single-leg landing control, push-off power |
| PLY-09 | Continuous Skater Bounds | 6–12 | Moderate | Repeat lateral power, arc recovery |
| PLY-10 | Tuck Jumps | 6–12 | Moderate | Vertical power, hip flexor speed |
| PLY-11 | Split Jumps | 6–12 | Moderate | Split-stance power, single-leg balance |
| PLY-12 | Single-Leg Hop in Place | 6–12 | Moderate | Single-leg stiffness and balance |
| PLY-13 | Single-Leg Hop and Stick | 7–12 | Moderate | Single-leg landing control under travel |
| PLY-14 | Ladder Hop Series | 5–12 | Low | Fast feet, hop precision, rhythm |
| PLY-15 | Ladder Lateral Hop Series | 6–12 | Low–Mod | Lateral quickness in tight space |
| PLY-16 | Med Ball Chest Pass | 5–12 | Moderate | Upper-body explosiveness, outlet power |
| PLY-17 | Med Ball Overhead Slam | 7–12 | Moderate | Full-body extension and finish |
| PLY-18 | Med Ball Rotational Throw | 7–12 | Moderate | Rotational power for clears and outlets |
| PLY-19 | Explosive First Step from Stance | 5–12 | Moderate | The goalie-specific quarter second |
| PLY-20 | Pipe-to-Pipe Bounds | 6–12 | Moderate | Crease-width lateral power |
| PLY-21 | Save-and-Recover Jump | 7–12 | Mod–High | Reset speed after the first save |
| PLY-22 | Repeat Mini-Hurdle Hops | 8–12 | Mod–High | Reactive stiffness, repeat jump ability |
| PLY-23 | Box Jump (Step Down) | 9–12 | High | Maximal concentric power, safe landing height |
| PLY-24 | Depth Drop to Stick | 9–12 | High | Landing under real impact |
| PLY-25 | Depth Jump | 11–12 | High | Reactive strength, the top of the ladder |
THE ENTRIES
PLY-01 — Stick the Landing
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand tall with feet about hip-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides. 2. Bend your knees and swing your arms back — a small dip, about a quarter of the way down toward a squat. 3. Swing your arms forward and hop straight up only 4 to 6 inches. This is a small hop on purpose. This drill is not about jumping high. 4. Land on the middle of both feet at the same time, with knees bent, hips pushed back slightly, chest up, and eyes forward. 5. Freeze. Hold that landing for a full three-count: "one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three." Do not stand up, do not wobble, do not hop again. 6. Stand up slowly, reset your feet, and repeat.
Coaching cues - "Land like a cat" — you should hear almost nothing. - "Toes, then heels" — land through the whole foot, not slapping flat and not on the toes only. - "Knees over your shoelaces" — the kneecaps should point in the same direction as the second toe of each foot. - "Freeze the photo" — you should be able to hold the landing long enough for someone to take a picture.
Common mistakes - Landing with straight legs and then bending afterward. The bend happens as you land, not after. - Knees collapsing inward toward each other (the number-one injury pattern this drill exists to prevent). - Loud landings. Noise is force you failed to absorb. - Hopping too high. A 6-inch hop is the whole assignment. - Landing with the chest folded over the thighs. Chest stays up, eyes forward.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Remove the hop entirely. Just dip into the landing position and hold it. Do 10 of those first. - Regression: Do it holding a wall or a parent's hand for balance. - Progression: Land with eyes closed (grades 6+) to force feel over sight. - Progression: Land on a slightly softer surface, or land and hold with a light ball in the hands. - Progression: Move to PLY-02 (Snap Down), then PLY-07 (Broad Jump to Stick).
How to measure it Score yourself out of 5 on a 10-rep set: 1 point each for quiet, balanced (no extra foot shuffle), knees tracking, chest up, and 3-second freeze held. Score 5/5 on ten straight reps across two sessions before you advance to any moderate-intensity entry. Re-test at the start of each season phase.
PLY-02 — The Snap Down
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand tall, feet together, arms straight overhead, up on the balls of your feet — stretched as tall as you can be. 2. In one sharp motion, pull your arms down hard to your sides and snap your feet out to hip-width, dropping into the landing position from PLY-01 — knees bent, hips back, chest up. 3. Your feet leave the ground only barely. This is not a jump. You are pulling yourself down into position rather than jumping up. 4. Land in a strong, quiet, frozen athletic stance. Hold for two seconds. 5. Stand tall again and reset. Repeat.
Coaching cues - "Pull the ground toward you." The arms drive down; the body follows. - "Sharp down, still landing." The movement is violent; the finish is silent. - "Same shape as PLY-01, half the time." - "Feet land where they belong" — hip-width, both at once, not staggered.
Common mistakes - Turning it into a jump. If the feet leave the ground more than an inch, you are jumping, not snapping. - Landing feet at different times (a "one-two" sound instead of one clap). - Dropping the chest forward into a bow. - Going slowly. Speed is the whole point of the drill; the shape is the safety.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Perform it slowly, three seconds down, until the shape is automatic. - Progression: Snap down on a partner's clap or whistle instead of your own timing — now it is reactive. - Progression: Snap down while holding a goalie stick in save position, so the shape includes the hands. - Progression: Snap down and immediately step to a spot called by a partner (bridges into PLY-19).
How to measure it Have a partner clap at random intervals. Count how many of 10 claps you can convert into a correct, frozen athletic position in under half a second (looks instant). Target: 9 of 10 by 6th grade. Also usable as a stance-quality check any time of year.
PLY-03 — Two-Foot Line Hops (Forward and Back)
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand with both feet together on one side of the line, knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet. 2. Hop forward over the line with both feet together, landing softly. 3. Immediately hop backward over the line, landing softly. 4. Keep going in a continuous rhythm — forward, back, forward, back — like a fast, light metronome. 5. Keep your feet close to the ground. One to two inches of clearance is plenty. 6. Stop at the time or rep count your email prescribes, or the moment the rhythm gets ragged.
Coaching cues - "Hot ground" — spend as little time on the ground as possible. - "Springs, not squats" — the knees stay softly bent and mostly quiet; the ankles do the work. - "Same spot" — you should finish where you started, not drift down the line. - "Whisper feet."
Common mistakes - Hopping too high. Height turns a light rhythm drill into a heavy one and blows your contact budget. - Bending deeply at the knees each rep, which kills the elastic quality. - Drifting sideways down the line. - Looking down at the feet. Eyes up, at goalie-eye level.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Step over the line instead of hopping, in rhythm, until coordination is there. - Regression: Hop over, pause, reset, hop back — no continuous rhythm. - Progression: Increase the rhythm (contacts per second), not the height. - Progression: Close your eyes for the last 5 seconds of a set (grades 7+). - Progression: Move to PLY-04 (lateral), then PLY-05 (four-square).
How to measure it Count contacts in 15 seconds with clean form. Rough targets: 3rd–4th grade, 25+; 5th–6th, 35+; 7th–8th, 45+; 9th–12th, 55+. A rep only counts if it clears the line and lands quietly. Test at the start of each phase.
PLY-04 — Lateral Line Hops
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand beside the line with both feet together, knees softly bent, chest up, eyes forward. 2. Hop sideways over the line with both feet, landing softly on the other side. 3. Immediately hop back. Continue in a light, continuous side-to-side rhythm. 4. Keep the shoulders square and facing forward the whole time — only the feet cross the line, the body does not turn. 5. Stay low to the ground: one to two inches of clearance.
Coaching cues - "Shoulders stay square to the shooter." - "Quick out, quick back." - "Feet together, ankles talking to each other." - "Eyes on a target on the wall in front of you, not on the line."
Common mistakes - Rotating the hips and shoulders with each hop. The upper body should look almost bored. - Landing on the outside edges of the feet, which rolls the ankles. - Hopping too far sideways — this becomes a bound, which is a different, harder entry (PLY-08). - Letting one foot land before the other.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Side-step over the line in rhythm, no hop. - Progression: Increase rhythm speed; hold the same low height. - Progression: Add a stick held in save position through the whole set. - Progression: Alternate 5 seconds forward-back (PLY-03) with 5 seconds lateral without stopping.
How to measure it Contacts in 15 seconds, clean form. Targets: 3rd–4th, 22+; 5th–6th, 32+; 7th–8th, 42+; 9th–12th, 50+. Compare left-lead and right-lead balance — a large difference between directions is worth noting and evening out.
PLY-05 — Four-Square Hop Patterns
Step-by-step instructions 1. Draw a square on the ground and divide it into four boxes. Number them 1 (front-left), 2 (front-right), 3 (back-right), 4 (back-left). 2. Stand in box 1 with feet together, knees softly bent. 3. Pattern A — the clock: hop 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 and back to 1, continuously, landing softly in each box. Then reverse the direction. 4. Pattern B — the X: hop 1 to 3 to 2 to 4, then back. 5. Pattern C — the caller: a parent or partner calls a number at random and you hop to that box and freeze. 6. Keep hops low and quiet. The pattern is the challenge, not the height.
Coaching cues - "Land in the middle of the box, not on the line." - "Quiet in every box." - "Head up — know where the boxes are without looking." - "Freeze on the last one."
Common mistakes - Staring at the ground the whole set. Glance down early on, then lift the eyes. - Getting faster and sloppier. Speed comes after the pattern is automatic. - Hopping high to cover the distance instead of pushing sideways. - Boxes drawn too large, which turns hops into jumps.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Walk the pattern, then step it, then hop it. - Regression: Use only two boxes (forward-back) until the pattern clicks. - Progression: Add speed with a 15-second timer and count completed laps. - Progression: Single-leg version, grades 7+ only, low volume (see PLY-12 first). - Progression: Pattern C with the caller shouting the number while you are in the air — now it is reactive.
How to measure it Time a fixed pattern: how many full 1-2-3-4-1 laps in 20 seconds with no line touches and no stumbles. Track it across a phase. For the caller version, count correct boxes out of 10 calls.
PLY-06 — Pogo Hops
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Keep your legs long — knees stay nearly straight but never locked, with a small soft bend. 2. Bounce straight up and down using only your ankles, like a pogo stick. Push through the balls of your feet. 3. Let your heels kiss the ground lightly on each landing but do not sink onto them. 4. Keep your arms relaxed, either at your sides or lightly bent. 5. Bounce continuously for the prescribed time — usually 10 to 20 seconds — staying in the same spot.
Coaching cues - "Stiff springs, soft knees" — legs long, but never locked out hard. - "Bounce off a hot sidewalk." - "Tall body, busy ankles." - "Nothing above the waist should be moving."
Common mistakes - Turning it into a squat jump by bending the knees deeply. That is a different drill. - Locking the knees rigidly straight — this is the one place where "long legs" can be taken too far and jars the joints. - Landing flat-footed and heavy. - Bending at the waist and letting the chest bob.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Hold a wall or chair for balance and bounce in place. - Regression: Shorten to 5-second sets. - Progression: Travel forward slowly while pogoing. - Progression: Single-leg pogo hops, 7th grade and up, 5–8 contacts per leg only. - Progression: Pogo for 8 seconds, then immediately explode into one maximal broad jump (PLY-07).
How to measure it Contacts in 10 seconds with the legs staying long. Targets: 3rd–4th, 18+; 5th–6th, 24+; 7th–8th, 30+; 9th–12th, 35+. A phone slow-motion video is the honest judge of whether the knees are staying long.
PLY-07 — Broad Jump to Stick
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes behind a start line. 2. Swing your arms back and hinge at the hips — push the hips back, chest leaning slightly forward, knees bent. This is the loading position. 3. Swing your arms forward hard and jump forward and slightly up, extending your hips, knees, and ankles all at once. 4. In the air, bring your knees up in front of you and reach your feet forward for the landing. 5. Land on both feet at the same time in the PLY-01 landing position: knees bent, hips back, chest up, quiet. 6. Stick it. Freeze the landing for three full seconds. No extra hop, no step forward, no hands on the ground. 7. Walk back to the start line and reset. Never rush the walk-back — it is your rest.
Coaching cues - "Arms are the engine." Big backswing, big forward swing. - "Jump out, not up." A broad jump that goes high is a wasted broad jump. - "Reach your feet out in front of you." - "The rep is not over until you are frozen."
Common mistakes - Falling forward on landing and touching the ground with a hand — a sign you jumped past what you can control. Shorten the jump. - Jumping too high instead of far. - Landing with straight legs. - Stepping or hopping after landing (that is a failed rep — the stick is the drill). - Chasing distance every rep and losing the landing. Distance means nothing without the freeze.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Jump only 50 percent of your maximum distance and focus entirely on the landing. Do this for a full two weeks before jumping for distance. - Regression: Broad jump into a soft grass landing zone marked by cones, aiming for the middle. - Progression: Jump for distance, marking your best. - Progression: Two consecutive broad jumps, sticking each (grades 8+). - Progression: Broad jump immediately into a 10-yard sprint (grades 9+, bridges into conditioning work).
How to measure it Standing broad jump distance, measured from the start line to the back of the closest heel — but only counted if the landing is stuck. Test at the start of each phase, best of three attempts, fully rested. Track the number as a power benchmark across the grade year. A useful internal rule: your broad jump should be at least your own height by 7th–8th grade, and comfortably beyond it by 11th–12th.
PLY-08 — Lateral Bound to Stick
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand on your right leg, left foot lifted just off the ground, knee softly bent, chest up. 2. Sink into the right leg — bend the knee and push the hip back, letting the arms swing back. Do not collapse into a deep squat; a quarter of the way down is enough. 3. Push hard off the outside of your right foot and bound sideways to your left. 4. Land on your left leg only, in a single-leg version of the PLY-01 landing: knee bent, hip back, chest up, knee tracking over the toes. 5. Stick it. Freeze for three full seconds on that one leg. Arms can go wide for balance. 6. Reset and bound back to the right. That is one rep each direction.
Coaching cues - "Push sideways, not upward." - "Land on a bent leg, not a stiff one." - "Knee over the middle toes" — this is the safety cue; if the knee dives inward, the rep is over. - "Stick and hold — arms wide like an airplane if you need them." - "Small bounds you can stick beat big bounds you cannot."
Common mistakes - Bounding too far too early. Distance comes only after the landing is bulletproof. - The landing knee caving inward — stop the set immediately, drop the distance by half. - Touching the free foot down to save the landing. That is a failed rep. - Landing on a straight leg. - Rushing back the other way without the full freeze.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Lateral step to a single-leg stick — no bound at all, just step and hold. Master this first. - Regression: Bound to a two-foot landing instead of one leg. - Regression: Hold a wall or a partner's hand for the first sessions. - Progression: Bound for distance, marking it with cones. - Progression: Bound, stick for one second only, then immediately bound back (bridges into PLY-09). - Progression: Bound and stick while holding a goalie stick in save position (grades 8+).
How to measure it Maximum bound distance that you can stick cleanly, measured each direction. Compare left versus right — the goal is within 10 percent of each other. A large side-to-side gap is a real finding and worth extra work on the weaker side. Test at each phase change.
PLY-09 — Continuous Skater Bounds
Step-by-step instructions 1. Start standing on your right leg in a soft athletic position, chest up. 2. Push off the outside of the right foot and bound to the left, landing on the left leg. 3. Instead of freezing, absorb the landing just enough to control it and immediately push off the left leg back to the right. 4. Continue bounding side to side in a smooth, rhythmic pattern. Think of a speed skater. 5. Let the arms swing naturally across the body — they help you travel. 6. Stop at the prescribed reps or time. The set ends the instant a landing gets wobbly.
Coaching cues - "Skater, not bunny." Sideways travel, not vertical hopping. - "Land, absorb, launch" — three beats that happen in one motion. - "Stay low the whole way across." - "Rhythm over distance." - "If you wobble, the set is done."
Common mistakes - Going for maximum distance and losing control — this entry rewards rhythm, not reach. - Standing up tall between bounds, which kills the elastic quality. - Letting the trailing leg swing wildly and pull you off balance. - Continuing after form breaks. Fatigued bounding is where ankles roll. - Doing these on uneven ground.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Go back to PLY-08 with a one-second stick between bounds. - Regression: Reduce to 4 total bounds per set. - Progression: Increase to 8–10 bounds per set. - Progression: Increase bound width using cones as targets — width before speed. - Progression: Add a light ball toss from a partner during the bounds (grades 9+) so the eyes work while the legs do. - Progression: Bound with the goalie stick held in save position.
How to measure it Count clean bounds in 15 seconds, or measure the total ground covered in 6 bounds (mark start and finish). Both should improve over a phase. Form is the gate: a bound only counts if the landing knee tracked correctly and the free foot never touched down.
PLY-10 — Tuck Jumps
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees softly bent, arms at your sides. 2. Dip quickly — a quarter squat, arms swinging back. 3. Jump straight up as high as you can, driving the arms up. 4. At the top of the jump, pull both knees up toward your chest and tap your thighs with your hands. 5. Extend your legs back down and land in the PLY-01 landing position — both feet at once, knees bent, quiet. 6. Reset your feet completely, then repeat. Reps are separate jumps, not a continuous bounce, unless your email specifically says continuous.
Coaching cues - "Knees to hands, not hands to knees." Do not reach down; pull the knees up. - "Straight up, land in the same footprints." - "Land like PLY-01" — every landing rule still applies. - "Full reset between reps."
Common mistakes - Reaching the hands down to the knees instead of driving the knees up — this folds the body and teaches nothing. - Drifting forward or backward between reps. - Landing stiff-legged. Tuck jumps produce a lot of force on landing, which is exactly why the landing rules matter here. - Doing high volume. Ten good tuck jumps beat thirty tired ones, and thirty tired ones are how knees get sore. - Doing them on a hard surface. Grass only.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Squat jumps with no tuck — jump straight up, land soft. - Regression: Reduce to 3–4 reps per set. - Progression: Continuous tuck jumps, 3–5 in a row without a reset (grades 8+ only). - Progression: Tuck jump immediately into a sprint or a lateral shuffle. - Progression: Tuck jump with a partner calling a direction to move on landing.
How to measure it Video a set from the side and check knee height relative to hip height at the top of the jump. Also usable as a fatigue check: if your knee height drops noticeably by rep 5, your set length is too long. Vertical jump height itself is better measured with a standing jump-and-reach against a wall, tested each phase.
PLY-11 — Split Jumps
Step-by-step instructions 1. Step into a lunge position: right foot forward with the knee bent about 90 degrees, left leg back with the knee lowered toward the ground but not touching it. Chest up, hips square, torso tall. 2. Push through both feet and jump straight up. 3. In the air, switch your legs — the left leg comes forward, the right leg goes back. 4. Land in the mirror-image lunge, sinking softly into it with both knees bending to absorb. 5. Immediately jump again and switch back, or reset and pause if your email prescribes the paused version. 6. Keep the torso upright the whole time. The chest should not bob forward and back.
Coaching cues - "Tall chest, proud posture." - "Land soft into the lunge, then use it." - "Front knee stays behind the toes and points straight ahead." - "Switch in the air, not on the ground."
Common mistakes - Letting the front knee slide way past the toes on landing. - Landing with the torso pitched forward. - Bouncing the back knee off the ground. - Landing with narrow, tightrope-style feet — keep the feet about hip-width apart side to side for balance. - Going too fast before the balance is there.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Static split squats — no jump. Hold, stand, repeat. - Regression: Split jump with a pause and a full reset between every rep. - Progression: Continuous split jumps, 6–10 in a row. - Progression: Add a light arm drive or hold a stick across the chest. - Progression: Split jump into an immediate lateral shuffle in a called direction (grades 9+).
How to measure it Count clean continuous switches in 20 seconds with an upright torso. Also check symmetry: is the landing equally controlled with either leg forward? Video from the side once per phase and compare.
PLY-12 — Single-Leg Hop in Place
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand on your right leg with the left foot lifted just off the ground, knee softly bent. Chest up, eyes forward. 2. Find your balance and hold it for two seconds before you start hopping. 3. Hop lightly straight up and down on the right leg, 1 to 2 inches only, staying in the same spot. 4. Keep the hopping leg's knee softly bent and the hip stable — the pelvis should not drop on one side. 5. Complete the prescribed hops, then switch legs and repeat exactly. 6. Stop the moment you start drifting, wobbling, or the knee starts to dive inward.
Coaching cues - "Hips level, like a table top." - "Small and quiet — this is not a jump." - "Eyes on one spot in front of you." - "The standing leg does the work; the free leg just rides along."
Common mistakes - The hip on the free-leg side dropping (a "collapsing" pelvis) — the main thing this drill exists to fix. - The hopping knee drifting inward. - Hopping too high, which multiplies force on one leg. - Skipping the weaker leg or doing fewer reps on it. Always match sides. - Doing this before PLY-01 and PLY-06 are solid.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Single-leg balance hold, 20–30 seconds per side, no hopping. - Regression: Hold a wall or chair with one finger while hopping. - Progression: Increase to 15–20 continuous hops per leg. - Progression: Hop with the eyes closed for 5 seconds (grades 9+). - Progression: Move to PLY-13 (traveling single-leg hops).
How to measure it Continuous clean hops per leg without a foot touch-down or drift. Targets: 6th grade, 10 per leg; 8th grade, 15 per leg; 10th–12th, 20 per leg. Record left and right separately — the difference between them is the most useful number in this entry.
PLY-13 — Single-Leg Hop and Stick
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand on your right leg, free foot lifted, in a soft athletic position. 2. Sink a quarter of the way down into the right leg, swinging the arms back. 3. Hop forward a controlled distance — start with about the length of one of your own feet — and land on the same right leg. 4. Land with the knee bent, hip back, chest up, and the knee tracking directly over the middle toes. 5. Stick it. Freeze for three full seconds. The free foot never touches down. 6. Reset, repeat for the prescribed reps, then switch legs and match exactly. 7. Run the drill in all three directions across a training block: forward, lateral, and diagonal (45 degrees). Each direction has its own landing demand.
Coaching cues - "Land on a bent, strong leg." - "Knee over the middle toes — always the safety check." - "Distance you can freeze, not distance you can reach." - "Free foot stays a passenger."
Common mistakes - Hopping too far. If you cannot freeze it, it was too far. Cut the distance in half. - Free foot tapping down on the landing (a failed rep). - Knee caving in — end the set immediately. - Doing fewer reps on the weaker leg. - Adding the diagonal direction before forward and lateral are clean. Diagonal landings are the hardest.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Return to PLY-12 (hop in place) for two weeks. - Regression: Hop and land on two feet, then progress to one. - Regression: Cut hop distance to a half foot-length. - Progression: Increase distance gradually, still sticking every rep. - Progression: Hop, stick for one second, and immediately hop back to the start (grades 9+). - Progression: Add a ball catch from a partner at the moment of landing (grades 10+).
How to measure it Maximum stuck single-leg hop distance in each direction, each leg. Track the left-right gap; under 10 percent difference is the goal. This is also a standard return-to-play style screen — a large asymmetry is a signal to spend time on the weak side rather than to push harder on the strong one.
PLY-14 — Ladder Hop Series
Step-by-step instructions 1. Lay the ladder flat and make sure it is not bunched up. Stand at one end with feet together. 2. Pattern A — two feet in each box: hop with both feet into box 1, then box 2, then box 3, all the way down. Light and quick. 3. Pattern B — in-in-out-out: from outside the ladder, hop both feet into box 1, then hop both feet out to straddle box 2, then in to box 3, and so on. 4. Pattern C — one box, skip one: hop into box 1, skip box 2, land in box 3, continuing down. 5. Keep hops low and quiet; the goal is precision and speed, not height. 6. Walk back to the start between passes — that walk is your rest.
Coaching cues - "Land in the middle of the box, never on the rung." - "Feet under the hips." - "Chin up after the first pass — feel the boxes." - "Fast and light, not high and loud."
Common mistakes - Staring straight down the whole time. - Catching the ladder rungs with the toes — slow down until the pattern is clean. - Hopping high to reach the next box instead of pushing forward. - Doing pass after pass without counting contacts. This entry burns through a contact budget fast.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Walk the pattern, then jog it, then hop it. - Regression: Use a chalk ladder with larger boxes. - Progression: Time a full pass and try to beat it with zero rung touches. - Progression: Add a stick held in save position through the pass. - Progression: Single-leg pattern down the ladder (grades 9+, low volume).
How to measure it Time one full ladder pass of a set pattern, counting any rung touch as a 1-second penalty. Track per phase. Also track "clean passes out of 5."
PLY-15 — Ladder Lateral Hop Series
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand beside the ladder, facing perpendicular to it, with the ladder running from your left to your right (you travel down its length sideways). 2. Pattern A — lateral two-feet: hop sideways with both feet into box 1, then box 2, all the way down. Shoulders stay square the whole way. 3. Pattern B — lateral in-and-out: hop both feet into the box, then both feet out to the far side of the ladder, then back in to the next box, zig-zagging down. 4. Pattern C — lateral one-in, one-out: hop into a box, then out to the near side, in to the next box, out again, traveling down the ladder. 5. Keep the chest facing forward at all times — the ladder travels past you; your body does not turn. 6. Complete the pass, walk back, and repeat leading with the other direction so both sides get equal work.
Coaching cues - "Shoulders square, feet busy." - "Chest to the shooter the whole way down." - "Small, quick, quiet." - "Both directions, every time."
Common mistakes - Turning the torso to run sideways — that turns the drill into a jog. - Only ever leading with the dominant side. - Crossing the feet over each other. Feet stay parallel. - Rising up tall between hops instead of staying in an athletic position.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Lateral side-steps through the ladder, no hop. - Regression: Fewer boxes — use half the ladder. - Progression: Time the pass; chase clean speed. - Progression: Hold a stick in save position throughout. - Progression: Have a partner call "switch" mid-pass, requiring an immediate change of travel direction (grades 9+).
How to measure it Timed clean pass in each direction, rung touches counted as penalties. Compare leading-left versus leading-right times — they should be close.
PLY-16 — Med Ball Chest Pass
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand facing the wall, about 6 to 8 feet back, feet hip-width apart, knees softly bent. 2. Hold the med ball at chest height with both hands, elbows out. 3. Pull the ball back toward your chest briefly, then throw it forward at the wall as hard as you can, extending both arms fully. 4. Let the legs help — a small dip and drive through the floor makes the throw a whole-body movement. 5. Catch the ball on the rebound with soft, bent arms — absorb it, do not slap at it. 6. Reset your feet and throw again. Every rep is a maximal throw.
Coaching cues - "Throw through the wall, not at it." - "Push the floor away as you throw." - "Soft hands on the catch — catch it like an egg." - "Every rep is your hardest rep."
Common mistakes - Using a ball that is too heavy. This is the single most common error and it ruins the drill's purpose. - Standing straight-legged and throwing with arms only. - Catching with locked arms — a fast way to jam a finger or wrist. - Standing too close to the wall for the rebound. - Doing high reps. This is a power drill: 4–6 throws per set, not 20.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Lighter ball, or no rebound — throw, retrieve, reset. - Regression: Kneeling chest pass to remove the legs and isolate the upper body (also a good technique check). - Progression: Add a step-in before the throw. - Progression: Throw from a split stance. - Progression: Throw immediately after a snap down (PLY-02) for a chained power rep.
How to measure it Distance test: from a fixed line, throw the ball forward for maximum distance (outdoors, no wall) and mark where it first lands. Best of three, tested each phase. Or, with a wall, count clean maximal throws in 20 seconds — but only if every catch stays soft.
PLY-17 — Med Ball Overhead Slam
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding the ball with both hands at chest height. 2. Lift the ball straight overhead, rising up onto the balls of your feet and extending your whole body tall — reach. 3. Immediately fold at the hips and slam the ball straight down into the ground about a foot in front of your toes, pulling hard with the arms and trunk. 4. Follow the ball down with your eyes and let your hips push back as you finish — do not round your lower back to reach for it. 5. Pick the ball up, stand tall, and reset completely before the next rep.
Coaching cues - "Reach tall, then slam through the floor." - "Hinge at the hips, not the lower back." - "Slam it a foot in front of your feet, not between them." - "Loud is fine here — this is the one drill where noise is allowed."
Common mistakes - Rounding the lower back on the slam. Hips push back, spine stays long. - Using a bouncing ball — a genuine face-injury risk. - Slamming between the feet, which invites the ball to bounce back into shins. - Doing sets of 15. Power drills stay at 5–8 reps. - Slamming on a hard indoor floor.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Lighter ball, half-effort slams while learning the hinge. - Regression: Overhead reach and controlled drop, no slam. - Progression: Heavier ball within the grade band. - Progression: Slam, then immediately sprint 10 yards (grades 10+). - Progression: Slam into an immediate athletic-stance snap down.
How to measure it This one is more about output quality than a number. Video from the side once per phase and check that the athlete reaches full overhead extension and hinges cleanly. If you want a number, count clean slams in 30 seconds with a fixed ball weight, or track the heaviest ball you can slam with perfect posture for 6 reps.
PLY-18 — Med Ball Rotational Throw
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand side-on to the wall, about 6 to 8 feet away, feet a little wider than hip-width, knees softly bent. 2. Hold the ball with both hands at waist height, arms fairly straight, on the side away from the wall. 3. Rotate away from the wall, loading your weight into your back hip. Keep your chest tall. 4. Drive off the back foot, turn the back hip toward the wall, and let the rotation whip your arms through — release the ball at the wall at about chest height. 5. Let the back heel pivot up as you rotate. Do not keep the back foot flat and twist the knee. 6. Catch or retrieve the ball, reset, and repeat. Complete equal reps facing the other direction.
Coaching cues - "Turn the back hip, not the shoulders." - "The back heel spins — let it." - "Arms are the whip, hips are the handle." - "Same number of throws each way. Every time."
Common mistakes - Arms-only throwing with no hip rotation, which is both weaker and hard on the lower back. - Keeping the back foot planted flat, which twists the knee. - Only throwing from the dominant side. - Standing too tall and straight-legged. - Ball too heavy, which slows the whip.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Half-kneeling rotational throw to remove the legs and isolate the trunk. - Regression: Lighter ball with a focus on the hip turn. - Progression: Add a step into the throw. - Progression: Throw and immediately sprint 5 yards, simulating a clear-and-go. - Progression: Throw with an actual lacrosse outlet pass immediately after, so the pattern transfers directly.
How to measure it Maximum throw distance outdoors from a fixed line, each direction, best of three. Compare dominant to non-dominant side; a large gap is normal at first and should narrow across the grade year. Test at each phase change.
PLY-19 — Explosive First Step from Stance
Step-by-step instructions 1. Set two cones about 6 feet to your left and right. Stand between them in your goalie stance: feet a little wider than shoulder-width, knees bent, hands up, stick in ready position, eyes level. 2. Have a partner point or call a direction — left or right — or, if training alone, look away and use a random count. 3. On the signal, drive off the opposite foot and take one hard, direct step toward the called cone. The step is a push, not a reach. 4. Land in a strong athletic position at the cone with your stick still up and your chest square to where the shooter would be. 5. Freeze in that position for two seconds. Check yourself: are the hands still up? Is the chest still square? Are the knees bent? 6. Reset to the middle, re-set your stance completely, and go again. 7. Run equal reps to each side.
Coaching cues - "Push the far foot into the ground." You go left by pushing right. - "Step to the ball, not around it." - "Hands lead, feet follow — the stick does not drop when the feet move." - "One step, then freeze. This is not a shuffle drill."
Common mistakes - Taking a small "false step" backward or sideways before the real step. This is the most common and most costly error — it wastes the quarter second the drill exists to protect. Film it; almost everyone does it at first. - Dropping the hands and the stick as the feet move. - Standing tall on the first step instead of staying in an athletic position. - Turning the shoulders instead of keeping them square. - Reaching with the near foot instead of pushing with the far foot.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: No signal. Step to a cone you choose, focusing entirely on the push and the freeze. - Regression: Half distance, so the step is easy to control. - Progression: Partner gives the signal later and later, forcing a faster reaction. - Progression: Add a second step after the first, then freeze. - Progression: Partner rolls or tosses a ball to a corner and the first step becomes a real save attempt (grades 8+). - Progression: Signal given as a stick fake or shoulder turn instead of a call, so you are reading a body rather than hearing a word (grades 10+).
How to measure it Film from the front at 120 fps and count the false steps in a set of 10. Target: zero by 8th grade. For a speed number, time from signal to the moment the lead foot lands, using video frames — a phone at 120 fps gives you roughly 8 milliseconds per frame, which is plenty accurate for tracking improvement across a phase.
PLY-20 — Pipe-to-Pipe Bounds
Step-by-step instructions 1. Stand at one pipe (or cone) in a full goalie stance, hands up, stick in ready position. 2. Push hard off the inside foot and bound laterally toward the far pipe, covering as much ground as you can in one push. 3. Land on the outside leg in a controlled athletic position with the stick still up and the chest square. 4. Stick the landing for one second, then bound back toward the first pipe. 5. Continue for the prescribed number of crossings. Two crossings equal one round trip. 6. Count how many bounds it takes you to cover pipe to pipe. Fewer, controlled bounds is the goal — but never at the cost of the landing.
Coaching cues - "Cover the cage in as few pushes as you can control." - "Chest square to the shooter the whole way." - "The stick never drops — not on the push, not on the landing." - "Land ready, not just landed."
Common mistakes - Turning the body to run sideways instead of bounding square. - Dropping the stick to help the arms swing. - Standing up tall between bounds. - Reaching for one giant bound and landing out of control. Fewer bounds is only better if you can stick each one. - Doing high volume of this because it feels like practice. It is still a power drill: 4–6 crossings per set.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Shuffle pipe to pipe with no bound, focusing on the square chest and the stick position. - Regression: Use a narrower cone width. - Progression: Reduce the number of bounds needed to cover the width. - Progression: Bound to a pipe and immediately make a save on a partner's toss (grades 8+). - Progression: Add a call mid-bound requiring a change of direction (grades 10+).
How to measure it Two numbers: (1) fewest controlled bounds to cover pipe to pipe, and (2) time for 4 crossings with clean landings. Track both each phase. A goalie who goes from four bounds to two, with the same landing quality, has made a real, measurable jump in power.
PLY-21 — Save-and-Recover Jump
Step-by-step instructions 1. Start in a full goalie stance, hands up. 2. Take one explosive step to the side as in PLY-19, as if making a save on a low corner. 3. Drop your bottom hand and lower knee toward the ground into a low save position — knee down or nearly down, chest still up, stick out front. 4. Recover: drive off the ground with both legs, pop straight up, and land back in a full athletic goalie stance facing the shooter, hands up and ready. 5. Freeze in the recovered stance for one full second, checking that your hands are up and your feet are set. 6. Reset to the middle and repeat, alternating sides.
Coaching cues - "The save is only half the rep. The recovery is the other half." - "Pop up, do not crawl up." - "Hands find the ready position before the feet finish." - "Face the ball the whole time — never turn your back to the field." - "Chest stays up in the low position; do not fold over."
Common mistakes - Scrambling up with hands on the ground instead of driving with the legs. - Turning away from the field to get up (this loses sight of the ball, which is the entire mistake being trained out). - Recovering to a tall, unready standing posture instead of a stance. - Letting the chest fold to the thigh in the low position. - Doing too many reps. Six to eight per set is plenty.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Practice the recovery alone — start from a knee-down position and pop to a stance, no save step. - Regression: Half-speed reps focused entirely on the pop and the ready hands. - Progression: Add a live ball, with a partner rolling or bouncing a shot for the first save. - Progression: Partner throws a second ball the moment you recover, so the recovery has an actual purpose. - Progression: Three saves in a row with no reset between (grades 10+, low volume). - Progression: Add a clear call and an outlet pass after the recovery, connecting into conditioning work (CON-18).
How to measure it Time from the moment your knee touches down to the moment you are frozen in a ready stance. Film at 120 fps and count frames. Targets: under 1.2 seconds by 8th grade, under 0.9 seconds by 11th–12th. Alternatively, count clean save-and-recover reps in 30 seconds — but only if every recovery ends in a real stance.
PLY-22 — Repeat Mini-Hurdle Hops
Step-by-step instructions 1. Set 4 to 6 hurdles in a line, roughly 2 to 3 feet apart. Start with the shortest hurdles you have. 2. Stand at the first hurdle with feet together, knees softly bent. 3. Hop over the first hurdle with both feet, landing softly on the other side. 4. The instant you land, hop over the next one. Do not pause, do not reset, do not take an extra bounce between hurdles. 5. Continue through all the hurdles in a continuous rhythm, then walk back to the start. 6. Keep the knees cycling up and the ankles stiff — the goal is minimum time on the ground between hurdles.
Coaching cues - "Land and leave." - "Knees up, ankles stiff." - "Same rhythm all the way down — no hurdle should be slower than the first." - "If you have to pause between hurdles, they are too tall or too close."
Common mistakes - Hurdles too tall. Height should challenge the jump, not force a giant crouch on landing. Start low. - Adding an extra bounce between hurdles — this makes it a coordination drill, not a reactive one. - Landing heavy and slow on the later hurdles. That means the set is too long. - Using rigid obstacles that do not tip over. This is a genuine injury risk and the reason for the equipment rule. - Doing this on anything but grass.
Progressions and regressions - Regression: Hop over lines on the ground instead of hurdles. - Regression: Hop, pause, reset, hop — one hurdle at a time. - Regression: Fewer hurdles (3 instead of 6). - Progression: Raise hurdle height slightly, one step at a time, never combined with adding hurdles. - Progression: Lateral hurdle hops, traveling sideways with square shoulders. - Progression: Single-leg hurdle hops over the very lowest hurdles only, grades 10+, 3 to 4 contacts per leg.
How to measure it Time a 6-hurdle pass at a fixed height and spacing. Track it across a phase. The honest quality check is video: are hurdles 5 and 6 as fast as hurdles 1 and 2? If not, shorten the set rather than chasing the time.