Train at home with no field, no backstop, no excuses. Solo drills, partner drills, and a full 4-week progression.
The best lacrosse players in the world share one habit: they grind on their own. No team, no coach standing over them — just repetitions. Backyard training is how elite players build the muscle memory that shows up when it counts. The Skill Stick is designed specifically for this: compact enough for a driveway, tough enough for a wall, and built around the balls you already have at home.
You don't need a full gear bag to get great reps in. Here's what actually matters for backyard training — and why each piece earns its place.
Designed for the balls you already have at home — tennis, wiffle, and foam balls. A regulation stick is built for regulation lacrosse balls (5.25 oz), so lighter backyard balls don't sit or release properly in its pocket. The Skill Stick is purpose-built for these lighter balls — its size, pocket depth, and weight are tuned so tennis, wiffle, and foam balls feel and release like a real lacrosse ball in a real stick. That's the difference: authentic mechanics with the balls you actually use at home.
Tennis balls are the workhorse — they rebound consistently for wall ball and have enough weight to feel realistic. Keep 3-6 on hand so you can stay in rhythm if you drop one. Wiffle balls are perfect for shooting practice — they don't travel far on a miss, so no backstop needed. Foam balls are for indoor use only — soft enough to bounce off walls without damage.
Any objects work — actual cones, water bottles, socks, or chalk marks. You need 5-8 markers for footwork drills, weave patterns, and boundary setting. They don't need to be fancy; they just need to be visible. If you're on grass, consider tent stakes or small flags that won't blow over.
Garage doors, brick walls, concrete walls, or even interior walls with foam balls. The surface should be flat and relatively smooth. Avoid windows, uneven stone, or surfaces with gaps. A standard garage door is ideal — flat, consistent, and at a good height for varied targets. The wall is your most important training partner.
Masking or painter's tape lets you mark targets at different heights on your wall. Mark spots at shoulder height, hip height, and high overhead for variety. This turns any wall into a precision training tool.
Never skip the warm-up. Cold hands and stiff wrists lead to drops, frustration, and bad habits. Five minutes of activation makes the next 25 minutes productive.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Hold the Skill Stick with both hands. Make large circles with your wrists — 30 seconds clockwise, 30 seconds counterclockwise. This lubricates the wrist joints and wakes up your hands.
No ball needed. Run the stick through a figure-eight motion in front of your body — right side to left side, looping around. This activates the exact muscles you'll use in cradling.
Stand 5 feet from the wall. Easy tosses and catches — focus on soft hands and clean releases. This isn't the workout yet; it's preparation. Both hands, relaxed pace.
Start here. These drills build the foundation that everything else runs on. Master these before moving to intermediate work.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the Skill Stick with your dominant hand near the throat, non-dominant hand at the butt. Rotate your top wrist in a smooth V-motion, keeping the ball in the pocket. Eyes up — not on the stick.
Set two cones 10 yards apart. Walk between them cradling the ball. Focus on keeping the ball in the pocket throughout your stride. Graduate to a jog once you can complete 10 passes without dropping.
Walk with the stick on your dominant side, cradle 5 times, then switch the stick to your non-dominant side and cradle 5 times. The switch happens mid-stride without stopping. This is the foundation of the cradle-and-switch dodge.
Once the basics are automatic, add complexity. These drills build the hand speed and quick release that win possessions.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Mark 5 spots on your wall at different heights and angles. Move through the spots in order, throwing and catching at each. 10 reps per spot, both hands. This builds consistency across all delivery angles.
Set 5 cones in a straight line, 2 yards apart. Weave through them cradling. At the end cone, plant, switch hands, and weave back. Progression: walk → jog → sprint.
The Question Mark Dodge starts with a planted outside foot. Practice the footwork without the stick first: run toward a cone, plant your outside foot, roll your hips, and accelerate in the new direction. Add the stick once footwork is automatic.
Game-speed, game-situations — compressed into your backyard. These separate good players from great ones.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Set a cone as your 'defender.' Start 5 yards back, drive hard at the cone, execute the Question Mark footwork (outside plant, hip roll, acceleration), then finish with a simulated shot or pass. The Skill Stick's lighter weight makes the wrist snap on the finish faster — your hands will feel even quicker when you pick up your game stick.
Your non-dominant hand is your limiting factor. 60 seconds of continuous weak-hand-only wall ball, 30 seconds rest, repeat for 5 rounds. You will hate it. Your non-dominant hand will thank you in 3 weeks.
Roll a ball 10 yards away, sprint to it, scoop without stopping, transition directly into a cradle and finish with a shot on wall. Compete against your previous time. Ground balls decide games — train them like they matter.
No partner needed. These drills build the foundation of your game through wall ball, cradling, and footwork you can run completely alone.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
100 consecutive wall ball reps — 50 dominant hand, 50 non-dominant. Use a tennis ball against any flat wall. Count out loud. If you drop, start the hand over. The goal is unbroken focus, not speed.
Set 5 cones in a line 2 yards apart. Weave through cradling with eyes up. At the end, plant and switch hands, weave back. Progress from walk to jog to sprint across sets.
Roll a tennis ball 10 yards away, sprint to it, scoop without breaking stride, transition straight into a cradle. Use a wall to finish with a pass. Compete against your own time each round.
Dominant hand behind your back. Cradle, walk the cones, do wall ball — all non-dominant only. This is uncomfortable on purpose. Your weak hand is your ceiling.
You and one other person. These drills simulate real defensive pressure and build the dodge mechanics that work in live play.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Defender stands at a cone 5 yards away. Attacker drives at them, executes a dodge (split, roll, or question mark), and finishes with a pass or shot. Rotate after every 5 reps. Use a tennis ball outside.
Small space — 5 yards square. Attacker tries to maintain possession for 30 seconds. Defender applies passive pressure (no stick checks — body position only). Swap every 30 seconds. Great for cradling under pressure.
Face your partner 3 yards apart. One leads, one mirrors every lateral movement. No sticks needed. Builds the lateral quickness and change-of-direction speed that makes dodges work. Add sticks once footwork is sharp.
Two attackers vs two defenders. Introduces passing lanes, off-ball movement, and basic pick-and-roll concepts in a compact space.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
10x10 yard grid. Two attackers keep possession from two defenders. Each completed pass = 1 point. Play to 10. Forces quick decisions and teaches attackers to read defensive positioning before catching.
One attacker sets a stationary pick for their teammate driving toward a cone-goal. After the pick, roll to open space for the return pass. Defense tries to fight through or switch. Use a tennis ball outdoors.
Player A passes to Player B and immediately cuts to open space. Player B catches and returns the pass to the cutting Player A. One defender tries to deny the cut. Teaches timing, off-ball movement, and catching on the run.
Small-sided games that simulate real lacrosse in a backyard. Three on three is enough to run real plays, create mismatches, and build game-speed decision making.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Set two small cone goals 20 yards apart. Play 3v3 with the Skill Stick and a tennis ball. Standard lacrosse rules — no checking, possession resets on a goal. First to 5 wins. This IS the practice.
Three players on the corners of a triangle 8 yards apart. Pass clockwise for 1 minute, then switch to counterclockwise. Then random — passer calls the receiver's name before throwing. Builds catch-and-release speed and communication.
3 attackers vs 2 defenders running a fast break drill toward a cone goal. Attackers must complete 2 passes before shooting. Defense must communicate and choose who to mark. Rotate one defender out after each rep.
These drills come directly from Salisbury University men's lacrosse coach Jim Berkman — one of the top offensive minds in collegiate lacrosse. Adapted from his Championship Productions instructional series for backyard play with the Skill Stick and tennis or wiffle balls. All six can be run with 1–3 players in a standard suburban lot.
DRAW THESE DRILLS YOURSELF
Use our free playbook maker to diagram, customize, and share these drills.
Passer dishes to shooter across. Shooter catches, hitches, dodges, then fires on cage. The dodge comes after the hitch — not a split COD, but a catch-hitch-dodge sequence. Master the timing: freeze the defender with the hitch, then explode past them.
Passer throws across to shooter, who makes a hitch move (quick sweep), then shoots on cage. Goal: good hitch every time to freeze defenders. Shoot from 13 to 11 yards — after the hitch, you should be inside 11 yards for the release. The hitch is your weapon: sell it fully to make the defender hesitate.
Works out of Salisbury's '22 offense' concept. Both sides simultaneously. Shooter comes across to the middle, receives a pass, sprints ~5 yards, makes a quick stutter step, and shoots on the run. The stutter sells the drive before the release.
Three-man drill. Ball moves around the horn until a player makes a step-out move and releases a shot on the run. The step-out creates separation from the defender — push off the back foot and shoot in one motion.
Start at the top and sweep laterally across the goal face — left, plant, right — using crossover steps to change direction. After the second change, drive to the shooting spot and release. Stay low through all lateral movement. The final plant generates all the power.
Feeder passes from the side. Shooter catches and releases in one motion — no cradle. Caller announces the target zone just before the pass. Stick must already be loaded before the ball arrives. The goal is zero pause between catch and release.
Mark five spots: top center (10 yds), left wing 45° (10 yds), right wing 45° (10 yds), left alley (8 yds, sharp angle but still in front of goal), right alley (8 yds, sharp angle but still in front of goal). Work through each spot in sequence: overhand from the top, sweep dodge from the wings, low three-quarter from the alleys. 2–3 shots per spot before rotating.
For more shooting drills with diagrams, see our Complete Shooting Drills Guide →
Everyone makes these mistakes. The difference between good players and stuck players is how quickly they recognize and correct them.
Random practice produces random results. Follow this progression to build skills systematically. Each week builds on the last — don't skip ahead until you've mastered the current week's focus.
Structure your practice so every session builds on the last. These plans work for any skill level — just adjust the intensity.
The Skill Stick is built for exactly this — compact, durable, and designed around the balls you already have at home.
GET YOUR SKILL STICKLast updated: 2026-04-15 · v1.3