What are the most effective fitness tests for lacrosse players. How can lacrosse athletes optimize their conditioning and avoid common training mistakes. What strength and conditioning philosophy leads to success in collegiate lacrosse.
The Pitfalls of Traditional Lacrosse Fitness Testing
Fitness testing is a crucial component of any lacrosse program, allowing coaches and players to assess athleticism and track improvements over time. However, not all fitness tests are created equal when it comes to the specific demands of lacrosse. One test that has come under scrutiny is the traditional 2-mile run.
Why is the 2-mile run considered problematic for lacrosse players?
- It doesn’t replicate the stop-and-start nature of lacrosse gameplay
- Encourages slow, steady-state training that can be counterproductive
- Fails to measure explosive power and speed, which are crucial in lacrosse
As one strength coach puts it: “Training slow will make you slow.” While lacrosse players may cover significant distances during a game, they do so in short bursts rather than at a steady jog. Preparing for a 2-mile test by focusing on long, slow runs can actually detract from the explosive speed and power needed on the field.
Effective Fitness Tests for Lacrosse Athletes
Rather than relying solely on endurance-based tests, lacrosse programs should incorporate a variety of assessments that better reflect the sport’s demands. Some more appropriate fitness tests for lacrosse players include:
- Hang Clean – Measures explosive power
- Chin-Ups – Assesses upper body and core strength
- Single Leg Strength Tests – Evaluates balance and unilateral power
- Sprint Tests (e.g. 40-yard dash) – Measures acceleration and top speed
- Agility Drills – Assesses change of direction ability
- Repeated Sprint Ability Test – Evaluates speed endurance
These tests provide a more comprehensive picture of a lacrosse player’s overall athleticism and functional fitness. By focusing on power, speed, and sport-specific movements, coaches can better assess a player’s readiness for competition.
Building a Winning Strength and Conditioning Philosophy
Syracuse University’s lacrosse program has been a dominant force in collegiate lacrosse, winning multiple national championships. Their success is due in part to a well-developed strength and conditioning philosophy. Hal Luther, Syracuse’s Director of Strength & Conditioning, outlines three key principles:
1. Trust
Mutual trust between athletes and coaches is essential. Coaches must clearly explain the rationale behind training methods, while athletes need to be honest about their progress and any struggles they face. This open communication allows for personalized adjustments to training plans.
2. Accountability
Players must take responsibility for their own development, especially during off-season periods. Coaches should create systems to track progress and ensure athletes are meeting expectations.
3. Balanced Athleticism
The goal is to develop well-rounded athletes who are highly conditioned, explosive, mentally tough, and physically balanced. This approach helps prevent injuries and enhances on-field performance.
Tailoring Conditioning to Lacrosse-Specific Demands
Effective lacrosse conditioning should mirror the energy systems and movement patterns used during gameplay. This means incorporating:
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Plyometric exercises for explosive power
- Agility drills that simulate on-field movements
- Strength training focused on functional, multi-joint exercises
- Core stability work to improve shot power and overall athleticism
By prioritizing these elements, players can develop the specific fitness attributes needed to excel in lacrosse. This approach is far more effective than relying on long-distance running or other generalized fitness methods.
The Evolving Landscape of College Lacrosse
College lacrosse has become increasingly competitive in recent years. While traditionally dominated by a few powerhouse programs, the sport has seen a significant shift. Now, a much larger pool of teams have legitimate chances at winning national championships.
What factors have contributed to this increased parity in college lacrosse?
- Growing popularity of lacrosse at the youth and high school levels
- Expansion of the sport beyond traditional East Coast hotbeds
- Improved strength and conditioning programs across many schools
- Increased emphasis on year-round training and skill development
This evolving landscape means that even top programs like Syracuse can’t afford to be complacent. Continuous improvement in all aspects of player development, including strength and conditioning, is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
Implementing a Progressive Training Approach
To stay ahead in the increasingly competitive world of college lacrosse, programs need to adopt a progressive training approach. This means constantly evaluating and updating training methods to ensure optimal results. Key components of a progressive lacrosse training program include:
Periodization
Structuring the training year into distinct phases allows for peak performance during the competitive season. A typical periodization model for lacrosse might include:
- Off-season: Focus on building strength and addressing weaknesses
- Pre-season: Transition to more power and speed-based training
- In-season: Maintenance of fitness while prioritizing skill work and recovery
- Post-season: Active recovery and preparation for the next training cycle
Individualization
Recognizing that each athlete has unique strengths, weaknesses, and positional demands is crucial. Tailoring programs to individual needs can lead to significant improvements in performance.
Technology Integration
Utilizing advanced training tools and data analysis can provide valuable insights into player performance and recovery. Some technologies being adopted in lacrosse programs include:
- GPS tracking devices to monitor player movement and workload
- Force plate testing to assess power output and biomechanics
- Video analysis software for technique refinement
- Recovery monitoring tools to optimize rest and prevent overtraining
Nutrition and Recovery: The Often Overlooked Aspects of Lacrosse Fitness
While training is crucial, proper nutrition and recovery strategies are equally important for lacrosse players looking to maximize their performance. A holistic approach to athlete development should include:
Nutrition Planning
Lacrosse players need a well-balanced diet that supports their training and performance goals. Key nutritional considerations include:
- Adequate protein intake for muscle recovery and growth
- Complex carbohydrates to fuel high-intensity training and gameplay
- Proper hydration strategies, especially during hot weather
- Timing of meals and snacks to optimize energy levels
Recovery Techniques
Implementing effective recovery methods can help prevent injuries and improve overall performance. Some recovery strategies to consider include:
- Active recovery sessions (e.g., light jogging, swimming)
- Foam rolling and self-myofascial release techniques
- Contrast therapy (alternating hot and cold treatments)
- Adequate sleep and stress management
- Yoga or other flexibility-focused practices
By emphasizing nutrition and recovery alongside physical training, lacrosse programs can help their athletes stay healthy, avoid burnout, and perform at their best throughout the demanding season.
Mental Toughness: The X-Factor in Lacrosse Success
While physical conditioning is crucial, the mental aspect of lacrosse cannot be overlooked. The best players and teams often distinguish themselves through their mental toughness and ability to perform under pressure. Developing mental resilience should be an integral part of any lacrosse training program.
Strategies for Building Mental Toughness
Coaches and strength conditioning professionals can incorporate mental training into their programs through various methods:
- Visualization exercises to improve focus and performance
- Goal-setting practices that challenge athletes to push their limits
- Mindfulness and meditation techniques to manage stress and anxiety
- Team-building activities that foster trust and communication
- Simulating high-pressure situations in practice to build confidence
By addressing the mental side of the game, lacrosse programs can develop athletes who are not only physically prepared but also mentally equipped to handle the challenges of high-level competition.
The Role of Leadership
Strong leadership, both from coaches and team captains, plays a vital role in developing mental toughness. Leaders can:
- Model resilience and a positive attitude in the face of adversity
- Provide constructive feedback that builds confidence
- Create a team culture that values hard work and perseverance
- Help players develop a growth mindset focused on continuous improvement
When combined with a solid physical training foundation, these mental toughness strategies can give lacrosse teams a significant competitive advantage.
Conclusion: Embracing a Holistic Approach to Lacrosse Fitness
The world of lacrosse is evolving rapidly, with increased competition and a growing emphasis on athlete development. To succeed in this environment, programs must adopt a comprehensive approach to fitness and conditioning that goes beyond traditional methods.
Key takeaways for optimizing lacrosse fitness include:
- Moving away from outdated tests like the 2-mile run in favor of more sport-specific assessments
- Implementing a strength and conditioning philosophy built on trust, accountability, and balanced athleticism
- Tailoring conditioning to the unique demands of lacrosse, focusing on explosive power, speed, and agility
- Adopting a progressive training approach that utilizes periodization and cutting-edge technology
- Prioritizing nutrition and recovery as essential components of athlete development
- Incorporating mental toughness training to give players a competitive edge
By embracing these principles and continuously seeking ways to improve, lacrosse programs can develop athletes who are physically and mentally prepared to excel at the highest levels of the sport. As the landscape of college lacrosse continues to evolve, those teams that adapt and innovate in their training methods will be best positioned for long-term success.
The Worst Fitness test for Lacrosse
-February 20th, 2019-
I make my living as a Strength Coach, which means that I’m all for physical testing for lacrosse.
I think it’s important for athletes to know how much they can Hang Clean or how many Chin Ups they can do. Single Leg Strength: Test It! Bench Press, which is my least favorite test for athletes…Test It!
I don’t believe these numbers should be the criteria for picking a lacrosse team or deciding who starts in a game.
But every single player can be an even better player if they improve on their athleticism.
Give me someone who can score 2 goals a game and then increase their power, speed, and strength and you’ll have a better player the next season.
So while I’m all for testing and know the benefits of it (keeping players accountable for their workouts and commitment to the team) it still pains me to know that one of the main tests that most teams still do is the 2 Mile Run.
Absolutely Horrendous!
I know, in a game you will run over 2 miles.
So what?
Will you jog for 13 minutes straight at a steady pace? For your sake I hope not.
There is a saying in the Strength and Conditioning world: “Training Slow Will Make You Slow”
How do you train for the 2 Mile Test? By running slow for a prolonged period of time.
The test goes against what you want to be as a Lacrosse player.
You want to be fast. You want to be powerful.
Shouldn’t you train that way then? Shouldn’t you only be concerned about testing for that?
Hopefully soon teams start to realize not only the waste of time the actual 2 Mile Run test is but that they are also making their players train opposite to how a Lacrosse player should.
I mean, which one of the following would you rather look like as a lacrosse player?
I rest my case!
Do You Agree or Disagree?
Tags: 2 Mile Run, Chin Ups, Hang Cleans, Jogging, Lacrosse Testing, single leg strength
SU Lacrosse: How They Won It
On Memorial Day, The Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team pulled off a thrilling late-game comeback to capture its second consecutive NCAA Division I national title.
In this article, originally published in T&C in March, SU Director of Strength & Conditioning Hal Luther explains how he prepared the athletes to be at their best when it mattered most.
By Hal Luther
Hal Luther, MS, CSCS, is Director of Strength & Conditioning at Syracuse University, where he works with the football and men’s lacrosse teams. He can be reached at: [email protected].
Historically, only a few teams have had a real shot at the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse national title each season. In the past 15 years, the Division I crown has rotated between just four schools – Syracuse University, the University of Virginia, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University. Syracuse has claimed six titles in that span, and we enter 2009 as the reigning champs.
But the landscape of college lacrosse is changing fast, and those changes are exciting. The sport has grown much more competitive in recent years, and this season, at least a dozen teams have legitimate title hopes.
I expect that number will only grow, as more high school athletes take up the sport and it spreads beyond the traditional lacrosse hotbeds. More and more programs are assembling teams of highly skilled, highly conditioned athletes hungry to join the elite ranks of college lacrosse.
At Syracuse, we know this is no time to rest on our laurels. To keep our place at the top, we’re working harder than ever on building and conditioning our players with an approach aimed at making steady progress every week, every month, and every season.
ESTABLISHING A PHILOSOPHY
To lay the foundation for everything we do in strength and conditioning, we start with this philosophy: We want each individual to become a highly conditioned, more explosive, mentally tough, balanced athlete. To achieve this, we follow three specific rules at all times.
Trust. The athletes must trust the strength coach and vice-versa. To ensure that the athletes believe in me, I explain the rationale behind everything we do and outline in specific terms how each activity will enhance their athletic potential.
I never leave them thinking, “Is this really the best way for me to train right now?” or “I’m really wearing myself out–is this worth it?”
I have to trust them as well, believing they’ll tell me the truth about work they’ve done on their own over breaks and during the summer, even when they haven’t made the progress we hoped for. That’s the only way I can identify and correct problems, and make necessary adjustments to their individual strength and conditioning plans. If an athlete isn’t making progress with a specific lift, he might be doing it incorrectly or we may need to adjust the activity.
Accountability. In order to manage a large number of athletes (our team has around 50), a disciplined approach is necessary. Our players treat training sessions the same as practice: They’re required to show up early, dressed and ready to perform. A disciplinary system is in place for missed workouts, just like with practices, classes, and study table sessions. An athlete who misses a workout might find himself making it up at 6 a.
m. in a one-on-one session with me, or doing extra running under the supervision of our captains. Sometimes the entire team shares in the punishment, under the “one fails, all fail” principle.
Technical Proficiency. We make proficiency a part of our core philosophy because we know that performing each activity correctly is a key to our success. If body position is compromised during a lift, we don’t have adequate spotting, or agility movements are allowed to get sloppy, our entire conditioning program will be watered down, and even worse, we’ll put our athletes at risk for injury. Those outcomes are not acceptable.
Following these three rules, we strive for improvement in every session. I measure an athlete’s progress not by the numbers they generate compared to their teammates, but by the way their numbers stack up against what they did yesterday, last week, or last semester. We constantly encourage our players to win the little battles as they train: five more pounds, one more rep, one second faster.
If they can do that every week over four or five years, it really doesn’t matter where they start–they will maximize their performance on the field.
MULTI-PHASE APPROACH
For most athletes, it’s not enough just to be talented at the college level, even if raw talent made them stars in high school. As I explain to our new players, “In high school you were on a team–in college you are part of a program.” That means college lacrosse is a 365-day yearly commitment, with scheduled time off.
Our program’s calendar is built around four phases, or mesocycles. Each has specific goals, following a logical progression that puts the players in peak physical condition for the season. I see my role as providing our coaching staff with the best conditioned athletes possible, and the coaches take that “raw material” I’ve provided and create outstanding lacrosse players. The better I do my job, the faster, more intense, and ultimately more productive practices will be.
Phase I begins in the second week of July and continues until the first week of September, when athletes report for the fall semester. The month prior, our players don’t follow any formal conditioning plan, taking time to recharge after the previous season (which typically ends on Memorial Day weekend). Phase II runs from the first week in September to the first week in December, and includes six weeks of fall practices. Phase III goes from the second week in December until the first week in January, when players report after winter break. Phase IV is our preseason-
season-postseason training regimen.
Phase I. At this time, we focus primarily on muscle endurance, core strength, establishing technique, and overall fitness. The bulk of serious weightlifting will come later. First, we want our athletes’ neuromuscular systems, tendons, ligaments, and joint structures to be conditioned for hard work.
Our strength base program is the same for each athlete, built around the “big three” movements: bench, squat, and hang clean.
Lacrosse is classified as a contact sport, not a collision sport like football and hockey, but it does involve very intense collisions and I want our athletes equipped with the pure strength needed to be on the “giving end” of these hits more often than the “receiving end.”
Our workout schedule in Phase I uses four-day splits with two days of rest built in. The first two days of the week are the heavier, more intense days, with one focusing on the upper body and one on the lower body. On the third and fourth days, we decrease intensity and increase volume or speed of movement, again breaking the work into upper- and lower-body sessions. This way, we can focus on nailing down proper lift technique, improving general fitness, and recruiting the fast-twitch muscle fibers needed to perform an exercise with speed while not sacrificing control. It also gives us a jump-start on the muscle building that will be our top priority later on.
Phase II. Next, we focus on developing size, strength, and power.
We cut back from four days a week to three, and the structure also changes: All three days–a heavy day, a speed day, and a work day–consist of full-body workouts, with no more division between upper- and lower-body exercises.
The heavy day focuses on the bench press, squat, and hang clean, along with a few assistance movements, such as shoulder circuits, dips, pull-ups, and push-ups. The weight loads are high to deliver maximum hypertrophy, so I generally keep the number of reps low (under six per set), especially when the athletes are first getting used to a lift or an increased weight load. This limits muscle fatigue and helps prevent mechanics from breaking down near the end of a set.
The speed day is designed to enhance speed of movement during certain lifts. We’ll focus on exercises that can be performed with speed, such as DB rips (DB hang cleans), DB rip and press, jump squats, split squats, squat holds, high pulls, and power shrugs–these activities will translate into power gains.
This is also a time when we pay close attention to technique. Once the athlete can perform a movement with proper technique slowly, we’ll gradually increase their speed.
The work day is just what it sounds like. The athletes come into the weightroom on Friday mornings at 7 a.m. and just work for 45 minutes. They can get in extra reps on an exercise they struggled with earlier, work on a specific type of strength they’d like to improve, or perform remedial work in any areas where they’re deficient. On a typical work day, you can look around our weightroom and see athletes doing core exercises, push-ups, manual squats, jump squats, split squats, squat holds for time, and plate work.
There’s a psychological element to this day as well, as everyone understands that it’s a time to bear down and work hard. The players use a concept called “holding the rope” to reinforce this idea. Anytime a teammate feels like giving in or taking a break, the others will pull him through by shouting “Hold the rope!” The message is that we’re all in this together, and everyone is expected to hold up their personal end of that bargain.
Phase III. This phase is dedicated primarily to conditioning. With most size and strength gains completed, our goal is to make sure newly built strength shows up in the fourth quarter of games just as it did in the first.
Lacrosse players need to perform short bursts of maximum power output involving both the upper and lower body, then “reload” while moving, over the course of a two- to three-hour period. If they’re not in shape for that level of work capacity, their sport-specific technique will break down and mental fatigue will compound the problems. Fatigue can make a coward of anyone: An exhausted player doesn’t want the ball on his stick in the fourth quarter of a tie game.
A lacrosse player constantly switches back and forth between the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems during a game. This leads to rapid buildup of lactic acid and debilitating fatigue if the body hasn’t been trained properly.
In Phases I and II, our conditioning efforts consist mainly of running, with some emphasis on speed development and change-of-direction drills.
When Phase III begins, the volume of conditioning work increases and we follow a progression schedule that allows each athlete to maximize personal progress.
Each day of the week in the conditioning phase has a different emphasis. Monday is our stride program: The athletes complete sets of 20-, 40-, 60-, and 80-yard strides and finish with a 440-yard gasser. On Tuesday, we perform a program with the jump rope, the simplest form of plyometrics and in my opinion a lost art. On Wednesday, we do half-gasser training (220 yards), with the number of reps, time goals, and length of rest periods changing on an individualized basis throughout the phase. Thursday is spent on a variety of running and movement drills that develop speed, agility, and quickness. Friday is the conditioning self-test, which I’ll describe later on.
I want all our athletes to make progress in these conditioning cycles each week. For example, if we ran Monday’s strides as 4×20, 4×40, 4×60, and 4×80 yards this week, next week we’ll add two more reps at each distance.
We make similar gradual increases to every conditioning activity throughout the conditioning phase.
I talk to the players frequently to get their feedback on conditioning work. I want them to push themselves and each other to improve, but I don’t want to beat them into the ground to the point where the work becomes counterproductive or interferes with their other activities. If I feel we’ve “maxed out” the benefits of our progression in a particular activity, I’ll recalibrate the sets and reps or switch to a different exercise to keep things fresh. I want them coming back for more every day–not feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by a daunting workload.
Our Friday self-test is one of the most challenging sessions on the calendar. It consists of three 440-yard gassers with five minutes of recovery time between each one. The lacrosse field is 110 yards long from end line to end line, so each gasser involves two round trips. We keep track of players’ individual performance from week to week, and the desire to finish a second or two faster each time is a great motivator.
The conditioning self-test is useful at other times during the year as well. We conduct it when athletes first report in the fall, with these time goals: 65 seconds for the first gasser, 70 for the second, and 75 for the third. If someone took the whole summer off from conditioning work, that will be easy to see–he might complete the first gasser in the allotted time, but probably not the second, and he may not even line up for the third. On the flip side, athletes who took conditioning seriously are proud to show they can complete the test with time to spare.
Phase IV. Once the preseason begins, all of our strength and conditioning activities shift into maintenance mode. We decrease work volume and frequency, and our workout schedule is built around preseason practice, then the regular season and postseason calendar. I still vary the activities to keep the athletes challenged, and I’m always cognizant of the team’s practice and game demands to avoid overuse injuries.
FINER POINTS
When planning workouts within the four-phase framework, we have a few philosophies that go against the grain. The first involves order of exercises. Virtually all of our plyometric movement patterns are interspersed among our strength training sessions, instead of being reserved for a specific time or session, which is common practice in many strength programs. I feel this is important because it places demands on the body that imitate those of an actual lacrosse game.
For instance, in one of our typical strength workouts, each pure strength move (such as the bench or squat) is followed by a plyometric or speed move (such as the plyo push-up or jump squat). This approach, sometimes called “contrast training,” also helps keep the athletes engaged by challenging different body systems in close succession.
Another important aspect of our workout planning involves weight load selection. I don’t believe in using percentages based on an athlete’s max-out performance in the first session of the year.
Over time, I’ve recognized the simple truth that some athletes adapt to exercises and build muscle more quickly than others. So rather than setting percentage-based long-term schedules for individual strength training, I’ll set new goals for a workout based on each athlete’s previous workout performance, making incremental increases that ensure consistent progress without risking overload.
I usually set a base weight for everyone in the first training session (135 pounds on the bench, 185 on the squat, 155 on the hang clean) and evaluate each athlete’s performance. In subsequent workouts, I might increase the load by five to 10 pounds per set, with personalized attention to see who can handle more and who is reaching their max. It all goes back to our philosophy of winning the little battles: five more pounds, one more rep, constantly moving forward.
Another key aspect of our workout planning involves the use of a dynamic warmup that focuses on the core. The core is the power source for what I call the athlete’s engine.
Everyone wants to run faster, jump higher, and throw further, and the core is an integral part of all those skills.
After traditional dynamic warmup activities, which might include jumping rope, hurdles, form running, and functional hip mobility drills, we turn to core work. The athletes’ functional core strength begins at the waist line and goes south, so our core regimen includes movements such as big leg kicks, riding the bike, both legs up and down, feet straight up, and reaching for the toes–there are literally thousands of variations. I usually pick 10 to 12 exercises and we do 10 to 25 reps of each, with no rest period in between.
PLAYING THE SALESMAN
A final element of our training program involves knowing how to get all the athletes on board with strength work. Unlike football players, lacrosse players often are not experienced in the weightroom when they begin college. In fact, some have consciously avoided it, not wanting to upset the physical routines that obviously worked well for them in high school.
This is where the salesman in the strength coach has to come out.
For me, the key is finding a way to make my “product” appealing on an individual basis. Once I’ve gotten to know the athletes, I can hone in on what will appeal to their needs–a smaller athlete might be most interested in strength gains, a slower one might want to improve running proficiency or change-of-direction mechanics, and one who has struggled with injury might be sold on the prehab benefits of a strength program.
One aspect I know I can sell all the athletes on is mental toughness. This is the quality that separates good players from great ones, and our strength program strives to instill it in everyone.
Whether it’s seniors pushing freshmen and sophomores to run their hardest during the gassers, teammates training together on the field through rain, wind, and snow, or players at early morning workouts urging each other to “hold the rope,” we build team chemistry by lifting together, sweating together, and hurting together.
It’s hard work, but as our 2008 team proved to themselves and their successors, the rewards are great.
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Men’s Lacrosse Holds Fitness Testing Day
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TOWSON, Md. – Towson University had its first day of classes for the Fall 2018 semester and with it signaled the unofficial beginning of fall ball for the Towson men’s lacrosse team.
On Monday morning, the members of the 2018-19 team met in the locker room in the Johnny Unitas Stadium Field House, hearing from the coaching staff and members of the program’s support staff. Following the team meetings, the Tigers strapped on the running shoes and hit the track for the annual fitness testing.
It was a warm and muggy morning at Unitas Stadium, with temperatures in the upper 80s and the humidity percentage in the 70s. The Tigers broke out by class and started on opposite corners of the track.
The seniors and juniors were the first up for the one-mile test, which requires student-athletes to finish under six minutes. Following the mile run, there was a four-minute break before the 300-yard shuttle run, which was to be completed in 60 seconds.
After the seniors and juniors, the sophomores and incoming freshmen took their turn. For a second-straight year, every member of the now-sophomore class passed the test.
“It was great to see those guys maintain a high level of conditioning and put the effort in over the summer,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen, who is in his eighth season at the helm of the program. “As a team, we showcased pretty well today. There are a few outliers that we need to work with and get those guys on the same page, but it’s a great starting point for the program.”
Following the fitness test, those who passed collected their practice gear from the equipment room before heading to the Towson Center to baseline test on the bench with strength and conditioning coach Aaron Droege.
– TowsonTigers.com –
Testing and Evaluation for Lacrosse Players
- All the tools you need to better evaluate your lacrosse players’ performance with tests that isolate specific abilities
- Over 40 training drills to ramp up your team’s athleticism
- See common mistakes and how to correct them, for safe, efficient, and technically correct strength-building
with Rob Rose, President of True Athlete Performance;
BS Exercise Science (Mason University), Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Conditioning Specialist (CCS), and Nationally Recognized Speaker
Fitness testing is a tedious and sometimes imperfect process for high school and college coaches. Rob Rose takes his extensive experience training youth and professional athletes and provides you with a road map for evaluating the athletic ability of your lacrosse players.
Featuring on-field player demonstrations, accompanied by clearly defined drill objectives and protocols, this video provides detailed instruction on how to measure player performance using a strict, unbiased methodology.
Rose breaks the video down into exercises and specific drills to improve performance in those exercises.
Coach Rose takes you through exercises that test the athlete’s abilities in:
- Linear speed /First step – Test your athletes’ linear speed with three simple, quick drills. Rose shows you how to incorporate the lacrosse stick to get your players’ moving in a sport-specific way.
- Agility – Challenge your athletes’ agility with a series of drills for testing and practice. In the “T-Drill,” athletes sprint, shuffle, backpedal, and change directions four times, all in under 10 seconds.
- Power – Most lacrosse skill depends on core strength. Learn how to test the power an athlete can generate with three simple tests.
- Quickness – Lacrosse is a game of quickness movement and reactions. Test your athletes’ reaction time and quickness with three easy drills.
- Strength – Learn how to employ three of the most widely used strength building exercises, push-ups, and sit-ups, and the bench press, into your fitness testing.
For each exercise, Rose demonstrates proper form and shows some common mistakes that athletes make.
For each exercise, Rose demonstrates proper form and shows some common mistakes that athletes make.See more products by: Rob Rose
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Comparison of Physical Fitness Parameters for Starters vs. Nonstarters in an NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Team
Sell, KM, Prendergast, JM, Ghigiarelli, JJ, Gonzalez, AM, Biscardi, LM, Jajtner, AR, and Rothstein, AS. Comparison of physical fitness parameters for starters vs. nonstarters in an NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse team. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3160-3168, 2018-The purpose of this study was to present a fitness profile of Division I male lacrosse players and compare the fitness attributes across different positions and starting status. Forty-one Division I men’s lacrosse players (19.6 ± 1.6 years, 82.5 ± 9.5 kg, 182.0 ± 5.4 cm) volunteered to participate in the study. Fitness attributes assessed included aerobic fitness (1.
5-mile run), muscular strength (1 repetition maximum bench press, squat, and hang clean), grip strength (hand dynamometer), explosive power (vertical jump), agility (3-cone drill, pro-agility), body composition (7-site skinfold), and speed (20- and 40-yard sprint). All testing was conducted by a certified strength and conditioning coach and occurred at the conclusion of pre-season training. The only significant difference across positions was for body mass, whereby defensemen were significantly heavier than attacking players (p < 0.05). Starters were significantly faster on the 3-cone drill, 20- and 40-yard sprint, and jumped significantly higher on the vertical jump compared with nonstarters (p < 0.05). Attributes pertaining to anaerobic fitness (speed, agility, and explosive power) may be better predictors of starting status than aerobic fitness in men’s NCAA Division I lacrosse players. This differs from previous research on men’s club lacrosse players where a difference in aerobic fitness and body composition was shown between starters and nonstarters.
The normative data presented in this study may assist strength and conditioning coaches in the development of sport-specific training programs and motivate athletes toward achieving sport-specific fitness goals by helping identify areas of weakness before the start of the season.
Assessing Agility Using the T Test, 5-10-5 Shuttle, and Illinois Test
The following is an exclusive excerpt from the book NSCA’s Guide to Program Design, published by Human Kinetics. All text and images provided by Human Kinetics.
Assessing Agility
Before implementing an agility training program, baseline measures of change of direction ability should be assessed so that progress may be tracked over time. Numerous agility tests exist, but each differs in terms of the length of time needed to complete the test, the number of directional changes, and the primary direction of force application (e.
g., lateral, front Agility Training 145 to back) (2). Ideally, the test should be representative of what might occur during a typical competition in terms of movement patterns. The following tests have been used to assess change of direction ability:
T test.
This assessment requires the athlete to move in a T-shaped pattern (see page 43 of NSCA’s Guide to Program Design for a detailed explanation of how to conduct this test). It requires lateral and front-to-back movements, and is often used as a drill and assessment for athletes in basketball and American football. For various norms, see Table 8.1.
5-10-5 shuttle.
The 5-10-5 shuttle consists of rapid directional changes in a linear plane. It is commonly used as an assessment in American football, basketball, soccer, and most other field and court sports. This test has also been referred to as the pro-agility test. It is used as part of player assessment in the NFL combine. The setup for this test is very simple since it only requires three cones that are placed 5 yards (5 m) apart in a straight line.
For various norms, see Table 8.1.
Illinois test.
The Illinois test (see page 45 of NSCA’s Guide to Program Design for a detailed explanation of how to conduct this test) lasts considerably longer than the T test and 5-10-5 shuttle, covers more space, consists of a greater number of changes in direction, and requires the athlete to turn in different directions and run at different angles (19). In essence, this test consists of straight sprinting and weaving around obstacles. For various norms, see Table 8.2.
Developed by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), this text offers strength and conditioning professionals a scientific basis for developing training programs for specific athletes at specific times of year. The book is available in bookstores everywhere, as well as online at the NSCA Store.
Run Test to Runway: Alex Aust Featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Alex Aust stepped behind the white end line.
She crouched down into a runner’s stance and stood still, waiting for Maryland women’s lacrosse coach Cathy Reese to blow the whistle.
It was fall 2009, and Aust was a freshman attacker for the Terps. She needed to sprint 100 yards in 18 seconds and jog 100 yards back in 42, and she had to do it 20 times in a row.
Twenty minutes later, Aust was still running. She failed, and her outcome the next year was no different.
“I was in the Breakfast Club,” Aust said. “Anyone who didn’t pass our run test had to train with our strength and conditioning coach at 6 a.m., three days a week. I was basically the captain of the Breakfast Club.”
In the summer of 2011 going into her junior year, Aust worked every Maryland lacrosse camp with Reese. Camp started at 7 a.m., so Aust asked Maryland lacrosse’s strength and conditioning coach Mike Szemborski to run her at 6 a.m. daily.
That fall, Aust didn’t think twice when she lined up for 2.27 miles in sprints. She passed.
“My junior year was my breakout season for that reason,” Aust said. “I was fitter, so I was more confident. You wouldn’t think by just passing a run test, you’re going to have your breakout season. But it really was a massive roadblock for me.”
Reese said she doesn’t place great importance on Maryland’s run test, but it does build the team’s mental toughness and act as a personal marker for each player to know what’s necessary to elevate her game. The run test exemplifies Reese’s teachings as a coach. The four-time IWLCA Division I Coach of the Year stresses growing her players’ confidence and working hard for others.
In 2012, Aust led the team in points (96) and assists (52), the latter being the third-highest single-season total in Maryland history. She was also an IWLCA second-team All-American. In her senior season in 2013, she was a first-team All-American and Tewaaraton Award finalist. Aust continued to play professionally and was a member of the gold medal-winning 2017 U.
S. national team.
This summer, Aust’s run test turned into a walk — a runway walk.
Aust was one of 15 Sports Illustrated Swim Search finalists who debuted at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway show July 10 in Miami. Former USC lacrosse player Katie Austin also made the final 15.
Both are among the 13 SI Swim Search models featured in the 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the publication announced Monday on Instagram.
The magazine hits newsstands Thursday. Twenty-four hours later, Aust will suit up for Athletes Unlimited, the new professional women’s lacrosse league’s debuting this weekend in Boyds, Md.
“To see how Alex’s confidence, leadership and discipline developed since freshman year and the different doors open for her is inspirational,” Reese said. “Alex is really taking risks and challenges.”
“I may be the first lacrosse player in Sports Illustrated Swim, but I’m not going to be the last.”
—Alex Aust
Before actually applying — by posting her reel audition on Instagram — Aust never admitted aloud that being a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model was a dream.
But it’s been on her mind since she was 8, holding a Sports Illustrated magazine of Tyra Banks, feeling Banks’ confidence radiate off the cover.
Since that moment, Aust said, she wanted to feel the way she assumed Banks felt about herself.
That moment came, again, during Aust’s junior year at Maryland.
Aust said she’s always had a healthy relationship with food, but when she gained 15 pounds in college, her confidence took a hit. Aust was stronger, but she said it was hard to see her body change and not fit into the same pair of jeans she wore in high school.
Aust decided to ditch the scale and focus on how her body felt and performed on the field. It’s a mindset she carried with her into adulthood.
“As athletes, we don’t have that stick-thin body type, but at the end of the day, our bodies are our vehicles,” said Nicole Aust, Alex’s sister and former Maryland teammate. “If Alex’s body is skinny and small, it’s not going to perform the way she wants it to on the field and she’s learned to cherish that.
”
Aust turned 30 in November and decided 2021 would be the year she’d get in the best shape of her life. Her COVID-19 quarantine days were filled with HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and home sculpting workouts. She worked on building her virtual workout community and company The Sweaat Life and led virtual exercise classes from home.
Aust’s fiancée Marcus Holman, the Premier Lacrosse League All-Star and U.S. national team attackman, was her assistant for part of the pandemic.
“When COVID hit, Alex drove right into that Sweaat Life and built that community,” Holman said. “It means a lot to her to lead, inspire and empower other women.”
Aust defined confidence as a superpower. Helping people unlock that superpower — through group workouts, appreciating her body on the runway and teaching young female athletes at her Finish Line lacrosse camps — is how she leads.
Even if those people exist hundreds of miles apart during a global pandemic.
Getting to a place of peace with her body took pushing it to its limits, Aust said. It’s no coincidence that the year she felt most mentally, physically and emotionally fit is the year she applied for SI Swimsuit.
At the SI Swimsuit shoot in May, editor MJ Day turned the monitor to show Aust the photos fashion photographer Yu Tsai snapped of her in a stringy-yet-sporty yellow bikini on a beach in Atlantic City, N.J.
“Can you believe this is you?” Day asked Aust.
Aust erupted in tears.
“I felt every emotion I had in the past eight months,” Aust said. “Working my butt off to be the best version of myself. I saw that in a moment. I never realized a photo of yourself could be that powerful.”
Holman wasn’t surprised SI Swimsuit chose Aust as a finalist. Back in 2020, when he watched her film her audition video on Utah’s Antelope Island, he realized she was a natural — both as a model and leader.
“It’s cool to see her step outside of her comfort zone and show young girls that it’s OK to be sporty and competitive but also have a feminine side,” Holman said.
The 15 SI Swim Search finalists are not full-time models. Rather, they’re entrepreneurs, mothers, students and athletes.
90,000 Garpenlev: A lacrosse goal is hard to score, it makes Michkov special – Sport
HELSINKI, 13 November. / TASS /. The lacrosse-style puck abandoned in the match against the Swedes makes it possible to speak of the Russian national team striker Matvey Michkov as a special player. This opinion was expressed to journalists by the head coach of the Swedish national team, Johan Garpenlev.
Michkov scored a lacrosse puck against the Swedish national team in the match of the second round of the first stage of the Eurotour – the Karjala Cup (2: 4).He distinguished himself at the age of 16 years 11 months and 4 days and became the youngest scorer for a national team in the history of domestic hockey, breaking the record of Alexander Ovechkin, who in 2003 scored his debut puck for the Russian national team at the age of 17 years and 11 months.
“This is a very beautiful goal, I congratulated him on this on the ice. Unfortunately, he was scored in the match against us, but the player himself deserves to have a good future. As for whether I tried to score like that, I I didn’t try to do this, because it’s not my style of play, ”said the striker of the Swedish national team Anton Lander.
Michkov’s puck was highly appreciated by the head coach of the Swedish national team, Johan Garpenlev. “I’m impressed with this puck. Goals like this are hard to score, not many players can do it. I don’t think the older players on the opposing team are angry about that,” he said. trying to win the match and not thinking about anything else. I think the Russians have the same situation. We’ve seen goals like this before, they are often scored in America. Those who score like that are special players. “
Also, the Swedish specialist assessed the actions of the goalkeeper of his team in the match with the Russians. “We’ll see tomorrow who will play at the goal, but Gustav [Lindval] had a great match.
He made some good saves in the first period. In the second, the Russian team had several chances, but our team began to play better and did not give up,” he said …
The final round of the Karjala Cup will take place on Sunday. The Swedish national team will play as the Finnish team, the Russians will meet with the Czechs.
90,000 Michkov set a unique record by scoring a lacrosse goal: video
https://rsport.ria.ru/20211113/video-1758921319.html
Michkov set a unique record by scoring a lacrosse goal: video
Michkov set a unique record scoring a lacrosse goal: video – RIA Novosti Sport, 11/14/2021
Michkov set a unique record by scoring a lacrosse goal: video
Forward Matvey Michkov became the youngest goal-scorer in the history of the Russian and USSR national hockey teams.RIA Novosti Sport, 14.11.2021
2021-11-13T16: 15
2021-11-13T16: 15
2021-11-14T15: 14
Russian national ice hockey team
hockey
Karjala Cup
Euro Hockey Tour
Matvey Michkov
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MOSCOW, November 13 – RIA Novosti. Forward Matvey Michkov became the youngest goal-scorer in the history of the Russian and Soviet national hockey teams. In the Eurotour match against the Swedes, the striker scored at the age of 16 years and 339 days. Michkov scored his goal effectively in the lacrosse style, lifting the puck onto the stick and throwing it behind the goalkeeper after leaving the goal. The video of the episode is available on the Twitter account of the Russian national team. In the previous match against the Finns, Michkov made his debut in the adult national team and became the youngest player of the national team in the history of Russian hockey.
https://rsport.ria.ru/20211113/khokkey-1758867595.html
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Russian national ice hockey team, Karjala Cup, Euro Hockey Tour, Matvey Michkov
16:15 13.
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Michkov set a unique record by scoring a lacrosse goal: video
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