Wesleyan's Championship Zone Defense | Lacrosse | POWLAX 

Joel Rose thanks Joel! Hopefully not too complex, we gotta get players to run it.

Thank you, that means a lot! You're welcome!

Stoked that you enjoyed it and found it helpful!

Thanks and congrats on the State Title! Did all 6 of your players rotate like a 5 Man or was it more of a 5 Man with a Backer? Did everyone go everywhere?

@@POWLAX I taught them to rotate with 6.

Very cool. That would be a cool video to make later. Any chance you have the film from that game and would let me use it to make a rotating zone video?

Thanks... Definitely very basic, like the zone is. Think there's anything I missed?

I just love how you recognize how active the zone is played, I know plenty of people think it’s a lazy defense. This is the most thorough video that I have seen on the zone and a great breakdown using the championship game.

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Me too! I've asked around a bunch to get video of the Backer Zone in action, but haven't been able to come across any. I've also heard a couple of different ways to run it. If I can find some good film to outline the concepts, I will definitely make a video!

Patrick, this breakdown was awesome! I would also like to see a breakdown of a backer zone defense!

@@POWLAX that would be sweet. Championship productions has an NYIT backer zone video but the reviews are not so hot.

Thank you! Anything specific from this video that you liked?

It confirms a lot of the concepts that I am already doing but also goes into playing x and sharing zones. Simple well done and effectixe

@@flochfitness By the way, I implemented this defense (literally showed this video to my kids and we practiced for a day and had the best defense game of the season. 1 goal 6v6. Thanks again brother!!

@@POWLAX By the way, I implemented this defense (literally showed this video to my kids and we practiced for a day and had the best defensive game of the season. 1 goal 6v6. Thanks again brother!!

@@flochfitness4271 That's awesome! Congrats coach! Looks like I'll need to do a lot more Zone Offense Videos to even the scales!

How so? How do you define a "Backer Zone"? From what I understand, a backer zone uses a "Backer" player who roams the field as the first slide. I know that someone from Inside Lacrosse called it a backer zone, but I don't see it.

@@POWLAX First, I want to thank you for your videos! As a high school coach for 6 years I have used concepts from you that have worked amazing and make it a pre-season tradition to take notes off your videos. During my second year coaching I switched to a backer zone and then a pressure backer zone from the Backer Zone god, Jack Kaley. I run the Backer Zone full time and use the regular man v man as a quick change up. The backer will not always be the first slide but most of the time will only the first slide at the top of the box or to X. This isn’t always perfect, and players must communicate and slide adjacent. Watching the game, I see multiple sets that are offensive zone busters I call bitz. You will over load one side and it is usually the right side of the defense. This will cause the defense to slide in a different manner to cover the zone play and will not look like a traditional backer zone. My opinion is that Wesleyan is running a Backer Zone here and this is based off of their own words, news articles, and my opinion of watching their film. www.insidelacrosse.com/article/the-beauty-of-wesleyan-s-backer-zone/52337 www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-sp-wesleyan-lacrosse-national-championship-20180527-story.html They say their defense is "Based" of Jack Kaley’s Backer Zone and the one article calls it a Backer Zone. I say "Based", because they have put their twists on it with their rotation that is outstanding and something I have been trying to teach in Oregon for a while. No matter what, I learned a lot from the video and will continue to use all the knowledge I can from you!

​@@joshuaalexander4592 Thanks Joshua, I'm glad that you enjoy the videos. Here is why I disagree about this being a Backer Zone and called it a 3-3 Zone. First, I have no doubt they ran a Backer Zone in other games. What I am sayin is that they did not run a backer zone in the National Championship vs Salisbury. Here’s why I think that. When I set out to create this video, I also saw these articles that called their defense a 'Backer Zone". I was intrigued, because I'd never really seen a backer zone implemented well and I wanted to research and make a video on a true backer zone. What I found was that a Backer Zone is a zone has 5 exterior positions and one "Backer" who would roam the middle of the field and slide if an on ball exterior player got beat. This video shows how I imagine a Backer Zone working - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vb3h0pBFQOk.html - it also references Jack Kaley. If this is wrong conceptually, my entire theory of what constitutes a backer zone is wrong and that could be why I missed it in this game. After finding out what a backer zone is, I watched the Wesleyan vs Salisbury National Championship Game and I never saw a backer who roamed the field as the first slide. What I saw was that Wesleyan moved into a 3-3 set and used the adjacent slides and bungee back principles of the 3-3 zone that I have always known. Every new possession showed the same. Now, if there is a specific play from this game that shows the principles of the backer zone working and can show how my thinking was wrong, I’ll stand corrected. From what I saw in this game and what I outline here I’m 99% positive that they ran a 3-3 in this game. If there is a part of this video where you look and you see me explaining something incorrectly because they are actually in a backer zone, I would love to know where because I'll need to update my understanding. Also, if you have some other film that really outlines the backer zone working at a high level, I would love to check it out because film on the backer zone has been extremely illusive.

Wes definitely plays a backer zone. Raba will be happy to give you info on it if you contact him.

@@mikehan3066 I understand that they often run a Backer Zone and spoke with Raba at the IMLCA Convention. If there is something that I am missing from this specific game and defensive set, let me know. I'd be pumped to be shown otherwise. Everything I saw in the Championship showed my understanding of the 3-3.

Educational or Highlight videos?

@@POWLAX educational with an example of it from a college clip like u do. I love that u do that! I wana see different types of checks and how/why they work and where to throw them. Also maybe like where to throw the certin check on the field and what type of checks to throw on different attack man.

What age group? I like it in principle, but feel that it falls short once you are trying to move back to Man to Man. Players who are used to approaching with great technique also need practice running with their men trying not to get beat, recognizing motion and slides, etc. They need all of it. As far as teaching them how to track the ball, you can skeleton swinging the ball and that should allow them to track it. Check out the Line Bump Drill, Triangle Show Drill, and 5 on a Die Drill to build a defense, as well as the 3v0's 3v2's and 3v3's video which overviews how the action of creating an offense allow the defense to learn the backend first.

@@POWLAX 5th grade 6th grade. They are coming up from modified field and they don't communicate well yet. So, I feel if I can take the responsibility of watching their men away, so they are concentrating on an area. They can pack the house to help cut down the passes. I can then help them learn the other principles in practice and work back into man on man.

​@@redraiderlax7996 This is exactly the thinking that brings my “No Zone” comment. You are trying to create a winning environment rather than the correct environment that allows them to learn from their mistakes. The key is creating the right simple template. Here’s what I recommend. 3 Simple Words - Locate - Communicate - Help Eachother - 1) Locate the man you are going to defend and the ball carrier. 2) Communicate who you have and where you are in relation to the ball carrier. 3) Help Each other - every player must guard the goal against their man and half of someone else’s man. If someone gets beat, help that player. Then you teach them the technique of being sideways, sliding and recovering using the drills above. This way, they have something that is easy to understand and you can put it all on them by asking questions like “what did you see?” “did you realize he was cutting? Why not?”. A couple ways to help with that is. 1st, they must always bring it in on the keeper after every goal. 2nd, they each must say what they themselves did wrong. 3rd, you get a report on the sideline with the guys who run off. I’m going to go in-depth into this in my live stream this Wednesday.

@@POWLAX Thank you for the honest conversation

@@POWLAX post goal pow-wows before mids leave, with all 7 guys is mandatory on all my teams. "its not a finger pointing session, rather owning up to our mistakes. 2 types of mistakes: mental or execution. Guy gets beat topside when he knows he shouldn't = execution. Pow wow should take 1 second. Mental is a guy doing the wrong thing and not realizing it. This leads to multiple goals in the same way and whole point of the post goal meeting. Love it, and amazed not every team does it.