Warrior Team Defense I. Philosophy Team Defense is played with seven defenders, not one. Every defender relies on his teammates, and every defender must know his role in all situations. If we fail to work as a unit, we will fail to prevent our opponents from scoring. The Four Pillars of Team Defense 1. Mental Toughness – All seven defenders must have the presence of mind to recognize the offense’s objective, to determine the correct adjustment, and to communicate that adjustment to our teammates. 2. Tenacity – We must be aggressive at all times, but we must never be reckless. We will do all that we must to disrupt the offense without losing site of our responsibilities. 3. Anticipation – We will study our opponents, both their offensive and individual tendencies, and adjust accordingly. 4. Alliance – Everything that we do as individuals affects the entire defense, for better or for worse. Therefore, we will always communicate and be mindful of our slide responsibilities.

II. Principles a.Protect The Middle!! We’ll concede outside and poor angle shots because we know our goalie will stop them. b.Know your attack angles and deny entry to THE FAN (10-12 yds out from the goal) c.The second slide is as important as the first d.Before you slide, know who has your second slide e.Each time a pass is made, new slide calls must be made. ECHO THE Call! f.Always have your HEAD ON A SWIVEL g.When playing off ball, remember: BALL-YOU-MAN. Keep a big eye on your man, and a little eye on the ball. h.CLEAR THE CREASE! When a player enters, we must be physical i.When preparing to slide, cheat towards the dodger; have one hip pointed towards your man and one hip pointed towards the ball. j.FLY back towards the hole after your man has passed the ball k.STAY ON THE HANDS! KEEP YOUR CHECKS SHORT and on the gloves. l.Keep your stick in front of the man to stay on his hands and impede his progress. m.If a teammate slides to your man, try to force the turnover, race back to the hole to help out and replace the slider – FIND ONE!! n.ARRIVE WITH A CHECK! Beat the ball to your man and attack his hands. o.In a loose ball situation on the crease, check the body first, then go for the ground ball. p.We must get EVERY GROUND BALL; OWN THE FLOOR! q.When we slide, we’ll slide later to opponents dodging a long pole. r.RADAR; STICKS UP IN THE PASSING LANES AT ALL TIMES

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2 M3 Man to Man Defense - Adjacent Slide – AIR FORCE D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 Player Focus  Athletic position  Play with your feet and stay square  Call out your man  Communicate “I’ve got ball’  Adjacent D is “COLD” for first slide  Next adjacent D is second slide and communicates “I Got 2”  Stay between your man and the goal  On offside one shoulder to man and one shoulder to ball – head on a swivel Slide Principles  If dodge beats defense adjacent defender slides  Second and third slides fill from adjacent to area left by the first slide “I Got Ball” “I’M Cold” “I got 2”

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2 M3 Man to Man Defense - Adjacent Slides D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 “I got ball” “I’m Cold” “I got 2”

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2 M3 Man Down Defense PRIDE Recognize – Communicate – Anticipate - Execute D1D2 D3 D4 D5 Player Focus  Athletic position  Play with your feet and stay square  Stay in your zone  Communicate “I’ve got ball’  Keep the ball on the perimeter  No shots inside of 10 and 10  Head on a swivel

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2M3 Clear – 4 Across D1 D3 Player Focus Four across the field even with goalie – defenseman in each alley Mid on side of goalie Move up the field as a line and draw man to the ball Middies move to stay open Change D for Middie for additional offense during transition Move the ball to the open man after drawing then up the field Backside middie is always middie back if D takes ball up and across mid line GK D2 Off DM

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2 M3 Clear – 4 Across D1 D3 Player Focus Formation will be four across the field even with the goalie Opposition will typically end up with one attack riding both the goalie and the mid Formation moves up the field together – goalie with the ball Ball moves to whatever player that is not being played As ball is moving up the field and into space that is occupied by a player that player must move out of the way GK D2 Off DM

A1 A2 A3 M1 M2 M3 Clear – 4 Across D1 D3 Player Focus Formation will be four across the field even with the goalie Opposition will typically end up with one attack riding both the goalie and the mid Formation moves up the field together – goalie with the ball Ball moves to whatever player that is not being played As ball is moving up the field and into space that is occupied by a player that player must move out of the way BACKSIDE MIDDIE STAYS BACK WHEN D CARRIES THE BALL OVER GK D2 Off DM