Turning Childhood Games into Elite Training Tools

As the sun set over Tierney Field at USA Lacrosse headquarters Sept. 24-25, carloads of stick-wielding students entered the gates prepared for the opportunity of their dreams.

On consecutive nights in advance of the Atlas Cup, the U.S. Sixes National Teams and Gait Lacrosse put on high-intensity clinics for experienced middle school and high school boys’ and girls’ lacrosse players looking to level up their games.

Each two-hour clinic included on-field instruction from national team players, advanced drills focused on game-ready techniques, official Atlas Cup merchandise and tickets to the 12-game event featuring Canada, the Haudenosaunee Nation, Puerto Rico and the United States.

Athletes flocked from across the Mid-Atlantic — and a few from as far as Australia — to work one-on-one with some of the most talented lacrosse players on the planet.

After getting their fix of X’s and O’s, clinic attendees broke into an action-packed sixes scrimmage. Players ran end-to-end with their idols watching. USA goalie Blaze Riorden refereed. Hilarity ensued. Core memories unlocked.

Feeling FOMO? Don’t worry, we got you. Check out videos on our YouTube channel (@USA_Lacrosse) and put into practice the drills and techniques detailed on these pages.

HOT POTATO

The Kirst brothers play lacrosse with childlike enthusiasm and joy. It’s infectious. Leave it up to goalie Colin Kirst, then, to correlate elite stopping ability with a children’s game.

Step 1: Get in a circle

Gather anywhere from 5-8 different goalies to allow for more variance.

Step 2: Start with two balls

The initiator will begin by throwing the first ball to a goalie in the circle at random, who then catches the ball and sends it off to the next goalie.

Step 3: Pick up the pace

Let the first ball make its rounds slowly before incorporating the second ball and speeding up the delivery. This will test a goalie’s reaction time, hand-eye coordination and processing of the action in front of them.

Step 4: Get down

If a goalie drops the ball, he or she must do a pushup before rejoining the circle.

HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND GO

Ally Kennedy had quite the 2024-25 competition year. It started with earning MVP honors at the inaugural World Lacrosse Women’s Box Championship and ended with an undefeated run during the Atlas Cup. In between, she played for U.S. teams that captured titles at the Pan-American Women’s Lacrosse Championship and The World Games 2025. 

Here, Kennedy takes another children’s exercise and makes it lacrosse worthy.

Step 1

Place a cone between two players facing each other, standing about an arm’s length from one another.

Step 2

Place a ball on top of the cone.

Step 3

Now it’s time to test your listening. Coaches will shout some combination of “head,” “shoulders,” and “knees” and players will touch that body part. Make it unpredictable.

Step 4

Next, we test the reaction time. After a series of body parts, coaches will shout “go.” At that time, the two players reach for the ball on the cone, and whichever player grabs the ball first wins.

Step 5

Kids are smart. They will start to pick up on patterns. Try variations like adding burpees, push-ups or jumping jacks to keep players on their toes.

Step 6

If you need more ideas to keep players engaged, try having them compete with their eyes closed or one leg.