12U USA Lacrosse Practice Structure & Drills

We follow the USA Lacrosse guidelines for coaching at all levels. At the 12U level, coaches should focus on reinforcing technical skills while introducing principles of game application in a progressive system, emphasizing agility, footwork, dynamic balance, complex coordination, multi-directional speed, strength, core strength, and flexibility, while maximizing ball touches to consolidate and master all technical abilities such as scooping, catching, passing, shooting, cradling, dodging, checking, and position-specific skills.

Our approach emphasizes a fun, inclusive, accepting, engaging, and positive environment focused on improvement and effort rather than outcomes, supporting psychological growth in love of the sport, focus, simple goal setting, respect, confidence, balancing winning/losing, and decision-making; social skills like independence, sharing, peer relationships, and understanding physical competency; and tactical concepts like situational play up to 7v7, riding, clearing, and man-up/man-down situations. Practices should be 60-75 minutes up to three times per week.

12U practices are organized around station-based sessions to encourage fun, acceptance, and tactical exploration while focusing on effort and improvement over outcomes. Each 60-75 minute practice (up to 3x/week) begins with a dynamic warm-up, followed by stations consolidating technical skills like scooping, catching, passing, shooting, cradling, dodging, checking, and position-specific abilities under pressure, delivered with positive coaching, goal-setting support, and activities tailored for success—ideally with a 12:1 player-to-coach ratio and maximum ball involvement through progressions and small-sided play. Practices include scrimmages or game situations to develop situational understanding up to 7v7, riding, clearing, and man-up/man-down concepts, with free play blended in for creativity. Sessions conclude with a team-building activity emphasizing respect, confidence, and peer relationships, leaving players inspired and ready for growth.

Below is a library of drills and games published by USA Lacrosse to support the development of 12U lacrosse players. These resources serve as a starting point for organizing practices, but coaches are encouraged to adapt them to their teams' needs, explore other effective drills and games, or create their own. If you discover something that works particularly well, please share it so we can expand our library!