JM3 Sports and GYL

This season we have partnered with JM3 Sports to introduce a new coaching methodology based on the way athletes actually learn how to make decisions in complex environments like lacrosse.

How is this approach different?

Traditionally, players are taught the fundamentals of lacrosse that are repeated until perfected through drills which are oftentimes run in isolation with the goal that these techniques will be deployed in a game. However, we have learned that when athletes are taught in this environment, they have difficulty applying it to situations that don’t completely mimic the drill. In other words, the perfection of drills during practice rarely translates into situational game play. Our athletes need to learn in environments that use various, but not all, constraints and allow them to be creative and learn how to react in an actual game environment.

So how does it work?

That’s why we are introducing The Constraints Led Approach (CLA) to our coaching which teaches our players how to react to the situation in the moment and find a solution.  Through the deliberate use of select constraints (versus the use of all constraints present in a game), coaches will allow players to explore solutions to the situation at hand more creatively.  Constraints used can be the number of players, a shot clock, space, goal size, offensive actions, defensive coverages, scoring systems and more.  Kids love to play in live situations and coaches will love learning to design games and drills representative of the situations they need to practice while intentionally manipulating constraints which will allow players to learn and develop their lacrosse skills in game situations.