Coaches Corner: 09/14/25

Welcome back, Coach.

Welcome back to FCL’s Coaches Corner. Where we dig into coaching lessons, share resources, and work to grow together. Every other Sunday, we distill ideas we’ve learned from great coaches across all sports, hoping to give you a few tools and thoughts you can bring back to your team.

Let’s dive in.

(Missed the last Coaches Corner? Catch up here.)

Matt Dunn & Deemer Class

Today’s Menu Includes:

• 🔦 Coach Spotlight: Tony Dungy on developing people

• 🧠 Some Outside Inspiration: Legacy by James Kerr

• 🤓 A Trip to the Principles Office: Catching it Loaded

• 🔥 A Webinar Freebie: Steve Koudelka Talks Constraints on Drills

🔦 Coach Spotlight
Tony Dungy, NFL Coach

It’s easy to get caught up in the X’s and O’s. But Dungy’s quote is a good reminder of the bigger picture. Most of our players won’t play past high school or college.

What they carry with them is how we made them feel, the habits we reinforced, and the standards we held them to. Lacrosse is just the vehicle. The real win is shaping people who show up better in life… for their teammates, their families, and themselves.

🧠 Outside Inspiration
Legacy by James Kerr

This book studies the All Blacks, the most successful sports team in history, and unpacks how they built a culture that wins consistently. It’s about humility, discipline, and relentless attention to detail.

One of the best-known takeaways is “Sweep the sheds.” Even the most decorated veterans clean the locker room. Why? Because no one is bigger than the team.

As a coach, this is a reminder that culture isn't what you preach. It's what you tolerate, reinforce, and model every single day.

🤓 The Principles Office
Catching the Ball Loaded

Welcome back to the Principles Office, where we dig into details that separate good players from great ones. This week’s focus: catching the ball loaded.

Too often, players catch the ball flat-footed, without presenting a target, and without awareness of where they are on the field. Instead of being ready to step into space or pressure the defense, they stand square to the passer with their hips closed, completely missing the shooting or dodging window that just opened.

At the higher levels, the best shooters, feeders, and dodgers all catch ready to do something next. Think of it like basketball. Players don’t just catch and stand. They’re ready to rise into a shot, quickly move the ball, or attack the lane off the pass. In lacrosse, catching loaded means you’re already prepared to step into a shot, sell a hitch, or move the ball to the backside before the defense can recover.

It’s a small detail, but it’s the difference between releasing the shot before the slide arrives, staying a step ahead of a zone rotation, or missing an opportunity altogether.

Today we’ll dive into 5 tangible keys to catching the ball loaded that can make you more dangerous on offense. Then we will discuss why it matters.

Technique

Catching the ball loaded is a skill. It is something that can be developed and practiced through repetition. Here are some key components of catching the ball loaded:

5 Keys to Catch the Ball Loaded:

1. Athletic Stance: Shoulders pointed toward your target (the goal or next pass)

2. Soft Grip: Hold your stick in your fingers, not your palm.

3. Present a Target: Show your stick early, where you want to receive the ball.

4. Stay in Space: Give yourself room to step into the pass.

5. Absorb the Pass: Let the ball carry your hands back behind your head. Think of catching an egg, your hands absorb the impact instead of fighting it.

Why it Matters

Catching the ball loaded isn’t just about getting a shot off faster. It makes you more deceptive, ready to attack poor approaches, and able to move the ball before the defense can recover. It’s efficient, it keeps pressure on the defense, and it creates chances for inside finishes or the extra pass.

Below, we’ll walk through clips that highlight several of the keys above in action, and how each one creates an advantage for the offense.

Athletic Stance

In this first film clip, Ohio State has a transition opportunity. Transition opportunities often force the defense to slide and rotate. As an offensive player, your objective is to beat that rotation with ball movement, or be ready to shoot before the defender can close out to you. Notice:

• The shooter receives the ball with knees bent, shoulders pointed directly at the goal.

• The shooter steps into the shot in one motion releasing the ball before the slide arrives.

In the clip below, a key aspect here is how Charlotte North’s feet continue to move as she receives the pass. She is balanced, and able to claim space upon receiving the pass.

In the Notre Dame clip below, you see a prime example of why setting up in a proper athletic stance before receiving the pass is so important. When the shooter isn’t primed to act on the catch, they lose valuable time getting into a position to be a threat. This gave the defense time to close out and affect the shot, leading to a missed opportunity for Notre Dame.

Present a Target

In the Boston College clip below, BC is a woman up. A rotation occurs to the ball and you see the shooter immediately present a target. She is telling her teammate where she wants the ball, and positioning herself to be a threat upon receiving the ball.

Stay in Space

In the North Carolina clip below, once the defense commits to the initial ball carrier, both the assisting player and the goal scorer remain on the perimeter stretching the defense. They are both able to catch and release the ball without the defense reaching them on the closeout.

Absorb the Pass

In the Syracuse clip below, the Virginia defender is supporting the crease. This gives Syracuse a short window to capitalize on. Here the shooter catches the ball with his hands back behind his head. This allows him to catch and release the ball with lightning speed. The shooter combines the motion of receiving the pass with his windup in order to maximize efficiency and limit time spent with the ball in his stick. In this clip, the defense may have been able to affect or prevent the shot if the shooter did not catch it loaded.

This Boston College clip below highlights the shooter giving with the ball. Her stick begins in front of her body, but as the ball is received, she softly gives with the ball. Notice how the ball seems to do the work in bringing her stick back behind her head. It is a seamless transition with no wasted movement.

Deception

Catching it loaded can trick the defense into selling out to disrupt the shot, leading to off-balanced approaches or poor angles taken by the defense. This allows the shooter to hitch and get to a more dangerous spot on the field. In the clip below, you see Maryland do just that. The shooter is able to attack topside and the defenders feet get “stuck in the mud” anticipating a shot.

Here is another example where catching the ball loaded allows the offense to sell the shot upon receiving the ball. You see the defender flatten his approach, and lead with a one-hand poke check trying to disrupt the shot. This gives the shooter an opportunity to quickly attack topside.

Wrapping It Up

When you catch the ball loaded, you give yourself options — a quicker release, a hard step into space, fast ball movement, or the ability to sell a shot and attack a more threatening area.

It’s not just about shooting faster. It’s about keeping the defense under pressure and forcing them into mistakes. Efficient movement turns small windows into real chances.

Catching the ball loaded makes you unpredictable. It is like the triple threat in basketball, defenders don’t know if you will shoot, pass, or dodge. That uncertainty is what creates real offense.

Until Next Time

Thanks for taking a trip down the hallway. If you are looking for a deeper dive, we have posted numerous videos on our Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels on this topic.

Stay tuned for more content all spring and email us at [email protected] with any questions and let us know your thoughts.

🚨 Webinar Freebie 🚨

This week’s freebie is from our webinar with Lynchburg Head Coach Steve Koudelka. Coach Koudelka delivered a webinar on all things from post-game analysis to team drills aimed at repping the chaos of the middle of the field. One segment we really liked was his discussion with Matt on making small adjustments to drills the players know in order to shift the focus of the drill. See a brief excerpt of the presentation below.

The FCL Circle community is the best resource on the market for any men’s or women’s coaching staff to continue developing through new drills and strategies. It includes over 30 college coach webinars, 100+ drills for offense, defense and full team compete.

• 🎥 WEBINAR FREEBIE: Adding Constraints to Drills

• 🔦 COMMUNITY TOUR: Watch Community Tour Here.

🎙️ FCL PODCAST & COACH COMMUNITY

Want to keep sharpening your coaching toolbox?

🎧 Podcast – Check out our free podcast on Spotify, YouTube and Apple podcast. Who’s ready for season 2?

🔥 Online Community – For coaches who want to level up. Join our men’s and women’s coaching communities for in-depth webinars, drills, and strategy sessions with top college coaches.