SPEED → Why Lacrosse Athletes Need Speed Training!!

Lacrosse has quietly developed a performance problem, and it has nothing to do with talent or effort. Athletes are working hard, well some of them! Coaches are demanding more and practices are longer than ever... And conditioning, usually done nearly every day, is brutal. And yet, year after year, I see the same issues: slow first steps, late reactions, soft fourth quarters, and a constant stream of non-contact injuries (Hamstrings – Hips – Knees – Ankles). Everyone shrugs and calls it part of the game. Well guess what... It’s NOT!!

And let the controversy begin...

Lacrosse is not an endurance sport, no matter how much running is built into practices. It is a sprinting (power) sport. Short bursts of acceleration, sudden deceleration, violent changes of direction, and rapid re-acceleration define this game. Watch film, do it, and count how often an athlete moves at a steady pace for longer than 20 seconds. Almost never. The game lives in five-second bursts. Win those bursts and you win possessions, matchups, and games. Lose them, and no amount of conditioning will save you buddy.

What Do We Know?

The body adapts specifically to the stress placed on it, regardless of sport. This is a principle that never changes. When athletes spend the majority of their training time jogging, they become better joggers. The nervous system for these athletes’ downshifts and fast-twitch muscle fibers lose efficiency. Maybe ever worse, tendons lose stiffness and this means elastic energy return decreases. When tendons lose stiffness, they become more susceptible to injuries as well. And while the athlete may feel “in shape,” they become less explosive, less reactive, and less resilient. This is why so many players can run all day but feel slow the moment speed is demanded.

Speed is neurological, it is how quickly the brain can send signals to muscle, how efficiently joints coordinate force sequencing, and how well the body handles high-velocity stress. These qualities only improve when the nervous system is trained under high intent and low fatigue. Sprinting teaches the nervous system to fire while jogging teaches it to conserve. Lacrosse rewards force production and this is where most programs get it backwards. For starters, speed is trained when athletes are fresh while conditioning is layered in later. What I often see is athletes are trained to become fatigued first and then asked to move fast at the end. WRONG! This results in poor mechanics, lazy posture, and stress-overload as tissues, which are not prepared to absorb it, take the impact.

Sprint More...

Speed training, sprinting, is one of the most vital things you can do to reduce injuries... Say WHAT!!! Look, speed training is protective. When athletes rarely practice deceleration or re-acceleration in controlled settings, they are then exposed to those forces for the first-time during competition. This exposure often takes place while athletes are fatigued and emotionally charged. That is when hamstrings tear, hips strain, and knees collapse.

There is a persistent belief that sprinting increases injury risk. The reality is that untrained sprinting increases injury risk but properly progressed sprint work strengthens tendons, thickens fascia, improves joint stiffness, and enhances coordination between muscle groups. The power sequence is also trained during sprinting which, with acceleration, teaches the body how to produce force. Deceleration teaches the body how to absorb force. Change-of-direction teaches the body how to redirect force safely.

Endurance Can Still Work, Relax...

This does not mean endurance has no place. Aerobic capacity matters for recovery between sprints, between shifts, and between games. But, I hate to say it, it does not require daily long runs. One longer endurance session per week is enough for most lacrosse athletes to support mitochondrial health, capillary density, and recovery. Anything beyond that, if I am to speak frankly, just quickly becomes redundant and/or counterproductive. The foundation of all training for lacrosse must be speed training and strength training. Conditioning on the other hand, should be used to support those qualities and to promote toughness in the athletes. However, endurance work should mainly be kept on the field of play.

Become Elite...

Elite performance is about doing what matters most, not just about doing more. Endless running feels productive because it is uncomfortable, visible, and most importantly socially accepted. Sprinting, on the other hand, requires patience, skill, and restraint from doing to many reps in a given period of time. Speed training for lacrosse forces athletes and coaches to value quality over volume. But that might be the reason all these coaches avoid it! But at the end of the day if you train like everyone else, you should expect to get what everyone else gets.

Lacrosse rewards the athlete who can produce force faster, absorb it better, and repeat it without breaking down. Speed is not optional in lacrosse. Speed is the sport. And the foundation of speed is... STRENGTH‼️

Performance Training Week Breakdown (example)

Monday:

• Sprint Training

• Strength & Power Lift

• Wall Ball or stationary skill work

 Tuesday:

• Lacrosse Training Only

 Wednesday:

• Speed Training

• Lower Body Strength

• Wall Ball or stationary skill work

 Thursday:

• Lacrosse Training

• Upper Body Strength

 Friday:

• Speed Training

• Lacrosse Training

Saturday

• Movement & Metabolic Lift

• Short Lacrosse Practice

• On Field Endurance Training

I hope that helps highlight a way to structure your week!!!