Youth Lacrosse Coaching: 7 Tips Every New Coach Needs to Know

You volunteered to coach your kid's lacrosse team. Maybe you played in college. Maybe you've never held a stick. Either way, coaching youth lacrosse is its own skill — and these seven tips will set you up for a great season.

1. Fun Comes First

At the youth level, your number one job is making kids love lacrosse. If they have fun, they'll come back next season. If they don't, no amount of skill development matters. Build fun into every practice — relay races, small-sided games, silly warm-ups. Serious development comes naturally when kids are engaged.

2. Teach One Thing Per Practice

New coaches often try to teach everything at once. Pick ONE skill per practice and hammer it. Monday is catching. Wednesday is ground balls. Friday is shooting. Kids retain more from focused repetition than scattered instruction.

3. Keep Explanations Under 30 Seconds

Youth players have short attention spans. Demonstrate the drill quickly, then let them try it. Correct as they go, not with a 5-minute lecture upfront. The ratio should be about 80% doing, 20% talking.

4. Minimize Lines

If kids are standing in line for more than 30 seconds, your drill needs more stations. Split into smaller groups. Run parallel lines. Use cones as "pretend defenders." Active players learn faster than waiting players.

5. Catch Them Being Good

Positive reinforcement works better than correction at the youth level. For every piece of correction, give three pieces of praise. "Great job keeping your stick up!" matters more than "You're holding it wrong." Kids who feel good about themselves try harder.

6. Write Down Your Plan

Even if it's on your phone or a napkin, write down what you're going to do before practice. List your drills, time for each, and any equipment you need. When you show up prepared, practice flows. When you wing it, kids notice.

7. End on a High Note

Your last drill should be the most fun. A scrimmage, a relay race, a shooting contest. Whatever makes kids sprint to their cars saying "that was awesome!" The last thing they experience shapes how they feel about coming back.

Tools for New Coaches

LaxAi was built by a lacrosse coach who remembers what it's like to feel unprepared. The free tier gives you access to a curated drill library, a drag-and-drop practice plan builder, and a minute-by-minute timer that guides your entire practice. It's like GPS for coaching.