OffenseTeam Concept

Pick Setting and Using Drill

A well-set pick can free a teammate from a tight defender in an instant — this drill teaches both the legal, stationary pick and the cutting player's job to use it correctly.

Age RangeAges 11+
Duration10 minutes
Group Size3 players + 1 defender
SportLacrosse

Equipment Needed

  • Sticks
  • Balls

Keep a ball with every group

A bulk bag of lacrosse balls means every group working picks has their own ball to work with.

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Setup

  • A picker sets up near a defender guarding the ball carrier's intended target.
  • The ball carrier starts a short distance away, ready to pass once the target is open.
Pick Setting and Using DrillPpickCXBcut off pickStationary pick; cutter runs the defender's shoulder into it

Instructions

  1. The picking player sets a stationary, legal pick just off the defender's shoulder.
  2. The cutting teammate reads the pick and runs their defender directly into it, staying tight to the picker.
  3. As the cutter clears the pick, the ball carrier delivers a pass to the now-open player.
  4. Reset and rotate roles so everyone practices setting, using, and passing off the pick.
Coaching Points
  • The pick has to be completely stationary to be legal — moving into the defender is a foul, not a pick.
  • The cutting player should run their defender's shoulder directly into the pick, not go around it with wide margin.
  • Timing between the cut clearing the pick and the pass being delivered is what makes this play work.
  • This is a foundational team-offense concept that scales up into far more complex actions later.

Variation

Add a live, full-speed defender fighting through the pick, or chain the pick into a give-and-go for a combined action.