How to Train for Speed, Power and Agility in Lacrosse

Lacrosse is built around short explosive efforts. Players accelerate into space, stop quickly, change direction, react to opponents, and repeat those movements while controlling a stick and reading the game.

That means simply becoming stronger or running longer distances is not enough. Effective lacrosse training should develop force production, acceleration, deceleration, explosive power, and reactive agility, then connect those qualities with actual lacrosse movement.

Build Strength Before Chasing Speed

Speed and power depend partly on how much force an athlete can apply to the ground.

Strength work should therefore form part of the foundation. Squats, Romanian deadlifts, split squats, rows, presses, and loaded carries develop the lower body, posterior chain, trunk, and upper body without requiring dozens of exercises.

Hoyles Fitness makes a similar point in its training guidance, treating strength as a foundation from which power and other athletic qualities can be developed.

Keep the program progressive. Adding manageable amounts of load while maintaining good technique is more useful than frequently testing maximum lifts.

Train Acceleration Over Short Distances

Lacrosse rarely requires athletes to reach maximum sprint speed over long distances. The first few steps are usually more important.

Use short sprints of approximately 5 to 20 yards with full recovery between repetitions. Start from several positions, including standing, lateral, split stance, and slightly crouched defensive positions.

Focus on:

• Driving forcefully through the ground
• Keeping the first steps powerful and purposeful
• Gradually increasing stride length
• Maintaining forward body lean during early acceleration
• Recovering fully before high-quality repetitions

Do not turn speed work into conditioning. Once sprint quality drops noticeably, the session is no longer developing maximum acceleration effectively.

Make Agility Specific to Lacrosse

Cone drills can teach basic movement patterns, but lacrosse agility eventually needs to include decision-making.

Once an athlete can accelerate, brake, shuffle, and cut with good mechanics, introduce movement in response to another player, a visual cue, or a coach’s command. Structured lacrosse drills can also connect footwork with skills such as cradling, passing, dodging, and defensive positioning.

That progression matters because athletes do not know in advance exactly where they will move during a game. They have to recognize information and react to it.

The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends beginning with basic acceleration, deceleration, cutting, and running patterns before progressing toward more lacrosse-specific agility work. It also suggests adding visual or auditory cues and eventually incorporating stick skills. 

Learn to Decelerate Properly

Fast players also need to stop effectively.

Poor braking mechanics make it harder to change direction and can leave an athlete off balance when defending, dodging, or preparing the next movement.

Practice accelerating for 10 to 15 yards and stopping under control within a defined zone. The hips should lower as the athlete brakes, with several controlled steps used to absorb force rather than one stiff final step.

Once that becomes consistent, progress to cuts at 45 and 90 degrees.

Strength exercises such as split squats, lateral lunges, and controlled eccentric movements can support this ability by improving the muscles used to absorb force.

Convert Strength Into Explosive Power

Power is the ability to produce force quickly. In lacrosse, it contributes to first-step acceleration, jumping, shooting, and rapid changes of direction.

Use explosive exercises early in the training session while the athlete is fresh.

Good options include box jumps, broad jumps, lateral bounds, medicine-ball throws, and selected Olympic lifting variations for athletes who have been properly taught.

Keep repetitions relatively low and focus on movement speed. Performing explosive exercises while exhausted usually turns power training into slower conditioning work.

Use Medicine Balls for Rotational Power

Rotational medicine-ball throws are particularly useful because passing and shooting involve force traveling from the legs through the hips and trunk into the upper body.

Train both sides rather than only the athlete’s preferred shooting side.

The goal is not to perform hundreds of throws. Use a small number of explosive repetitions with enough recovery to keep each one fast.

Add Reactive Change-of-Direction Work

Pre-planned agility drills have value because they allow athletes to practice technique in a controlled setting.

Eventually, however, players need uncertainty.

Use partner mirror drills, numbered cones, colored signals, or coach commands that force the athlete to make a quick decision before changing direction.

A defender might react to an attacker’s movement, while a midfielder could respond to a visual signal and immediately transition into a pass or ground-ball pickup.

This adds the perceptual component that separates rehearsed cone running from actual game agility.

Condition for Repeated High-Intensity Efforts

Lacrosse players need to repeat explosive movements without losing quality as the game continues.

Conditioning should reflect that intermittent demand. Shuttle runs, repeated short sprints, small-sided games, and controlled high-intensity intervals can all work.

Avoid making every conditioning session maximally difficult. Excessive fatigue can interfere with sprint technique, strength development, and skill sessions.

Separate high-quality speed work from harder conditioning whenever possible. Sprint when fresh, then perform conditioning later in the session or on another day.

Organize the Training Week Carefully

A lacrosse athlete should not train every physical quality at maximum intensity every day.

A practical week might include two strength sessions, one dedicated acceleration and agility session, lacrosse practice, and one additional conditioning session. Competition schedules will change how much additional work is appropriate.

During the season, reduce unnecessary volume so gym training supports performance rather than competing with games and practices.

Offseason athletes can generally handle more development work because they have fewer competition demands.

Use Track Training to Develop Speed

Track and field can be useful for lacrosse players who want more exposure to sprint mechanics, acceleration, and structured speed training during the offseason.

Short sprint events teach athletes to apply force efficiently, maintain posture, and repeat technically sound running mechanics. School and club athletes who compete in organized meets may also use coordinated track uniforms as part of their team setup while developing speed that can later transfer back to lacrosse.

Track training should complement rather than replace multidirectional work. Straight-line speed is valuable, but lacrosse still requires braking, cutting, reacting, and handling the stick.

Track Performance Instead of Guessing

Measure whether the training is actually working.

Useful tests include 10-yard sprint time, standing broad jump, vertical jump, short change-of-direction tests, and selected strength measures.

Use the same testing conditions each time. Changing the warm-up, surface, distance, or timing method makes comparisons less reliable.

Do not chase improvement in every metric simultaneously. If acceleration is the priority for a training block, place most of the quality work there while maintaining the other physical qualities.

Train Athletic Qualities That Transfer

The best lacrosse conditioning program is not the one with the most cones, exercises, or exhausting workouts.

Build enough strength to produce force, practice applying that force quickly, develop efficient acceleration and braking mechanics, and then introduce increasingly reactive agility.

Finally, connect those physical qualities with lacrosse skills.

When speed, power, agility, and technical practice support each other, athletes are better prepared to accelerate into space, react to opponents, control direction changes, and maintain their effectiveness throughout a game.