Lacrosse Dodges

DODGES:
A. Face Dodge
B. Split Dodge
C. Roll Dodge
D. Inside Roll
E. Rocker Dodge
F. Question Mark Dodge
G. Change-of-Direction Dodge
H. Bull Dodge
I. Pump Fake
J. Zig Zag Dodge (Z Step)
K. Finalizer
L. Behind-the-Back Dodge
M. Swim Move
N. Doggy Paddle Dodge
O. C Dodge
P.  Exclamation Dodge
Q. Combination Dodges
R. Tips for Dodging


This is by no means an exhaustive list!

A. Face Dodge
The basic idea behind a face dodge is that you bring your stick across your face (hence the name) and blow by a defender. It is a North-South dodge, meaning that you do it while you're coming towards the defender.  Cradle up to your defender with both hands on your stick. Now act like you're going to go to whichever way you are cradling (right if righty, left if lefty), take a quick stutter step, bring your stick across your face, go around him/her (the opposite way of which you faked going, if that makes sense) and then bring it back to a vertical cradle.


B. Split Dodge
The split dodge is, like the face dodge, a North-South dodge. Basically what you do is cradle up to your defender and, if you are cradling righty fake like you're going to go right (left if lefty), do a quick stutter step, switch hands, then go around them just like you did in the face dodge.


C. Roll Dodge
The roll dodge is another North-South dodge. As it says in the name, what you basically are going to do is roll around your defender. If you are cradling righty, plant your left foot in front of your defender and roll around him to your right. It's, of course, exactly the opposite if cradling lefty.



D. Inside Roll
An inside roll is an East-West dodge, meaning that you do without your hips square to the defender's. This basically means that you do it while running with your defender instead of at him/her.  An inside roll is based on the hope that your defender will try not to let you hook around the goal and score, so you run out, as if doing this, but then roll back in towards the goal.



E. Rocker Dodge
After doing one or two roll doges, you might want to throw a rocker dodge in there. Act like you are going to do a roll/inside roll dodge. Roll about halfway to one direction (letting your stick hang out) and then turn the other direction and roll the other way around the man covering you.

F. Question Mark Dodge
A question mark dodge is essentially an inside roll, but, instead of making a sharp roll around your man, you hook around and (hopefully) get a pass or shot off, forming a question mark. Instead of rolling in towards the goal, you roll out and switch hands (it may help visualize this one if you pretend the "." on a question mark is the goal). ? ? ? ? ? ?

G. Change-of-Direction Dodge
The change-of-direction dodge is a pretty simple East-West dodge. Basically what you are going to do is run to either your left or your right at about half speed, stop, plant your foot, switch hands, and run full speed the other way.

H. Bull Dodge
The bull dodge is a North-South dodge that should only be done on an opponent smaller or not as strong as you. You act like you're gonna do some fancy move to get by 'em, but just cradle with one hand and form an L with your other arm (to act as a shield for your stick) and blow right by through their stick. It is important not to push with your free arm, or you will be called for a ward.

I. Pump Fake
A pump fake isn't really a dodge, but it has the same effect. Act like you are going to pass (this is especially effective if you call out your teammate's name) or shoot, and then, as soon as your defender tries to check your stick, run by him. Remember that a good fake is done with your hands and shoulders, not your stick. If you bring your stick out halfway and then pull it back in, not only is it gonna waste some time but the defender may be able to check your stick while it is out. To make effective pump fakes, you may want to push your stick away from you (to the right or left of the direction you are facing) so that the ball bounces against the sidewall; try not to pump fake in the direction of the pass because the ball easily falls out.

J. Zig Zag Dodge (Z Step)
A zig zag dodge is a combination of the pump fake and bull dodge. Cradle towards your defender, using your free arm as a shield, then pull out (step back) and do a quick pump fake. As soon as your defender tries checks your stick, do a bull dodge past him.

K. Finalizer
The main idea of the finalizer dodge is using the tip of the goal as a pick to hopefully trip or slow down your defender. It's hard to explain, so I'm just gonna quote The Playmaker himself. You can see a video of the finalizer here on the Powell brothers Highlight Reel (it's at a little past the 3/4 mark) . This guy really get his ankles broken, but this move is very challenging and may or may not work depending on your level of play.

L. Behind-the-Back Dodge
Basically, it's a split dodge or a change of direction dodge, but you switch hands behind the back. It is, like the swim move, based on the element of surprise that you get from the defender; it must be done quickly and subtly to work successfully.

M. Swim Move
The swim move is a North-South dodge. This move works best on players with short sticks. What you do is hold your stick with one hand and pull it up over the defender's stick. You can see it done here, right before he shoots.

N. Doggy Paddle Dodge
This Dodge is essentially a mix between the swim move and a split dodge: act like you would for a split dodge except wait until you are close to his stick and then lift your stick over the defenders and blow past him/her. Look at it here. http://insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?P...es&video=71583

O. C Dodge
What you're essentially doing in this dodge is using your speed to beat your defender: you run up to the goal, go behind it and around the crease, and come back on the other side with a quick goal to surprise the goalie.

P. Exclamation Dodge
This dodge is done from behind the goal at X: This one isn't necessarily going to fake your defender or break anyone's ankles, but it will hopefully catch the goalie off guard. The exclamation dodge is when you run from X as hard as you can to about 10 yards in front of the goal, turn, and shoot all in one move.. it's meant to catch the goalies off guard. Pretend that the O is the crease, and the / is the line you're running in.. so the dodge would look like this
             .../
             O/
             x



Q. Combination Dodges
Straight from the SI Lacrosse book.

That being said, here are some good combos you may want to try:
The split dodge sets up multiple possibilities for a second dodge. Some of the most useful combos are:
Split then Roll
Split then Swim Move
Split then another Split
Some other combo dodges are:
Swim then Roll
Circle Dodge- Face then Roll
And of course the Zig Zag- Pump Fake then Bull
Inside Roll- Roll then Change of Direction and
Finalizer- Mainly Split, Roll, and C-(Running around the goal) dodges mixed together.
Be creative and try to do whatever you can to confuse your defender. A pump fake before any dodge also enhances the dodge; you may also make special moves like the fake btb split- one I made up where you bring your stick up in position for a btb shot then bring the stick over your head and do a split. It's kinda like a swim move over your head.

R. Tips for Dodging
Here are some tips to consider when dodging:

1. Don't dodge to blow by your man, just dodge to get a quick pass or shot off.
2. Explode out of your dodges, fullspeed.
3. Get with a longpole or middie partner on your team and practice dodges against him.
4. Find a tree or telephone pole to practice your North-South dodges against; practice makes perfect.
5. Practice all your dodges in full gamespeed. Don't run the dodges through step by step unless you are trying to figure out the neccessary foot or stickwork (but hopefully we've explained all that!)
6. When you have the ball, be constantly faking passes - keep your defense man's stick moving.
7. Never try to dodge when men are in position to back up.
8. Every man on the attack should try at least two dodges every game. Learn at least three different types of dodges.
9. When you have the ball, never stand still - keep moving all the time - if necessary run backwards and forwards - but keep moving. When you are ready to make a pass, take one step back quickly and move.


Sources: www.laxtips.com
www.lacrosseforums.com
Sports Illustrated Lacrosse: Fundamentals for Winning by David Urick
Mark Million's Offensive Wizardry