PEOPLE'S LACROSSE

Lacrosse Dodge Moves: 10 Dodges, Drills & Footwork

10 dodge moves with footwork cues, combination sequences, and drills. From split dodge to bull dodge — the complete guide.

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WHY DODGING MATTERS

Dodging is the chess match within lacrosse. Every time you have the ball, you hold all the power — the defender can only react to what you show them. The best dodgers have multiple moves in their arsenal and vary them to be unpredictable. Once you start beating your man, you create opportunities for shots, feeds, and drawing slides that open up the entire offense. With the Skill Stick and a few cones in your backyard, you can master the footwork that makes you unguardable.

WALL BALL ROUTINES →BACKYARD SHOOTING DRILLS →
HOW MANY DODGES SHOULD I MASTER?
Start with 3-4 fundamental dodges executed perfectly: split, roll, bull, and face. As you advance, add swim, question mark, and inside roll. Elite players have 6+ moves but can execute 3-4 at game speed with either hand.
CAN I PRACTICE DODGING WITHOUT A DEFENDER?
Absolutely. Use cones, trees, or trash cans as defenders. Focus on your approach, footwork, and exploding out of the dodge. The muscle memory transfers directly to live defenders. The Skill Stick is perfect for this — same mechanics as your game stick, lighter for longer sessions.
WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT DODGE TO LEARN FIRST?
The split dodge. It's the foundation everything else builds on — switching hands explosively while changing direction. Once you can split dodge to either side with either hand, adding roll dodges, face dodges, and combinations becomes natural.

FUNDAMENTAL DODGES

Master these four moves before anything else. Every advanced dodge is just a variation or combination of these fundamentals. Practice them until they're automatic — no thinking required.

SPLIT DODGE

BEGINNER8 min

The foundation of all dodging. Run at your defender, plant your outside foot hard, switch hands explosively, and accelerate in the opposite direction. The key is selling the fake — your shoulders and hips should telegraph one direction while your feet prepare to explode the other way.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Full speed approach — shoulders and hips sell the fake
  • •Plant your outside foot at 45° — the dodge lives in the plant
  • •Common mistake: slowing down before the plant — kills separation
  • •Switch hands at chest level — don't drop the stick head
  • •Accelerate immediately — first 2 steps create separation
REPS20 reps each hand, each direction
KEY FOCUSSell the fake with shoulders, explode out of the plant

ROLL DODGE

BEGINNER8 min

Spin away from your defender to protect your stick. Lower your body, curl the stick tight to your chest, and roll off the defender's pressure. Unlike the split, you're not changing hands — you're using your body as a shield.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Drop your hips — roll dodgers almost hug their stick
  • •Make contact with the defender — use their momentum
  • •Curl the stick head toward your armpit — tight protection
REPS15 reps each direction
KEY FOCUSLower your center of gravity, protect the stick

BULL DODGE

BEGINNER6 min

Straight-line power. Run directly at your defender, lower your shoulder, and blow through them. The bull dodge doesn't finesse — it overwhelms. Best used when you have a size or speed advantage.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Lower your shoulder like a running back — make yourself small
  • •Protect your stick on the opposite side from contact
  • •Drive through the defender, not around them
REPS10 reps, full speed
KEY FOCUSLower shoulder, protect stick on opposite side

FACE DODGE

BEGINNER6 min

Pull the stick across your face to bait a check, then explode past. The face dodge baits defenders into overcommitting, then punishes their aggression. It's fast, direct, and devastating when timed right.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Pull the stick across your face slowly — invite the check
  • •Snap it back the moment they commit — timing is everything
  • •Explode forward, not sideways — face dodges go north
REPS15 reps each hand
KEY FOCUSBait the check, then explode past

INTERMEDIATE DODGES

Add variety and unpredictability. These moves build on your fundamentals and open up new angles. Master these and defenders can't anticipate your next move.

SWIM DODGE

INTERMEDIATE10 min

When the defender commits to a check, swim your stick over their stick and explode past. The swim dodge is the answer to aggressive defenders who overplay their checks. It requires timing, but when it hits, you're gone.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Wait for the defender to commit — patience is key
  • •Swim the stick over their check, not under
  • •Protect the stick head with your off-hand during the swim
REPS15 reps each hand
KEY FOCUSTiming the swim over the committed check

INSIDE ROLL

INTERMEDIATE10 min

Most defenders expect you to roll away from them. The inside roll surprises them by rolling TOWARD the goal, directly into the shooting lane. While it can be executed from various positions, it often starts at X (behind the goal) or the wings. The key is exploiting defender anticipation: when you turn your back, they lunge for a check, opening the lane toward the goal.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Start from X (behind the goal) or the WING — position yourself to threaten the crease
  • •Drive at your defender's outside shoulder to engage them
  • •As you roll, your back turns toward the defender — they will lunge for a check
  • •Use their lunge against them: roll TOWARD the goal, not away
  • •Stay low through the roll — low center of gravity beats their recovery
  • •Finish as close to the crease as possible — in-close finishing is highest percentage
  • •Stick stays tight to your body during the roll — protected from checks
REPS12 reps each hand
KEY FOCUSRoll toward goal from X or wings, exploit defender anticipation

QUESTION MARK DODGE

INTERMEDIATE10 min

Attack from X (behind the goal), drive toward the crease, then roll back to your original hand. Creates a question mark shape with your movement. Signature move of PLL legend Rob Pannell — widely regarded as one of the greatest attackmen ever. Classic midfield dodge that attacks the defense's blind spot.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Attack the crease with conviction — sell the drive hard
  • •Hard plant at 7-yard mark — defender commits to stopping the drive
  • •Roll back to your original hand — protected hand stays strong
  • •Stay in front of the goal — never wrap behind the cage
  • •Eyes up after the roll — shooting or feeding options available
REPS10 reps each hand
KEY FOCUSDrive hard at the crease before rolling back

TOE DRAG

INTERMEDIATE8 min

Low, quick change of direction that pulls the ball back while your body continues forward. The toe drag is devastating in tight spaces — it looks like you're moving one way while the ball goes another.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Keep the stick head low — drag along the ground
  • •Your hips sell the fake — turn them toward the fake
  • •Explode out of the drag — don't just stand there
REPS20 reps each hand
KEY FOCUSBody goes forward, ball goes back

ADVANCED DODGES

These moves separate good dodgers from elite ones. They require perfect timing, field awareness, and the confidence to take risks. Master these and you're unguardable.

STUTTER STEP / HITCH

ADVANCED8 min

A quick stutter or hitch in your approach that freezes the defender, then explosion past them. The stutter step is about rhythm disruption — you change speeds so abruptly that the defender can't match your feet.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Change speeds dramatically — slow to fast
  • •Keep your feet active during the stutter — no flat feet
  • •Explode out of the stutter — the hesitation is the setup
REPS15 reps, vary the timing
KEY FOCUSFreeze the defender with the hitch

CHANGE OF SPEED

ADVANCED8 min

Sometimes the best dodge is no dodge at all. Slow down to make the defender relax, then accelerate past them. Great defenders match your speed — they can't match an unexpected gear change.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Start slow and controlled — bait them to relax
  • •Explode without telegraphing — no shoulder dip
  • •Practice all three gears — slow, medium, and attack speed
REPS10 reps, 3 gears each (slow/medium/fast)
KEY FOCUSSudden acceleration from controlled speed

BEHIND-THE-BACK DODGE

ADVANCED10 min

When the defender overplays your strong hand, throw behind your back to your weak hand and explode past. Flashy when it works, disastrous when it doesn't. High risk, high reward.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Rotate your hips fully — the throw lives in the hips
  • •Keep the stick head near your back hip — don't let it drift
  • •Have a plan if it misses — don't throw blindly
REPS10 reps each direction
KEY FOCUSHip rotation generates the throw

COMBINATION SEQUENCES

One dodge beats one defender. Two dodges in sequence beat the slide. Advanced dodgers string moves together so smoothly that defenses can't recover. Each dodge sets up the next.

BEGINNER PLAN3X PER WEEK
DAY 1
10 min
Split → Roll
Split then Roll — 10 reps each hand
DAY 2
10 min
Roll → Face
Roll then Face Dodge — 10 reps each direction
DAY 3
10 min
Face → Split
Face Dodge then Split — 10 reps each hand
INTERMEDIATE PLAN4X PER WEEK
DAY 1
10 min
Split → Swim
Split then Swim — 8 reps each hand
DAY 2
10 min
Bull → Inside Roll
Bull dodge then inside roll at GLE — 8 reps each direction
DAY 3
10 min
Toe Drag → Split
Toe Drag then Split — 10 reps each hand
DAY 4
10 min
Question Mark → Split
Question Mark from X then Split — 8 reps each hand
ADVANCED PLAN5X PER WEEK
DAY 1
12 min
Stutter → Split → Roll
Three-move sequence — 5 reps each hand
DAY 2
12 min
Question Mark → Inside Roll
Question Mark from X, inside roll at GLE — 5 reps each hand
DAY 3
12 min
Swim → Roll → Face
Three-move chain — 5 reps each direction
DAY 4
12 min
Behind-the-Back → Split
Flashy to fundamental — 5 reps each direction

SETTING UP THE NEXT DODGE

Elite dodgers think two moves ahead. The first dodge isn't just to beat your man — it's to set up the second dodge that beats the slide. Here's how the chess match works.

THE SETUP

ADVANCED10 min

Practice the same dodge three times in a row to establish a pattern. On the fourth rep, use that established pattern to set up a different dodge. Defenders anticipate based on what you've shown them — use that against them.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Execute the first three reps identically — establish the pattern
  • •Read the defender's anticipation on the fourth rep
  • •Explode into the counter-move before they recover
REPS4 cycles (3 pattern + 1 counter)
KEY FOCUSEstablish pattern, then break it

SLIDE RECOGNITION

ADVANCED8 min

The first dodge beats your man. The second dodge beats the slide. Practice recognizing when a slide is coming and having your counter ready. Split dodge draws a slide? Roll away from it. Roll dodge draws a slide? Face dodge underneath.

TEACHING CUES
  • •Feel the slide coming — it's usually after you beat your man
  • •Keep your head up — see the help defense
  • •Have your second dodge ready before you finish the first
REPS10 reps, vary the imaginary slide timing
KEY FOCUSAnticipate the slide, have the counter ready

TROUBLESHOOTING

Every dodger hits plateaus. Here's how to break through the most common problems.

MY DODGES FEEL SLOW
Check your footwork. Most slow dodges come from flat feet or planting too upright. Lower your hips, stay on the balls of your feet, and explode out of the plant. Also, make sure you're not overthinking — dodges should be reactive, not calculated.
DEFENDERS ANTICIPATE MY MOVES
You're being predictable. Vary your approaches — sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes direct, sometimes angled. Never do the same dodge twice in a row. Also, work on your fake — if your shoulders and hips don't sell the fake, defenders won't bite.
I CAN'T GET SEPARATION FROM DEFENDERS
Check your plant foot. The power comes from driving off that outside foot at 45 degrees. If you're planting flat or upright, you lose the explosion. Also, make sure you're accelerating immediately after the plant — hesitation gives the defender time to recover.
MY OFF-HAND DODGES DON'T WORK
This is normal. Off-hand development takes weeks of dedicated practice. Focus on form over speed — mirror your strong hand mechanics exactly. Start with stationary split dodges before adding movement. Track your progress week over week, not day over day.
I RUN INTO THE DEFENDER INSTEAD OF AROUND THEM
You're attacking the wrong shoulder. For a split dodge, attack the defender's outside shoulder (the one farthest from your stick side). This forces them to open their hips, creating the lane you need. If you attack the near shoulder, you run into their body.
MY STICK GETS CHECKED WHEN I DODGE
Protect the stick better. Keep it tight to your body during the approach, then either switch hands (split) or curl it into your chest (roll). Never let the stick head drift away from your body — that's where checks happen.

YOUR BACKYARD IS YOUR TRAINING GROUND

The best dodgers are made through repetition — not in games, but in backyards. The Skill Stick is engineered for exactly this.

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Last updated: 2026-04-15 · v1.3