In my four year career as a defenseman at Colgate, I played against some of the best offenses in college lacrosse.

Every team in division one, ranked or not, will have talented and athletic attackmen. Many of these guys will also be what I call ‘explosive’ players. That is, they have the ability to break out and change a game with great plays.

Defensemen should always be looking to improve their game with the aim of containing the opponent’s offense, especially the explosive guys. I hope to give you some ideas on how to improve your game based on how I improved mine.

One of the first things I was aware of coming into each game was my role. While Colin Hulme, our All American defenseman, would play the opponent’s top goal scorer, I would often draw the match up against our opponent’s faster, feeding attackman.

The most difficult attackman I have ever had to play one on one was Bruce Nechanicky of Navy. He may not have been the most well known player in the country, but he possessed several traits which made him a challenge to cover. A couple of the things that Nechanicky used in his game were his quick feet and his abiltiy to made decisions on which move to make. He would be going one way, then turn and change direction in no time at all.

Another player who was tough for me to cover was Steve Marino of Lehigh. He was a lefty and I learned I needed to push to the right side of him so I could contain him.

Yet another player that stands out as hard for me to cover is Ryan Blair of Carolina. I went up against him my sophomore year, and he was a real challenge. He had 3 goals and bunch of assists in the game, and we lost 12-6. I even got a penalty which is something I always tried to avoid. I never got a second chance to cover him because he graduated that year.

To defend against any potent attackman, a close defender must consider the following ten concepts:

1. Play conservatively and listen to your coach. Unless your coach directs you otherwise, it is best to play within a team concept and take chances only occasionally. While I rarely stripped attackman, I was also never beaten. I never took the ball away from Jon Birsner when we beat Navy in ’06, but he also did not register a point against me. By containing Birsner, I helped our defense hold a Navy offense that included players such as Ian Dingman, Billy Looney and Steve Looney to just 3 goals in the entire game. That was a great team effort and any player should recognize the team comes first and individual accomplishments/statistics come second.

Another way to put these concepts might be to ‘know your role.’ I was always able to play as my coach directed. However, I think there are players out there who do not always accept their role and this can cause problems for a defense and even an entire team. If you have questions or think coverage could be divided up another way, talk to your coach and see what he has to say.

2. Concentrate on your stance. Good defensive posture begins in a low, but comfortable position. As with any athletic position, keep your feet roughly shoulder width apart. Bend your knees slightly without arching your back. Also, place one foot slightly in front of the other--Doing this will help you step back quickly. Once you are set to play within the concepts of the team, stance is the first thing to concentrate on. Every other move you make as a defenseman grows out of having a proper, balanced stance.

3. Play good positional defense. Always dictate the direction of the attackman; never let him decide his own direction. If I knew that a player was left-handed--Marino at Lehigh, for example--I would position myself slightly to the right of him. This would prevent him from going to his left hand. By giving him the right, the attackman would start off in his weaker hand. He would inevitably be a less effective feeder and would feel less comfortable driving to the cage with his off-hand.

Be careful doing this for a few reasons: First, never underestimate your opponent since many players are very two handed. If you give the wrong player too much room, even with his weak hand, he could easily “turn the corner” and get a good look at the cage or get a good feed off.

Second, a player will often set you up going to his off hand, let you think he will “turn the corner” so you over commit. Once you do that, the player will quickly switch back to his strong hand and you will be beat.

Third, by giving a player his weak hand, you set the attackman up for a good “question mark” move. This is when the player drives to one side, gets above GLE, stops/pivots and does a “turn around” shot. If you are playing a left handed player and position yourself on his right side, if he breaks GLE and pivots back to shoot, he will doing so with his strong hand.

4. Position your stick well. I played conservatively, especially against faster and more skilled attackman, and rarely threw take away checks. It is best to throw an initial poke check when the attackman initiates the dodge. After the direction has been dictated and the initial check has been thrown, trail your stick behind the attackman.

This serves a few key purposes: First, it helps force an attackman in the direction that you want him to go. If the attackman tries to change direction during a dodge, you will easily be able to turn him back because your stick is already there. At this point it will be easy to throw a slap check, giving you a second to drop step and change direction.

Second, attackman occasionally do not focus on protecting their stick behind them as much as they do in front of them. When I have made take away checks, they often came by trailing an attackman and waiting for him to expose his stick. If his cradle was too big, a light slap check to the back of the stick would easily dislodge the ball.

If done properly, this does not take you out of position. Beware of hitting the back of his legs and back with this back check. Referees are calling it closer than in previous years.

5. Use both hands. You need to use your left for more than just cross field passes.

You do not always need to throw checks, just worry about your positioning first. The attackman will feel more awkward than you do as he probably has rarely been forced to his weak hand by a defenseman playing with his. Attackman rarely dodge hard to the cage with their weak hand. In any event, you will be less likely to throw a take away check, that would force you to lose your good position, with your weak hand.

Learning to play with both your right and left hands will also benefit you in front of the cage. It will give you much better angles when sliding. When a player is dodging from top, you should slide to him with your stick in your left hand. This will give you a better angle to check his stick.

6. Close off Goal Line Extended--GLE. Unless your coach instructs you otherwise, never let your attackman beat you over the top. Letting your attackman get over the top gives him a much better angle at the cage. He will have a wider view of the field to feed and a greater angle at the goal. This puts more pressure on your goalie. Instead of a low angle shot, the attackman could place the ball anywhere. Most importantly by getting beat over the top you disrupt your team’s entire defensive game plan. Sliding to the attackman is very easy for your team mates when the player has been turned underneath.

However, be careful not to be overly aggressive about turning the player underneath in certain situations. An attackman who is 2 yards above GLE is probably harmless. Once he turns underneath his angle will be next to nothing. Also do not shut off GLE more than 8 or 9 yards away from the cage. Attackman are usually not great shooters from the outside. Once an attackman drifts far out, you do not have to force him underneath.

The area to watch is between 2 yards and 8 yards. Attackmen will get off good shots in this range and you are asking a lot of your goalie to make a save when a shot comes from that close.

7. Use the crease to your advantage. Always cut through the crease to maximize your angle. This will allow you to catch up to an attackman who has a step on you. The disadvantage of dictating a side and trailing your attackman is that you are always a step behind him. However this ground can usually be made up by using proper angles by cutting through the crease while the attackman has to body his dodge out around the crease.

8. Be aware of your surroundings. Little things make a huge difference. For instance, before the game check out the goals on the field. The tighter a goal is strung the higher you will have to jump over the back of it when chasing your attackman. A goal that is loosely strung hangs down to the ground and is easy to clear when the attackman is changing direction at x. Also check the back of the goal. It is best for defensemen if the metal of the back of the goal is flat. I sprained my ankle once when an attackman was changing direction and I jumped over the back of the cage and landed on the goal. The goal was circular pipe instead of the more common flat metal. As always, make sure you know what hand your attackman are. You want to force him to his weak hand. Also be sure to have the proper footwear for the type playing surface and weather.

9. Never give up. An attackman may not always know that he has you beat. Hang in there and always work to get back in position. You might get lucky and an attackman, not knowing he has beaten you, may roll right back into you. I cannot remember how many times I have seen a great attackman beat a defenseman over and over in the same dodge, but never be a threat to the cage.

Also, some guys slow up after they beat you and look at the cage, trying to pick a corner to shoot at. Just because a guy is past you cleanly does not mean you can’t throw another check. Hustle back after him and look for him to drop his stick when shooting. If he does, then throw a good hard clean check. It might make a difference in keeping him from scoring.

10. Work to get better. One of the best ways to do this it to find your weakness and work to correct it. Be honest with yourself and answer the question, ‘what do I do badly?’ If you can’t figure that out, ask your coach. You might not have one glaring weakness, but maybe there are two or three things you could improve a little. I firmly believe that even the very best players have something they can improve.

One on ones were an area I always wanted to work on. For reasons unimaginable to me, my team-mates never wanted to do one on ones against me after practice. Hopefully, you can find someone who will go one on one with you. Try to work with an attackman who you often have trouble covering. Watch how another defenseman cover him and see how they stop him. Learn from them and you will be a better player before you know it.

I would also run as much as you can. I always thought the faster the attackman, the move decisive he is with the moves he makes, the harder he was to cover. Improving your conditioning will help you when you have to close on a fast attackman and when you have to shut him down on GLE. I was always running and working out. I even ran several miles before the Army game this year in an attempt to get myself ready.

Lifting weights is another way to improve. I personally did not lift to bulk up, but I always did squats and lunges to keep my quads and the ligaments in my knees strong. I also did a lot of stretching to work on flexability. Fortunately, I was only injured once in my college career when I stepped on the back of a goal and my foot landed oddly on the back of the cage. I ended up with a twisted ankle and missed a few practices.

Also work on passing and catching with two hands. This will help you in all aspects of your game. However, if you cannot get the hang of it, playing with one hand can be very effective as well. Our All American, Colin Hulme played with one hand for the most part, yet was also the Patriot League Defensive player of the year.

There are several drills that you can do by yourself to improve your check and drop step. I would practice the combination of stepping backwards while throwing a poke check over and over. Also you can practice running over the back of the net to prepare yourself for the shifty attackmen.

Playing defense can be great. Enjoy it.

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John Dunn was a three year starter for a Colgate team that beat Army, Navy and Syracuse. Ever humble, John says he was simply a part of the team’s overall success.

John graduated from Colgate in the Spring of 2007 with a degree in Molecular Biology. He has been working as a research assistant at two well-known hospitals in Boston and was recently accepted into medical school.