Phi-Lacrosse-ophy Podcast

I remember the first time I heard the word…..1991 a description from Mike Waldvogel on how he envisioned the Yale offense You hear about probing in basketball, probing a zone, drawing them out etc As coaches we have heard or used this term…”Guys, let’s probe the defense” What does Probing even mean? -Slowing down… you can’t probe at full speed, -Look through your man… when you’re probing your probing the entire defense -make the defense stare at you -ID how they’re sliding, what their doing or saying, what’s open -In and out draw the defense out, make the slides go away -Probing is re-dodging -Sometimes it’s Posting up: In a dangerous part of the field, where you can fake and feed… you might have to sit there for a minute -Maybe you can draw the Andy Shay Sucker Double -Probing is controlling players with non verbal communication -Posture, physicality, fakes -It’s when you’re operating on the Island -It’s drawing and dumping -Probing is hard to slide to, and hard to 2nd slide to -Probing is much easier and more effective on your Natural Side -Probing gaps on Zone offense and EMO -Probing in 2man games -Engaging two defenders, sitting in the pocket -Dodging poles and shorts... Can you probe too much? Yes! A feel for just moving the ball is just as important as probing Definition of Probing: "Inquiring closely into something, searching..” -Searching… that’s taking in information, not just blurting out…. -Think about a Probe, think about CSI, sometimes Interrogators ask questions or make statements to deceive… to see how you react -Probing isn’t just blurting things out -Probing to me is a form of fluency…. Which is why most players don’t Probe Why don’t players probe? We can talk about probing and then nobody does it! I could argue probing is one of the most important skills a player could learn… seriously….. Is probing difficult? I think most coaches love players that can “Probe” but then Everybody talks about “Running by someone” -We practice 1v1’s ad nauseam Box players probe…. Why? Basketball players probe Attackmen probe more than midfielders How do you teach probing You can’t!, you can present it, you can explain it, but Probing requires a comfort level with contact and seeing through your man, reading and controlling the defense You can rep probing in structure, -you can rep redodges, staircase dodging, 3 step dodging…. All of that is probing The key is doing it in context, in the context of other defenders and teammates In this podcast, Jamie talks about the concept of probing - slowing down, looking through your man, identifying how your opponent is sliding, controlling players with non verbal communication, operating on the island, drawing and dumping, and much more. He also discusses why players don't probe and how box players probe. He concludes talking about how you can teach this important concept. Enjoy!

In this podcast, Jamie goes into depth on perhaps the most important part of the game on both sides of the ball: seeing the field. We teach "head on a swivel" on defense while offensive players “telescope” on the ball regularly. Jamie discusses concepts, drills, and techniques to help your offense be in sync by knowing what they’re going to do with the ball before they receive it! Enjoy!

In this podcast, Jamie talks to PLL writer and stats analyst Joe Keegan about the 2020 PLL Championship Series. They discuss how shooting percentage increases when players have their sticks to the inside, 2 man game, defensive analytics, and 2 point shots. They also discuss several PLL players including Eddy Glazener and Blaze Riordan. If you are a fan of the PLL, you don't want to miss this episode!

In this podcast, recorded Aug 19, 2020, Jamie talks to Maryland Head Coach John Tillman about his lacrosse journey, from growing up in Corning, NY to his playing days at Cornell. They discuss his coaching stints at Ithaca, Navy & Harvard before taking over the Maryland program, his mentors, and the culture of the Maryland program. They touch on the Terrapin lacrosse alums playing for the PLL Whipsnakes, his defensive and offensive philosophies, player development and recruiting. Enjoy!

This is a 50,000 foot look at shooting where Jamie discusses his philosophy on teaching shooting, shot selection, deceptive shooting and the importance of shooting on goalies, as well as the advantages of quick release, push pull, and how to generate power.

In this podcast, Jamie talks to Sacred Heart Men's Lacrosse Coach Jon Basti on how he has been coping during pandemic and what he has been up to, how he prepares his players mentally to play the game, the importance of shooting percentage, being great at chaos situations becoming comfortable being uncomfortable, how he hammers home the fundamentals, letting kids play - allowing them to be creative -and to play without fear of making mistakes, being process based, not results based, his mentors, 2man game and recruiting.

In this podcast Jamie dives into philosophy on “Handedness.” Why is being two handed emphasized so much when a huge percentage of the top players in the history of the game are totally one handed Canadian and Native box lacrosse players? Learn why working on being equal lefty and righty will actually slow down player development, a progression on how to work on your non dominant hand and how to acquire some basic proficiencies, as well as traits of righties and lefties I think you will find interesting. Overall, this podcast will give you some great info to think about in the context of coaching your team, the development of your children, or if you’re a player, what to focus on.

In this podcast, Jamie talks to Inside Lacrosse CEO Terry Foy about the current recruiting landscape and how it is looking for 2021's and 2022's, as well as the importance of having advocates, the difference between live versus video evaluations, how IL rankings are being affected by the pandemic, and an exciting new product IL is launching to bring increased objectivity to college lacrosse recruiting rankings and ratings.

In this podcast, recorded May 27, 2020, Colleen and Jamie talk to Northwestern Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller about no lacrosse on Memorial Day, professional development, the mental side of individual sports, MMA, backyard sports, understanding "the why", thinking about your game, visualization, how quarantine will positively impact the class of 2022, decision making, reading and reacting, how she develops that at NU, her former coach, Cindy Timchal's quote "the teacher is the game,", Izzy Scane / Megan Kinna Hidden Ball Trick from sandlot, 2man game, how NU is the #1 scoring offense in NCAA even with the loss of Selena Lasota, how she teaches new things and lets them figure out skills on their own, and not get in the way, defense, man vs zone, transition game, recruiting and what the future holds.

In this podcast, recorded March 23, 2020, Jamie talks to PLL Redwoods defenseman Eddy Glazener about his lacrosse journey from playing for West Coast Starz to being recruited to play at Notre Dame and playing for Coach Corrigan and Coach Byrne. The two also talk about Eddy's stints with the MLL Denver Outlaws, the Atlanta Blaze, and what it has been like to be reunited with his ND teammates playing for the PLL Redwoods. They also talk about decision-making, defensive communication, V-Holds, and the importance of defenseman being skilled.