Training Academy


ACES TRAINING ACADEMY

Sacramento ACES is the Sacramento Valley’s premier lacrosse training organization. ACES Academy consists of training sessions designed to enhance skill, athletic ability, and lacrosse acumen. No detail is too small when it comes to developing a player’s game. ACES Academy features the most experienced coaching staff in the region; ACES Academy staff consists of college coaches, current and former professional and NCAA players, some of the area's top high school coaches, and boasts over 500 years of combined coaching and playing experience.


ACES Academy teams participate in Sacramento area games as well as regional Northern California tournaments. In addition to Academy games and tournaments, ACES Academy players are the first to be called up to an ACES Elite team when a roster spot for a tournament becomes available and each season, numerous ACES Academy players have received invitations to join ACES Elite teams. This is because it is our philosophy to promote from within and provide the highest performing Academy members the chance for greater opportunities when they present themselves.


ACES Academy Evaluation

2024/2025 TRYOUT

Are you interested in joining the ACES ACADEMY for training 2024 but can't make out tryout?

SMALL GROUP assessment AND

TRYOUT SESSIONS

Please Register for a Group Assessment and

we'll coordinate a time for evaluation

ACES Academy Schedule

Training Sessions

Sunday mornings - 9/15/24 through 1/26/25

Game Schedule

Turkeyshoot 7v7 - Petaluma

Nov 16-17

All Academy teams


Halloween Hackfest 

Nov 3 (Gilroy)

High School Academy

TEAM

  • Small sided team concepts to maximize repetitions

  • 6v6 Samurai style games

  • Settled and Transition team play dynamics

  • High repetition play to ingrain concepts at game speed

OFFENSE

  • Teaching the fundamentals of passing with correct form from various release points

  • Catching the ball with appropriate grips in tight, mid range shallow cuts, coming up field below goal line extended and posting

    up top. Catch the balls with soft hands and deep or catching in front and keeping in front to avoid a trailing defender.

  • Dodging approaches & options coming coming out of the dodge as well as dodging off the pass with an approaching defender.

  • Swing passes or one more feeds

  • Taking off ball inventory

  • Finding cutting lanes or skip passing lanes.

  • Offensive communication.

  • Shooting techniques from different release points.

  • Odd man situations to identify the 2 on 1

  • Man up offense-Small sided games.

  • Riding affectively.

  • Ground Balls

  • Creating slickness via multiple stick handling progressions

  • Learning to utilize stick fakes to freeze slides, shift defenses and misdirect sticks in passing lanes

DEFENSE

  • Defensive positioning, footwork and approaches.

  • Off ball positioning.

  • Defensive toolbox checks and bumps.

  •  Man down defense

  • Getting sticks up in passing lanes.

  • Sliding the correct way and teaching how to make contact the correct way

  • Being a threat to pass, feed and shoot.

  • Creating slickness via multiple stick handling progressions

  • Defensive communication.

  • Ground Balls

  • Small sided games.

  • Odd man situations and reads.

GOALIES

  • Goalies will work on positioning, baiting, stance, not giving up rebounds, communication, outlets, playing small sides games to work on stick skills and footwork.

FACE OFF AND WING PLAY

  • Stance, reads, outs, wingmen adjustments, listening for calls from sideline, shooting, feeding, passing, defensive toolbox building to be confident if they get stuck on defense. We will also cover the cat and mouse game of substitution.