8 YouTube Videos That Actually Teach The Draw!!!
The draw is one of the most high-leverage skills in women's lacrosse. Every goal resets with one — and the team that controls possession off the draw controls the pace, the field position, and ultimately the scoreboard. Studies and film breakdowns at every level show the same thing: teams that win draw control win more games. It's not a coincidence. It's cause and effect.
These eight videos are different. Each one comes from a coach, a Team USA player, or a college program with real results, and each one breaks down a specific part of the draw with enough detail that you can actually use it at practice.
Watch them in order or jump to the one that matches what you’re working on. Either way, bookmark this page. This is the kind of resource you come back to.
1. Scraping and the Right-Hand Push Draw
Creator: Sammy Jo Tracy and USA Lacrosse Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwmM4tVRZAo
Two skills in one video. The first is the scrape — a technique for freeing the ball from a contested draw position using the bottom ledge of the stick. The drill here is partner-based, building muscle memory through controlled reps so the movement becomes automatic.
The second half covers the Right-Hand Push Draw in detail: ball positioned in the upper pocket, sticks parallel, athletic stance, choking up on the handle. The key coaching cue is applying controlled pressure before the whistle and then driving under the ball through contact.
The push draw done right doesn’t just win possession — it creates a fast-break opportunity by directing the ball where your teammates are already going. That’s the skill within the skill, and Tracy explains it cleanly.
2. How to Win Draw Control the Irish Way
Creator: Kelly Denes, Notre Dame Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9eYaW06iv0
Notre Dame’s three-part framework lays out the draw in a progression coaches can actually teach: setup and reading the ball, execution with wrist snap and hand speed, then boxing out to secure possession after the ball is in the air.
The reading piece is underrated. Before the whistle, your player should be watching where the official places the ball, reading the angle, and making a decision about direction. That half-second of pre-read separates reactive draw takers from intentional ones.
The video references a Notre Dame NCAA tournament upset built on draw control — a good reminder that this isn’t a footnote skill. It’s a game-changer at every level.
3. Three Keys to Winning the Draw
Creator: Cassidy Spilis and STX Watch it: https://youtube.com/shorts/MlKVKQLANXU?si=3hfBQp-_mPGYgmAd
This one is focused on mechanics and power generation. Three keys: drive from the legs with an athletic bent-knee stance, keep the upper body loose so wrists can follow through freely, and dig under the ball with the bottom sidewall before exploding through contact.
The point about upper-body tension is something a lot of players miss. When a player is nervous or trying too hard, she locks up her wrists. That kills the follow-through and takes away directional control. Loose wrists, athletic base — those are the two physical cues that make everything else work.
After the draw, the video emphasizes tracking and chasing aggressively. Winning the draw and winning possession aren’t always the same thing.
4. Three Draw Techniques in Girls Lacrosse
Creator: Dene’ DiMartino, Johns Hopkins University Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iO44vyBm8s
This is one of the most practically useful videos on the list because it teaches adaptability, not just mechanics. DiMartino covers three distinct techniques — the Push Draw, the Pull Draw, and the Over-the-Shoulder — and explains when to use each one based on the game situation.
The Push Draw is the primary technique: right foot parallel to midfield, hips opened to the sideline, drive through the legs and push the ball into space. The Pull Draw is the counter — useful when the primary isn’t working or when an opponent has read the push. The Over-the-Shoulder is the surprise adjustment, lifting the ball over the right shoulder into open space.
The big-picture takeaway is that elite draw takers aren’t one-dimensional. If your player only has one move, opponents will take it away. Training all three techniques builds the kind of flexibility that holds up in close games.
5. 3 Drills to Improve Draw Control in Lacrosse
Creator: Lax With Lex Watch it: https://youtube.com/shorts/rAuaZ_b0R8o?si=rvHSrmRvUIJ6Gy51
Three drills, each designed to build one specific element of draw competency: wrist strength, ball tracking, and instant possession security.
The first drill isolates one-handed cradling with the goal of developing wrist control independent of the rest of the body. The second is a high-ball one-handed catch — toss the ball up, catch it with one hand, protect it immediately. The third strings it together: simulate a draw, catch one-handed, secure the ball like the whistle just blew.
The core lesson here is reaction speed and ball protection in the same motion. Most players can win the ball in practice. Fewer can protect it in traffic under pressure. These drills train both, and they’re low-setup enough to run during any warm-up block.
6. How to Place the Draw in Girls Lacrosse
Creator: Taylor Cummings (Team USA) and Gait Lacrosse / USA Lacrosse Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnwFHWYR5BI
Taylor Cummings is one of the best draw specialists in the history of the game, and this video focuses on intentional ball placement — not just winning the draw, but deciding where it goes.
The insight that makes this different: don’t pre-decide where you’re going to place the ball. React to how it feels in the stick mid-draw, then choose. Follow-through across the body sends it in a directional arc to a teammate. Straight up is a self-draw. Flat to either side pushes it out to players on the circle.
The solo drill — balancing the ball on the back of the stick and practicing follow-through — is simple enough for any player to do independently. It trains the feel for ball position that makes intentional placement possible under game pressure.
7. Girls Lacrosse Draw Technique
Creator: Kristy Black and Dick’s Sporting Goods Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC5oICaBfyU
A solid foundational video for players newer to the draw specialist role. Black covers when the draw is used (to start the game, start halves, and after every goal), proper hand positioning, and the mechanics of both the Pull Draw and Push Draw.
The emphasis is on quickness, reaction speed, and physical strength — the attributes every draw specialist needs regardless of technique. If you’re coaching a player who is learning to take draws for the first time, or if a non-specialist needs to understand how it works, this is the right starting point.
8. Isolating Movements for the Draw
Creator: Dorrien Van Dyke and STX Lacrosse Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O51ZZRV5o90
The most technically detailed video on this list. Van Dyke breaks the draw into three progressive stages and trains each one in isolation before combining them.
Stage one is the Dig — top hand only, knees bent, digging the stick under the ball. Stage two adds the Pop — a downward “slam” of the bottom hand that generates power and lift. Stage three adds the Punch — directing the ball either outward to teammates or inward for a self-draw.
Isolation training like this is particularly valuable for players who have developed bad habits or who are inconsistent. It lets you identify exactly where the breakdown is happening and fix it at the source instead of practicing a flawed full motion. The video also covers boxing out, which is how you protect the space around the draw even when you can’t control where the ball goes.
How to Put These Reps to Work
Watching is the first step. The real work happens on the field — and specifically in the volume of reps a draw specialist can get outside of team practice time.
That’s where the Draw Pro Lacrosse Trainer comes in. It’s a training device built specifically so draw specialists can practice the actual draw motion — the dig, the pop, the follow-through, the directional placement — without needing a partner or a full practice setup. Two to three players can train on it simultaneously, and it sets up in under 30 seconds.
The techniques in these videos are only as valuable as the reps you put in after watching them. A player who understands the three-stage breakdown from the Van Dyke video and then takes 50 isolated reps on the Draw Pro is going to develop faster than one who watches the video and waits until next practice.
Use these resources together. That’s how draw specialists are built.
Draw Pro Lacrosse | drawprolacrosse.com
