2-3-1 Lacrosse Plays

The Basic Lacrosse Formation

This is the main formation that most teams use. 2-3-1 lacrosse plays are the easiest to start out with. Two middies are up top, one middie is on the crease, two attackmen are on goal-line-extended, and one attackman is behind the net at X.

Coaches will usually start teams off by using this formation. This is great for cutting to the net.

Good rotation is vital to the success of this offense. The attack and middies must be constantly rotating, and constantly looking for scoring chances.

The Rotation

In order to produce good goals in the 2-3-1 formation, both the middies and attack must rotate. Middies should rotate in a counter-clockwise movement, while the attack rotates clockwise. The upper-right middie cuts to the crease (always looking for the pass), as the bottom right attackman has the ball. Then the upper left middie slides to replace him, and the crease middie moves up to replace the upper left. This can be VERY CONFUSING, so I suggest looking at the diagram at left. The attackmen should be looking for the inside pass whenever they have the ball. A good rotating offense can really confuse the defense. After a little while, the defense will start to get lazy, and anticipate a pass…That’s when you strike. Throw an inside pass to a cutting middie for a goal.

2-3-1 Plays

The ball starts up top with the top left middie. He makes a few moves, then passes the ball to the top right middie. As soon as he passes the ball, he should cut hard down to the crease, and set a pick for the middie playing crease.

At the same time, the bottom left attackman should run behind the net and set a pick for the attackman at X.

The top right middie with the ball should fake like he is going right, but then cut hard to the right. It is important to do this quickly, or else the timing of the play will be terrible.

As the top middie cuts to the left, the crease middie and the attackman at X will come off their picks, and be ready to catch the ball.

The top middie passes the ball to the player who is more open. That player catches it, and quickly does a turning jump shot.

They should aim at the bottom left corner of the goal.

This is a great play if your team is quick or stealthy. It is very important that you have a good finisher and a good passer.

For more information on this 2-3-1 lacrosse play, see the diagrams below.

2-3-1 Play: Part 1

2-3-1 Play: Part 3

2-3-1 Play: Part 3