Andy Shay, head coach at Yale Lacrosse, delivers a practical, field-tested session on building an effective ride through discipline, constraint-based teaching, and intentional effort.
Shay introduces a 3v3 riding and defensive drill designed to reinforce one clear objective: turning offensive players back rather than chasing takeaways. He explains how this approach helps defenders and attackmen understand spacing, angles, and team responsibility while creating opportunities for transition offense.
The drill places clear parameters on defenders, removing the ability to simply take the ball away and instead forcing players to focus on footwork, positioning, and funneling. When a turnover is created, the drill immediately flows into a numbers-up transition, reinforcing the connection between riding effort and scoring opportunity.
Shay also discusses the importance of rewarding the behaviors you want repeated. Drawing from his experiences learning from Dave Cottle early in his career, he explains how scoring incentives and shot clocks off turnovers can increase buy-in, elevate riding intensity, and change team mentality.
Throughout the session, Shay emphasizes teaching intent, accountability, and clarity, showing how simple constraints can produce smarter, more aggressive riding without sacrificing structure.
Key topics include:
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Teaching turn-back defense instead of takeaway mentality
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Using constraints to reinforce riding habits
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Building a 3v3 drill that connects ride to transition offense
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Creating scoring incentives to increase effort and buy-in
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Rewarding behaviors you want repeated
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Teaching defensive discipline within team concepts
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Turning turnovers into immediate scoring opportunities
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Developing a consistent riding identity through practice design
