Lacrosse Athleticism Rubric — U16
Coach-grade rubric for rating U16 lacrosse Athleticism: speed & acceleration, agility & dodging, strength & body positioning, and conditioning — with sideline-observable 3/5/7/9 anchors.
By Eugene · Founder, PlayerFocus · Building the development OS for youth sports academiesUse this rubric on the sideline today
- 1Watch the first three steps out of every dodge and ground-ball chase — that acceleration read matters more than raw top-end speed.
- 2Compare how the player's legs and pace look in the first quarter versus the fourth for the same possession type — that gap is your conditioning score.
- 3Count clean versus contested ground balls in traffic to isolate strength and body positioning from general hustle.
- 4Look for chained dodge moves (a fake into a finish) rather than a single move — that's what separates a 5 from a 7 in agility.
- 5Rate only what you see in that game or session — don't average in reputation, last year's number, or a frame that hasn't caught up to a recent growth spurt.
Rate each sub-skill 1–10
Anchors describe what a 3, 5, 7, or 9 looks like in practice. Use the anchor that matches what you saw — interpolate to 4/6/8 when the player sits between two anchors. A 1 or 10 should be rare.
Speed & Acceleration
Sub-skillFirst-step burst and open-field top-end speed on ground balls, clears, and transition runs.
- 3
- Takes multiple strides to reach any real speed on a ground-ball chase and is consistently beaten to loose balls by opponents starting from a similar distance.
- 5
- Shows a quick first step out of a dodge or on a clear and closes ground on straight-line sprints, but gets caught from behind on longer transition runs.
- 7
- Explosive first two steps beat defenders to open space consistently, and separates from a matched defender on clears and fast breaks.
- 9
- Wins races to 50/50 ground balls even against players with a head start, and top-end speed on transition forces the defense to slide early or concede the lane.
Agility & Dodging
Sub-skillChange-of-direction control and one-on-one dodge execution against a set defender.
- 3
- Dodges are single-speed and telegraphed, with a loss of balance or a travel on the change of direction; the defender stays in the picture the whole time.
- 5
- Executes a basic split or roll dodge with a real change of direction at moderate speed, but occasionally gets caught flat-footed against quicker defenders.
- 7
- Chains two dodge moves together (for example a question-mark into a roll) while keeping the stick protected, opening a driving lane most possessions.
- 9
- Sets up the defender with a change of speed before the dodge and beats them clean to the cage or draws a slide on nearly every possession without turning the ball over.
Strength & Body Positioning
Sub-skillUsing frame, leverage, and hand strength to win ground balls, finish dodges through contact, and box out on the crease.
- 3
- Gets knocked off the ball on first contact and loses most ground-ball scrums; stick is easily checked away when initiating a dodge through traffic.
- 5
- Boxes out with a forearm and holds ground in a ground-ball scrum most possessions, and can absorb a check while dodging but sometimes loses footing.
- 7
- Consistently shields the ball with body position, finishes dodges through real contact, and wins the majority of 50/50 ground-ball battles.
- 9
- Physically dominates matchups at the position — plows through checks to finish, boxes out bigger opponents on the crease, and wins ground balls in a crowd routinely.
Conditioning / Repeat Efforts
Sub-skillSustaining speed, intensity, and decision quality across long possessions, extra-man sequences, and multiple transition sprints in a single game.
- 3
- Visibly slows by the second half of a shift, requests a substitution frequently, and is caught standing upright with hands on hips during extended possessions.
- 5
- Holds pace through a normal shift length but needs the bench after back-to-back transition sprints, and is noticeably slower late in the game than in the first quarter.
- 7
- Sustains full-speed effort across long clears and extended man-up sets, and still beats defenders down the field in the fourth quarter.
- 9
- Runs the field at the same top speed in overtime as at the opening whistle, and covers for tired teammates by taking extra transition runs without dropping off.
What's developmentally appropriate at U16
- Normal range
- A normal U16 5 holds first-quarter speed through a full shift, wins roughly half of 50/50 ground balls, and executes one clean dodge move under pressure without losing the stick.
- Exceptional
- An exceptional U16 9 wins ground-ball battles in a crowd, chains dodge moves to beat a set defender clean, and is still hitting top speed on transition sprints in the fourth quarter of a hard game.
- Behind
- A U16 player behind the curve is caught from behind on straight-line sprints by peers with a similar head start, gets knocked off the ball on first contact, and visibly slows by the second half of most shifts.
Rating biases to watch for
- Confusing size or an early growth spurt with actual athletic skill — a bigger, taller U16 gets rated high on agility despite stiff, mechanical footwork.
- Scoring stick skill (soft hands, shooting accuracy) as athleticism instead of routing it to the Skill pillar where it belongs.
- Overrating a naturally fast player who never looks tired simply because the specific game or level never tested conditioning with enough long possessions.
- Anchoring to last season's number instead of re-observing a player whose body, strength, or conditioning base has changed significantly over the off-season.
- Conflating awareness with athleticism — either penalizing a smart, positionally sound but slower player, or over-crediting a fast, unaware player who wins races but takes bad angles.
What to write in your evaluation
A rating without a note is half a rating. Use these phrasing templates so the parent reads a story, not a number.
- low rating
"Jake still needs three or four steps to reach top speed on ground-ball chases and got beaten to loose balls all game — we're adding first-step burst work and change-of-direction ladders twice a week to close that gap."
- mid rating
"Maya holds her ground in the box-out and finishes most dodges through contact, but her second-half sprint speed drops off noticeably — we're building conditioning intervals into practice so her first-quarter burst carries into the fourth."
- high rating
"Ethan is winning almost every 50/50 ground ball and was still running full speed in overtime — that's exceptional for U16. We're logging it in PlayerFocus so we can track whether that conditioning edge holds as he takes on a bigger midfield role."
What this rubric does NOT measure
- —Stick skills — catching, throwing accuracy, shooting mechanics, and dodging hand-fakes belong to the Skill pillar, not Athleticism.
- —Lacrosse IQ — reading slides, choosing when to dodge vs. pass, and off-ball positioning belong to the IQ pillar.
- —Coachability, hustle on non-athletic plays, and sideline attitude belong to the Character/Compete pillar.
- —Team defensive concepts and communication (calling picks, shifting to help) are tactical judgment, not physical athleticism.
Questions parents and coaches ask
- What changed from the younger age band?
- At U16 the bar shifts from raw hustle and effort to genuine separation: winning races, chaining dodge moves, absorbing real contact, and sustaining pace across a full game — much closer to what a varsity-level player shows.
- Does a 7 last season mean a 7 this season?
- No. U16 bodies change fast — growth spurts, strength gains, and conditioning base can shift within a single season — so re-rate from what you actually observe this season, not last year's number.
- Should I fold in other-pillar notes?
- No. Keep stick-skill, IQ, and compete/character notes in their own pillars. Athleticism should reflect only the physical speed, agility, strength, and conditioning you actually see on the field.
- How often should I re-rate athleticism?
- Every 4-6 weeks, or right after a growth spurt, injury return, or off-season conditioning block. Logging each rating in PlayerFocus lets you see the trend line instead of relying on one-off impressions.
Related in the Standard
- glossaryFour Pillars (Youth Sports Development)
The Four Pillars are the four domains of youth athlete development — Technical, Tactical, Athleticism, and Mental — used by academies to evaluate, plan, and communicate progress holistically rather than by score alone.
- glossaryPillar Rating
A 1–10 score on a single development pillar (Technical, Tactical, Athleticism, or Mental), anchored to age-appropriate behaviors so the same number means the same thing across coaches and seasons.
- glossaryAge Band
The age grouping a player falls into for the season — U8, U10, U12, U14, and so on. Anchored to birth year, age bands keep evaluations comparable across coaches and seasons.
- glossarySub-skill
A specific component within a development pillar — e.g. "first touch" inside Technical, or "lateral movement" inside Athleticism. Sub-skills give coaches the granularity to plan practice, without fragmenting the parent view.
- toolRubric Picker
Pick a sport, pillar, and age band — get a coach-grade evaluation rubric you can use today. Free, no email required, all rubrics from The PlayerFocus Standard.