Lacrosse Athleticism Rubric — U18
A coach-grade Lacrosse Athleticism rubric for U18: speed, agility/dodging, strength, and conditioning scored 3-9 with observable, sideline-visible behaviors — no adjectives, no pro standard.
By Eugene · Founder, PlayerFocus · Building the development OS for youth sports academiesUse this rubric on the sideline today
- 1Watch at least two full transition sequences (a clear and a ride) before rating — speed and conditioning show up there first, not in isolated sprints.
- 2Time how the player looks in the first two steps off a dodge or ground-ball chase, not just his top-end speed once he's already moving.
- 3Note whether change-of-direction moves keep the stick protected and the base low — beating the defender alone isn't enough for a high agility mark.
- 4Compare the player's first-quarter burst to his fourth-quarter burst in the same game to separate true conditioning from a slow warm-up.
- 5Score strength only off contact that happens naturally — ground-ball scrambles, picks, crease position — don't wait for one big highlight hit to set the rating.
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 speed on ground-ball chases, dodges, and transition runs.
- 3
- Gets beat on the first two steps off a ground-ball chase or a clear; a defender starting even catches him from behind before midfield.
- 5
- Wins races to loose balls when starting even with a defender; first five yards look labored next to the fastest teammates but he closes the gap by midfield.
- 7
- First step out of a dodge or off the wing on a face-off beats a defender who started a full stride ahead; holds top speed through incidental contact on clears.
- 9
- Separates from a matched defender in the first two steps consistently, turning 50/50 ground balls into clean scoops and outrunning slides in transition — college-visible burst.
Agility & Dodging
Sub-skillChange of direction, footwork, and dodge-move execution under a live defender at game speed.
- 3
- Dodge moves like a split or roll are telegraphed — the defender's feet don't have to move, and a stick check strips the ball on contact.
- 5
- Executes one go-to dodge at game speed, but change-of-direction cuts get rounded off, costing a step to the recovering defender.
- 7
- Chains two moves together, such as a face dodge into a roll, without losing speed; keeps a low base and protects the stick through the cut.
- 9
- Sells a change of speed before the change of direction, freezes the defender's hips, and finishes through traffic without breaking stride — repeatable against length-of-field defenders.
Strength & Body Positioning
Sub-skillLeverage, balance, and contact strength in ground-ball battles, picks, and crease play.
- 3
- Loses ground-ball battles and hip position on picks or rides because his body gets turned sideways or knocked off balance on the first contact.
- 5
- Holds his ground in a 50/50 wrestle for a loose ball but gets moved off the crease or off a dodge lane by a bigger defender or attackman.
- 7
- Seals defenders with a low, wide base on picks and crease positioning; initiates contact on ground balls instead of absorbing it.
- 9
- Wins contested ground balls and crease position against bigger opponents through leverage and hand-fighting, and holds a dodge lane through a check without losing balance.
Conditioning & Repeat Effort
Sub-skillSustained work rate and recovery across shifts, quarters, and repeated transition sprints.
- 3
- Visibly gassed by the third clear or ride of a quarter — late getting back on transition defense, and stick checks slow down in the fourth quarter.
- 5
- Covers full-field runs early in the game, but sprint speed and recovery on defense noticeably drop off in the second half.
- 7
- Sprints hard on every transition — ride, clear, fast break — through three quarters, with only a minor drop-off late in the fourth.
- 9
- Holds a wire-to-wire full-speed work rate across a long shift schedule or back-to-back defensive possessions, still first to ground balls in overtime.
What's developmentally appropriate at U18
- Normal range
- A typical U18 player wins races to loose balls when starting even with a defender but fades a step during a long dodge chain, and is visibly laboring covering transition defense by the fourth quarter of a close game.
- Exceptional
- An exceptional U18 athlete separates from a matched defender in the first two steps, chains dodge moves together without losing speed, and is still first to ground balls in overtime of a tournament final.
- Behind
- A U18 player behind the athletic curve gets caught from behind on clears he should win, gets knocked off the ball on first contact, and is visibly gassed by the second quarter of a normal-pace game.
Rating biases to watch for
- Rating a big, physically mature 18-year-old high on strength just for his size, without actually watching him win leverage battles for the ball.
- Confusing raw straight-line speed with agility — scoring a fast, stiff-hipped player a 7 on speed while he's really a 3 on dodging and change of direction.
- Letting garbage-time fatigue in a lopsided blowout get logged as poor conditioning when the player was simply easing off, not gassed.
- Anchoring the whole pillar to one highlight-reel dodge instead of the full game — a single spectacular move shouldn't overwrite an otherwise average night.
- Docking the athleticism rating for a turnover caused by a stick-skill error on a dodge, when the athletic move itself — the burst, the cut — was actually well executed.
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
"Coach note to parent: "Jake got caught from behind twice on clears tonight and was knocked off two ground balls in the second half — we're adding sprint-interval work and off-ball strength training to his PlayerFocus plan this month.""
- mid rating
""Emma wins loose-ball races when she starts even and her split dodge is live at game speed, but she rounds off her cuts under pressure — we're drilling change-of-speed before change-of-direction to sharpen it.""
- high rating
""Tyler separated from a matched defender twice tonight in the first two steps and was still first to every ground ball in overtime — that's college-level burst and repeat effort for his age.""
What this rubric does NOT measure
- —Stick skills — catching, cradling, passing accuracy, and shooting technique belong to the Skills pillar, not Athleticism.
- —Reading a slide, choosing the extra pass, or picking the right dodge belongs to the IQ / Decision-Making pillar.
- —Communication, coachability, and effort attitude during a possession belong to the Character pillar.
- —Rule knowledge, off-ball positioning discipline, and face-off procedure belong to the IQ pillar, not raw physical execution.
Questions parents and coaches ask
- What changed from the younger age band?
- At U18 the bar is adult-standard execution and decision speed — dodges are expected to chain together, contact is initiated rather than just absorbed, and conditioning must hold across three-plus quarters. Younger bands reward raw effort; U18 rewards consistency and college-readiness.
- Does a 7 last season mean a 7 this season?
- No. Anchors are fixed to U18 standards, but growth spurts, added strength training, and added game reps shift players constantly. Re-rate from what you actually see this season, not the number carried over from last season.
- Should I fold in other-pillar notes?
- No. Keep stick skills, decision-making, and attitude out of this rating. If a dodge move is athletically strong but the finish is a bad shot, rate Athleticism high and log the shot separately under Skills.
- How often should I re-rate athleticism?
- Every 4-6 weeks in season, or after any growth spurt or strength block — athleticism shifts faster than skill or IQ at this age. Log it in PlayerFocus so the trend line, not one game, drives the rating.
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.
- 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.
- guideHow to evaluate a youth player without bias
Relative age, recency, the halo effect, and sheer physical maturity quietly distort youth evaluations. This guide shows how to anchor ratings to a rubric, reference them to age rather than the group, separate maturity from ability, and write evaluations down so they compound instead of resetting every season.