First Class Lacrosse Blog

Building Your Offensive System Around Core Principles with Coach Kyle Hayes

Written by Matt Dunn | Sep 25, 2025 12:56:22 PM

When we started the FCL Coaches Community, our goal was to create the kind of coaching content we wished existed when we were starting out. This webinar with LIU Offensive Coordinator Kyle Hayes is a great example of that.

Building Your Offensive System Around Core Principles 🥍

Featuring Kyle Hayes, Offensive Coordinator – LIU 

Kyle’s approach to offense is clear, practical, and principle-driven. Instead of building his system around shapes or plays, he starts with a set of simple, transferable ideas, and then drills them into everything they do.

The result is an offense that feels cohesive. One system, not four. And a group of players who play fast, free, and with a quiet mind.

🎥 Watch Full Webinar Here

Core Teaching Themes

This webinar gave a full look at how Kyle builds and teaches offense from install to stickwork to film review. A few highlights:

Key Concepts and Language

Kyle started by sharing the core principles that shape how LIU plays offense. The key is these weren’t empty buzzwords. Each was defined, coached, and shown on film.

  • Ball speed: rapid movement with purpose

  • Switch the field: attack the third side

  • Anticipation: be 3 seconds ahead

  • Gap play: create and attack vertical space

  • Make 2 guard 1: draw help, move it, punish rotations

  • Shot selection: ROA: Range. Open. Angle.

  • Swarm mentality: ride hard, win the ground ball battle, create chaos

Practice and Drill Design

From stickwork to small-sided play, everything Kyle does in practice connects back to those core principles. Here’s a snapshot of the drills and teaching progressions:

  • Nail Passing: posture, footwork, and clean mechanics under pressure

  • Fade the Gap: off-ball timing, spacing, and shooting off movement

  • Army Line Drills: dodging into pressure, reading the slide, throwing under duress

  • Denver 3v3: competitive tennis ball drill that reinforces scout concepts

  • 4v4 Hunt the Short Stick: matchup recognition, resizing spacing, two-man reads

Player Development and Film

Kyle also walked through how he tracks player growth and keeps the language consistent from the film room to the field.

  • Charts that reward things like “making 2 guard 1” or “creating an outlet”

  • After-action reports to guide film sessions and player ownership

  • IDPs (Individual Development Plans) with clear goals and tailored video


Why It Matters

This session isn’t about running a 2-3-1 or a pairs offense. It’s about building a system where your players know what matters... no matter what shape you’re in.

The principles are simple, but they add up to a clear offensive identity. And Kyle shows exactly how to teach them, reinforce them, and get your players to believe in them.

Whether you’re a high school coach, club director, or college assistant, there’s something in here to take back to your team.

About the Coaches Community

This webinar was hosted inside our FCL Online Coaches Community - a platform for men’s and women’s coaches at every level who want to keep learning and improving.

We’ve had over 30 college coaches present in-depth sessions, and we have more lined up this fall. Members also get access to categorized drills, implementation threads, staff packages for high school and club programs, and the ability to connect directly with other coaches across the country.

It’s built to be the best resource in lacrosse for coach development, and a place where you and your staff can get aligned.

Hope to see you in there.

- Coach Dunn

 

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