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EMO 3-3 Variations

Advice for all the Attackers? Tips from the coaches. Advice from players.

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EMO 3-3 Variations

Postby UKLaxfan Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:58 pm

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Postby Lax_38 Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:29 pm

:D Great links! :D
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EMO vs MDD

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:21 pm

OK, with all the snow it looks likely that there may not be any lacrosse for a couple of weeks

so what to do???

I thought I'd visit an old topic and see what teams are upto on EMO/MDD, what is working for your team and what do you have problems with?

Man Up (Extra Man Offense):

This can be a huge part of the game in deciding who wins and who loses.
If your teamis good on EMO then defenders will be less likely to commit fouls as they will get punished.
conversely if your EMO is poor, defenders can be more aggressive as even if they go man down it won't cost their team.

Does you team have a EMO Squad?
This is usually the best six offensive players who are used to playing together and know each others strengths & weaknesses.
Ideally the EMO squad should practice against different MDD formations and have a couple of plays which they have practiced together.
Even if they don't have a number of plays they should be comfortable in a couple of different formations, so in a game if one is not working they can switch to something else.

How do you measure success?
It's not just as simple as did we score or not. A goal may have been scored by a great individual move dodging 2 or 3 players before shooting but that isn't a very successful strategy for EMO. Likewise you may have moved the ball round quickly and had 3 high percentage shots in the 60 sec EMO but the goalie has made great saves to keep you out, in this situation your EMO is working but maybe you need to change where you're taking the shots from.

What is a successful EMO squad?
In NCAA lacrosse with all the specialisation of position and players the Top EMO squad usually have about a 50% success rate.
In England where there isn't the same emphasis the Top EMO squad should be aiming for 60+% success rate, another reason for the difference is that we only have 4 Long sticks in the game so if a pole draws a foul then the MDD has to use 2 SSDMs.

Set Plays or Free Lance?
Both have advantages and disadvantages

Set plays means everyone should know what's happening and when
you should be able to improve timing of co-ordinated ball & player movement
it can be predictable and defense can cheat and bypass areas and stop the play

Free lance is unpredictable as even attack don't know where threat will be
can react to mistakes by the defenders
Could be disorganised
needs good decision makers in key positions and everyone needs to be a threat

What formation do you use?
The most common are a 3-3 and a 2-3-1 (one man behind goal)
There are a couple of examples of the 3-3 in above post, the main areas of attack are outside shooters on top wings
as you are playing 3v2 up top and then if the defense strings the crease defender then you have the option of skip passes to the post attackmen or feeds to the crease to turn and shoot or to pass out from crease area when defense collapses.

The 2-3-1 is primarily looking to attack the goal from X-behind with the attack player at X driving to goal line to draw a defender then looking to feed either crease or wing attacker for a shot. In effect over loading one side of the defence and trying to exploit that advantage and when the defence reacts moving the ball quickly to the opposite side of the goal looking for the open man.

Both of these common set ups become more effective when you move players from one position to another or even changing formations during the EMO attempt. Quick and accurate ball movement also determines success, working towards a high percentage shot rather than just accepting the first chance you get.

How do you react to different MDD formations?
Soft Zone:
staying in position (domino five) and stopping the inside shot giving up the outside shot (usually when you have a strong goalie)
4-Man Rotation:
Seal the crease attack player and rotate the other four defenders
5-Man Rotation:
Slides are shorter and defense can put pressure on the offense but have to communicate very well to make sure crease is covered by two players furthest from the ball
2-3 Zone (On a string):
The crease defender pushes out up top centre to play top middie when ball is up top then drops back into crease when ball is not up top
Shut Off (Box + 1):
Shut off either the best player or a position on the EMO (usually X-behind on 2-3-1) and playing 4-man rotation with the other defenders
The shut off is usually with the SSDM so you are taking you weakest defender and shutting off the best attackman.
1-4 Zone:
This is specific for playing against a 1-4-1 EMO, where you play the man with the ball, the 2 adjacent players & the 2 crease attackman
leaving the man furthest from the ball.
A variation of this is to keep a defender on the wing shooters and string either one of two crease defenders to cover the 2nd crease attacker and the point or X attacker.

Chess Game:
Part of the fun of the EMO vs MDD is the ability to recognise what your opponent is trying to do and then making adjustments to take advantage of it.
If what you are doing works and you are scoring from it, then keep doing it until the defense can stop you.
Balancing the field, backing up shots, patience, good decision making, stickwork & finishing all help but EMO is one of the main areas where strategy plays an important role. You don't have to be bigger, faster or stronger like you need in 6v6. It's simply a case of moving the ball to find the extra player to take a good shot.
Part of this chess game is having different plans for each stage of the EMO, the opening, the middle and the end game.
If you have worked a good opening but missed the goal and only have 10 secs left with the ball on the backline have a quick play ready for that exact situation, there is always 4/5 extra seconds that it takes for the defender to get back into the defence from the penalty box.

At the top of all divisions where the top 2/3 teams play each other games are usually close and converting EMO or an effective MDD can make all the difference in who wins who gets promoted or at the other end of the division who gets relegated and who stays up.

Finally, horses for courses...

try to find the formation or play that suits your personnel
If you have a really good finisher on the crease, find a way to get him the ball
If you have good outside shooters, look to create opportunities for step down shots
One of the challenges can be having no lefty players but even then you can compensate by using a play (usually J-cut + wheel)

So what's your favourite formation or play for EMO or MDD?

something to discuss until the snow melts 8)
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Postby whopead Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:05 pm

At Notts we usually play a shut off crease and 4 man rotation on MDD.

we also sometimes use a string from the crease

We have ocasionally gone for the lock off and 4 man box against teams with one main threat on the EMO.

In general our man down Defence has been reasonably good. We have 2 pretty solid SSD's in Tom Giddings and Max Sandy so when we have these guys in the 5 its good.

On EMO we have a couple of good decision makers in attack and usually play a slightly free lance style--with varying degrees of success
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MDD

Postby UKLaxfan Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:06 pm

I think the 4-Man Rotation with locking off the crease is probably the most common and effective option in UK.

To beat it consistently you need good ball movement around the outside to take advantage of the 5v4 on perimeter

unfortunately there are lots of players who like to hold onto the ball and have a look giving the MDD chance to get settled again

Having SSDMs who know what they're doing helps as well and Notts have 2 good ones.

Getting cutters through the crease can create problems as you have take account of double crease as they go thru, but if you put pressure on the feeder
it negates the threat. Ultimately though it;s just a game of draw & dump around the perimeter.

Not giving anything away wrt Nott's EMO "slightly freelance" :D

Carry plays with multiple player position shifts are the fashion in NCAA, Duke are always good to watch on EMO as they are well drilled and look for the skip pass to the crease for the lay-up as much as they can.

Even if the defense know exactly what you're going to do, if you execute well you will still get a good shot.

UMBC were one of the Top EMO units in 2009 who played a 3-3 but with Peet Poillon playing Top middle who was very deceptive with his stickwork. They had the right man in the right position quarterbacking the EMO with 2 big outside shooters either side of him.
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Postby UKLaxfan Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:14 am

Someone has very kindly put the 2009 Duke v Syracuse semi-final on Youtube

Checkout out the EMO for Duke which starts at 6:10 of following
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_NsuWR42Q

Starts as a 2-3-1
Ball goes around perimeter once
When the ball gets to Top Left (Goalies perspective) Play is initiated
The ball is redirected and all six offensive players move in a co-ordinated pattern,
The formation goes from 2-3-1 to a Offset 2-2-2 with all 6 to left side of the goal (within edge of crease on right)
Attackman on right post is wide open for a 1-on-1 finish.

Starting Formation:
====================================

.........M1......................M2


M3.................A1.................A2


.................(GOAL)........................

....................A3...........................

Finishing Formation:
====================================

.........M2...................M1.......


A1.................M3,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..


.............A3.(GOAL)..A2....................

...................................................

I particularly like the Button Hook cut from the Left wing position who cuts to the crease then turns back to cut to the ball.
In this example he draws the crease defender (SU - Matt Abbott) away from right post leaving the passing lane open.

This is NOT the only option of this play, M3 on the crease or A1 as a Lefty outside shot could be open depending on how the defence play it.

The ironic thing is that Syracuse uses this exact same EMO play but rotates in other direction, it just shows when you execute the play efficiently with well timed ball & player movement it still work even if the defence is familiar with it.

Syracuse used to have
A3 = Mike Leveille
A2 = Kenny Nims
A1 = Steven Brooks
M1 = Steve Keogh
M2 = Dan Hardy (feeder)

The other key position is the decision maker (feeder) Ned Crotty #22 Duke in video clip or Dan Hardy (SU) in 2008-9

****************************************
Youtube is a great facility to breakdown and share game film, it's a shame there aren't more full games on there
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Duke EMO

Postby UKLaxfan Tue Jan 26, 2010 3:06 pm

Another varition on the 3-3 EMO

at 4:25 mark of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAUefhjkSnI

30 sec EMO: Carry & Replace (Carry & Pop)


Ball goes around the perimeter once
Play is initiated when Ball gets to (A3) Back Right (Right Post) for 2nd time
Again all 6 Offensive players move at same time
(A3) Back Right carries the ball up to the right wing
The Crease Attacker (A1) Rolls off the crease and replaces the ball carrier in back right position
(A2) Back left goes on a High C-Cut to the Crease
(M1) Top Left cuts back door to Back Left (left post)
(M2) Top Right moves to Top Middle
(M3) Top Middle moves to Top Left

In this example (M1) the Back Door cut was open for a cross crease feed but Ned Crotty #22 took too long to make the feed
He also had the option of passing to (A3) Right Wing who was moving towards middle for a step down shot.

Duke uses up about 20 of 30 secs EMO passing around perimeter but when play breaks down (Cuse defender tips the feed) they still have time to go straight back into 3-3 and get an outside shot 10-12 yds that hits the post.

Starting Formation: 3-3 EMO

========================================

M1.................M2.....................M3


....................A1........................

.......A2.......................A3...........
..................(GOAL).....................

Finishing Formation: Offset 2-2-2

================================

.......M2.......................M3...........


.....................A2..................A3

.......M1.......................A1...........
..................(GOAL).....................
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Duke EMO - 30 Second

Postby UKLaxfan Tue Jan 26, 2010 4:26 pm

Start at 2:20 mark of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44iA8epn7AE

Initial set up is 3-3 EMO
Ball goes around perimeter for 20 secs this time


Phase One Formation: Circle Offence (no crease)

Phase One of Play is initiated when ball is passed from M3 to A3 2nd time
A1 cuts off crease to X-Behind into Circle offence
Ball is redirected A3 to M3 to M1 (#22 Ned Crotty)

Phase Two: Now in 1-4-1 Formation
Phase Two of Play is initiated when M1 carries ball to Top Left
M2 & M3 both cut to the crease
A2 & A3 both roll out from Post positions to Wing positions

In this example M3 (Justin Turri) is meant to set a pick on the defender so that A3 has separation for a step down shot
unfortunately he doesn't do a good job of it and defender gets by him.

Phase Three: 2-4 Formation
A1 comes around right post at GLE (Goal Line Extended) and receives pass from A3
A1 looks inside straight away for feed to M3
again this would (should have been a lay-up but #3 Syracuse (Matt Abbott) tips the pass
M1 recovers the Groundball and makes a no-look feed back to A1 on the post but Abbott intercepts the pass and clears the ball :D

This is about as good as it gets for EMO vs MDD
Multiple formations and options off each one on EMO
Good rotation and sticks up in the passing lanes to the inside on MDD.

Starting Formation: 3-3 EMO
.....................M1
........M2........................M3

.....................A1
........A2........................A3
..................(GOAL)

Phase One: Circle Offence Formation:
.....................M1
........M2........................M3


........A2........................A3
..................(GOAL)
.....................A1

Phase Two: 1-4-1 Formation:

.....................M1

........A2..........................A3
................M2........M3

..................(GOAL)
.....................A1

Phase Three : Final Formation: 2-4

...............M1.............A3

........A2..........................A1
................M2........M3
..................(GOAL)

The 2-4 is quite common formation to finish in on EMO as its the most offensive set up but it is ONLY seen on EMO
because of the high risk of a turnover having 4 shooters that close to goal and each other.
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Postby Rotisserie Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:19 pm

thanks for the links they're really useful. I love that offset 2-2-2 formation it looks like it confuses the defence bigtime.

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