Lacrosse Strategy - Man-up and Man-down

Man-up and Man-down

Man-up and Man-down, also known as power play, or extra man opportunity (EMO), is a term that refers to situations where one team is shorthanded as a result of a penalty. The offensive team attempts to take advantage of their extra player to score a goal, while the defensive team will try to stop them from scoring until they get back to even-handed.

Because they are a player short, the defense, called man down defense (MDD), must resort to a zone, and there are several zones they can chose from. One is known as the box-and-one defense, because one defenseman covers the man on the crease, while the other 4 players form a box. This defense is used against an offense with only one player on the crease. Another zone is the 2-3, which is almost exactly like the basketball defense of the same name, with three low zones and 2 higher zones.

The offense often choses to run the same base offense as they run in settled situations, such as a 2-3-1, although offenses with two players on the crease, such as the 1-4-1, are less common. Another common offense that is run in man-up situations is the 3-2-1, also known as the "circle" offense, because no player is on the crease, and all of the players are on the perimeter in a circle. Lastly, there is the 3-3 offense, which has no player at X, and 3 midfielders across the top. One drawback to the 3-3 is that, on a shot, there is no attackman at X to back the shot up if it misses the goal.

A common offensive tactic in man-up situations is the use of the carry, whereby an offensive player carries the ball from one perimeter position to another. This can be disorienting for a defense, because they must "pass off" the player to another zone, or else the whole defense must rotate. Often, after a carry, a player may pass back to the position he came from, because there may be a hole there. The offense will also try to draw a defensive player out to them, with the threat of a shot, and make a quick pass in an attempt to get an open shot.

Defensive strategy centers around staying close to the goal, and not allowing shots from close range. As a result of being a man down, the defense must be less aggressive against long-range shooters, so they may allow long range shots that have a low percentage of scoring. This is similar to allowing a player to shoot a 3-pointer in a basketball fast break: the shot is lower percentage than a close shot, so the defense allows it rather than overplaying the shooter and allowing a layup. Defensive players must also be careful not to be stretched from their zone, by going too high or too far outside, and allow another player to sneak in at the other end of their zone.