Mikey Powell's Tips on Dodging

#22 Mikey Powell

By Craig Haley

The hardest player for a lacrosse defenseman to stop is the one coming straight at him full speed.

Imagine when that player is Mikey Powell, the legendary attackman/midfielder.

Defensemen often face this predicament against the Major League Lacrosse All-Star because he is so skilled at lacrosse dodges, which get him free to take shots or make passes.

“My job on every lacrosse team that I’ve ever been on has been to be the main dodger,” Powell says. “An offense can’t be successful unless one of the guys knows how to dodge.”

What makes Mikey Powell so outstanding at dodges is his ability to make every one look the same, including the split dodge, face dodge and roll dodge. A defenseman usually is left to pick his poison and Powell has left many in his wake throughout his career. A four-time first-team All-American at Syracuse, he has filled the nets for the Boston Cannons in MLL.

Powell’s lacrosse tips for dodges is to use explosive speed on the approach to a defensemen and to make the dodge happen at what he calls the “break point.” This is the spot in front of the defenseman where his lacrosse stick would end if he held it out in front of himself.  This timing is critical. The defenseman will be able to drop step if the dodge is performed too far away and he can check with his stick if the dodge is done too closely.

Powell’s favorite move is the split dodge. With this move, the offensive player will fake in one direction, hoping to bait the defenseman into overcommitting that way. The offensive player will hold his lacrosse stick up by his head – to protect the ball from a check – plant with his outside foot, then step with his inside foot and head in the opposite direction while bringing the lacrosse stick across his body and switching his hands on the stick. He could have a shot as he gets past the defenseman.

“A lot of players will do stutter steps and things like that,” Powell says.  “I like to just be real crisp with it.”

#0 Mikey Powell with the Boston Cannons of the MLL

A face dodge looks like a shot at the start and is similar to the split dodge. Unlike the split dodge, though, the offensive player doesn’t switch the stick in his hands. He will swing the stick across his face and tuck it against his shoulder to prevent the defenseman from going for the head of the stick.

“Once I get by him, obviously I have him beat,” Powell says. “This is gonna be tough for him to get back in the play, so I’m gonna finish it.”

No lacrosse dodge protects the stick (and ball) better than the roll dodge. Mikey Powell likes to make this move from behind the goal to set up teammates.

With the roll dodge, the offensive player will fake the defenseman into committing one way, plant his inside foot and then spin around and away from his opponent. It’s important for the dodger to protect his lacrosse stick on the spin and not expose the ball to the defenseman.

“The whole time, my stick is always out in front of me,” Powell says. “I always have a visual on my stick, I’m always looking at it and I know the ball is always in there.”