Free lacrosse template, no account
Free Lacrosse Player Evaluation Form
A mid-season report you can hand a parent: lacrosse skills rated against the age group, a section for each position, and the space that matters most, in words, for what went well, what to work on, and one thing to practice at home, which in lacrosse is usually a wall.
What a lacrosse player evaluation should include
Nine rows in the main table, one table for the position skills, and three open-ended sections at the end.
- The main table. Stick handling, catching, passing, shooting, dodging, ground balls, positioning, conditioning and coachability, rated against the age group, with a column for what you saw.
- Position skills. Shooting accuracy, feeding and off-ball movement for attack; two-way work rate, transition speed and slides for midfield; footwork, stick checks and the clear for defense; reaction, positioning and the outlet pass for goalies. Fill in the rows that match the player's position and leave the rest blank.
- The writing. What went well (the strengths), what to work on (the areas for improvement), and one thing to practice at home.
- The last line. The date you went through it with the player. Worth filling in for the same reason a receipt is.
Effort and coachability are the exception to rating against the age group. They are marked against what you saw from this athlete, because nobody is below average for a ten-year-old at trying hard.
Lacrosse player evaluation versus tryout evaluation
The two sheets rate similar skills and do different jobs.
- A tryout evaluation compares players. Several evaluators score the same group in one session, and the average sheets help a club place players or balance teams. The lacrosse tryout evaluation form is built for that, and the lacrosse tryouts guide covers running the session.
- A player evaluation describes one player. One coach, about halfway through the season, rating a player against the age group rather than teammates, with the writing a family keeps. That is this page. Its scale reads as strengths and focus areas for that reason.
| Tryout evaluation | Player evaluation | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Before the season | About halfway through it |
| Who scores | Several evaluators, independently | Usually one coach |
| Compared with | The rest of the group | What is typical for the age group |
| Used for | Placing players by position and balancing teams | Development and a talk with the family |
| What you hand over | An averaged scorecard | A written report a parent keeps |
A club that holds tryouts can use both: the tryout sheet to place players before the season, and this one halfway through it to say how each of them is doing.
Lacrosse comments a parent can act on
The numbers give the page its shape and the sentences are what a family remembers. Vague praise and vague criticism are equally useless, and lacrosse has a specific thing to say about almost everything. Compare:
- Stick handling. Not "needs better stick skills". Try "cradles with one hand on the stick and drops the head on the catch. Both hands on the stick and soft hands are the next thing, ten minutes of wall ball a day."
- Ground balls. Not "needs to get more ground balls". Try "gets to the ball first but stops moving to scoop it. Keeping the feet going through the pickup is the next thing."
- Dodging. Not "needs to dodge". Try "goes by on the strong side every time and holds the stick out where the defender can reach it. Protecting the stick on the dodge is the next thing."
- Attitude. Not "great attitude". Try "stayed in every ground ball scrap in the fourth quarter, even when we were down by six."
The last section, one thing to practice at home, is the most useful line on the page and the one most often left blank. In lacrosse it is usually easy: a stick, a ball, a wall, and ten minutes.
Rate the position, not the player's size
The position section can do real good, and a careless one does harm. A few rules for the rows the form gives it:
- Rate what the position needs. An attacker is rated on the dodge, the shot and the feed. A midfielder is rated on work rate and transition. A defender is rated on footwork and the clear. A goalie is rated on reaction and positioning.
- Never rate a goalie on saves. A save count depends on the shots a team allows and who takes them. Rate the positioning, the first move and the outlet pass, and mention the numbers only as context.
- Never rate an attacker on goals alone. Goals depend on who is feeding and who is defending. Rate the dodge, the movement and the shot, and say where the goals came from.
- Say what a player can do in a different position. A defender who passes well, or a midfielder who wins ground balls, is worth a sentence, because that is what moves them to a bigger role next season.
Other sports, and the general version
This is the lacrosse version. The general player evaluation form works for any sport, and the lacrosse forms and templates page lists the other 5 lacrosse documents.
Playbook Logix provides customizable templates for informational and administrative use. They are not legal advice and will not meet the requirements of every organization, sport or jurisdiction. Review anything you intend to rely on with your own attorney or your insurance carrier, and check your league and state requirements.
Common questions
What should a lacrosse player evaluation form include?
Ratings for stick handling, catching, passing, shooting, dodging, ground balls, positioning, conditioning and coachability, a short section for the skills of the position the player plays most, and three pieces of writing: what went well, what to work on, and one thing to practice at home. The writing is the part a family keeps.
When should we give out lacrosse player evaluations?
About halfway through the schedule. Lacrosse seasons are often short, so halfway comes quickly, and a report handed out at the last practice is a report card, accurate and too late. The same page at the midpoint is a plan with games left to act on it. A club that plays a longer season can give one each half.
Should attack, midfield, defense and goalies be rated differently?
In a section of their own, yes. An attacker is judged on the dodge and the shot, a midfielder on work rate and transition, a defender on footwork and the clear, a goalie on reaction and positioning. Rate the rows that match the position the player plays most, and leave the others blank.
How do I evaluate a player who rarely touches the ball?
On what they do without it. Lacrosse hides a lot of contribution: the ground ball that starts a possession, the slide that stops a shot, the run that pulls a defender away. Ground balls, positioning and the position rows are where those players show up, and the comments are where you say so.
Should I rate players against their teammates?
No. Rate against what is typical for the age group. A ranking inside the team gives a family a list of your own roster, which tells them nothing and does harm if it circulates. The form says on its face which comparison you used.
Do I have to give one to every player?
Yes. Evaluating the scorers and skipping the defenders tells the defenders where they stand in the coaching staff's attention. Short and honest for everyone beats thorough for the players who score.
More lacrosse tools
The rest of the lacrosse toolkit
Lacrosse Registration Form
Positions, top hand, goalie interest, last season's level, equipment owned and three jersey number choices, on a form for sign-up day.
Open the generatorLacrosse Code of Conduct
Equipment, stick, contact and penalty rules for players, and sideline and penalty-call rules for parents, on one page with one signature.
Open the generatorLacrosse Tryout Evaluation Form
A scoring grid for stick handling, catching, passing, shooting, dodging and ground balls, with a table for sprint, shuttle and wall ball counts.
Open the generatorLacrosse Tryouts & Evaluation Guide
A 90-minute run of show, seven stations from line drills to the scrimmage, a staffing plan, and how to run goalies fairly.
Read the guideLacrosse Equipment & Uniform Checkout
Sticks, helmets, pads, goalie gear and uniform, with ID numbers, size, condition and replacement cost, and a return date.
Open the generatorPlaybook Logix
What Playbook Logix tracks behind a lacrosse evaluation
Playbook Logix is registration, rosters, payments, schedules and team messaging for youth and adult sports, in one place. A report is only as good as the season behind it. This is what Playbook Logix keeps so the report is quicker to write.
Attendance behind the report
Mark each player present or absent from your phone at the field, and on the web see every player against every event with an attendance percentage. It is the number a parent is really asking about when they ask about playing time. Free on every plan.
How it worksThe player and the family together
Jersey number, position and the parent's contact details sit on the roster, so the player you are writing about is one click from the adult you are handing the report to.
How it worksReach families without a group text
A team message board for things that need a record, live chat for the quick stuff, and reminders that respect quiet hours, so parents see a schedule change and do not mute the app.
How it worksThe Starter plan is free, and the iPhone and Android app is free on every plan. Anything described above as Coach plan and above needs a paid plan. See the plans or the mobile app. Nothing you type into the template above is sent to us, whether or not you ever sign up.
Keep the whole season in one place
Schedules, attendance, messages to the team and a roster that is the same in everyone's pocket. There is a free plan.