Lacrosse is changing. Training has to change with it.
Lacrosse is faster, stronger, and more competitive than ever. The athletes who separate themselves are not just the ones with the best stick skills. They are the ones who move better, think faster, compete harder, and prepare with purpose.
That is why Forge Lacrosse Performance was created.
Forge Lacrosse Performance exists to develop lacrosse players who are built for the modern game: explosive, disciplined, skilled, confident, and resilient under pressure. It is a lacrosse training and athlete development system designed for players who want more than random workouts or generic drills.
Forge brings together decades of playing experience, coaching insight, strength and conditioning principles, performance testing, lacrosse skill development, and the latest innovations in sports performance and lacrosse technology to help players raise their standard.
This is not just lacrosse training. This is athletic development with a purpose.
Why Forge Lacrosse Performance was created
Forge Lacrosse Performance was created because lacrosse players need a better bridge between skill training and athletic performance.
Too many athletes work on stick skills in one place, speed in another, strength somewhere else, and mindset almost nowhere. The result is fragmented development. Players may improve in pieces, but they do not always become complete athletes.
Forge was built to solve that problem.
The mission is simple: develop better lacrosse athletes through structured, high-standard training that connects movement, strength, speed, skill, confidence, and competitive IQ.
Forge is for the athlete who wants to be coached, challenged, measured, and developed. It is for players who want to understand how to train, how to compete, and how to carry themselves like serious athletes.
Who Forge will develop
Forge Lacrosse Performance is designed to develop lacrosse players who are ready to take ownership of their growth.
That includes youth players building the foundation, middle school athletes preparing for the next level, high school players competing for roster spots and recruiting opportunities, and serious athletes who want to sharpen the details that separate good players from great ones.
- Run, cut, dodge, defend, shoot, pass, compete, and recover with purpose.
- Understand how athleticism applies to the real demands of lacrosse.
- Perform when the game gets physical, fast, and uncomfortable.
- Bring energy, accountability, toughness, and consistency to their teams.
- Transfer training into game impact.
Built on decades of playing and coaching experience
Forge Lacrosse Performance is rooted in real experience.
Founder Doug Steele grew up on Long Island, New York, where lacrosse and football shaped his competitive foundation. He started on varsity from 9th through 12th grade in both sports and served as captain of both teams. He went on to become a multi-year All-American lacrosse player at Sacred Heart University, a four-year captain, and a four-time Defensive MVP.
That background matters because Forge is not built from theory alone. It is built from years of competing, leading, coaching, studying the game, and understanding what athletes need at every stage of development.
Great lacrosse players are not built overnight. They are forged through repetition, accountability, coaching, failure, correction, and consistent standards.
The Forge Method: training with purpose
The Forge Method is the foundation of the training system.
It is designed to connect athletic development with lacrosse-specific performance. That means athletes will not just run cones to run cones. They will train movement patterns that matter in lacrosse: acceleration, deceleration, change of direction, rotational power, balance, footwork, contact control, defensive positioning, offensive separation, and repeat-effort conditioning.
Movement quality
Athletes need to move efficiently before they can move explosively. Forge emphasizes body control, posture, balance, coordination, and clean movement mechanics.
Speed and agility
Lacrosse is a game of bursts. Forge trains acceleration, first-step quickness, lateral movement, change of direction, and the ability to stop and restart under control.
Strength and conditioning
Athletes need strength, power, and durability to handle the demands of the season. Forge uses structured performance training to build stronger, more prepared players.
Skill development
Stick skills, footwork, shooting, passing, dodging, defensive technique, and position-specific work are built into the athlete development process.
Lacrosse IQ and decision-making
The best players process the game quickly. Forge helps athletes understand spacing, timing, angles, leverage, communication, and situational play.
Competitive mindset
Confidence comes from preparation. Forge challenges athletes to train with focus, respond to coaching, compete with intensity, and build habits that carry into games.
Using sports performance innovation and lacrosse technology
Forge Lacrosse Performance also embraces the latest innovations in sports performance and lacrosse technology.
Modern athletes benefit when training is measured, tracked, and refined. Forge uses performance testing and athlete feedback to help players understand where they are, where they need to improve, and how their work is translating over time.
The Forge Score serves as a testing and evaluation concept to help athletes track key areas of development. This can include athletic performance markers, movement quality, speed, strength, skill execution, and overall progress.
Technology does not replace coaching. It sharpens it.
The best development happens when experienced coaching is paired with useful data, smart tools, and clear standards. Forge uses innovation to make training more intentional, not more complicated.
Why lacrosse players need more than generic training
Lacrosse athletes are different.
They need the speed of a field sport athlete, the toughness of a contact athlete, the coordination of a skilled stick-sport player, and the decision-making of a fast-processing competitor. A generic workout plan does not fully prepare a lacrosse player for the demands of the game.
- Fast acceleration and sharp change of direction.
- Rotational power and repeat-effort conditioning.
- Hand-eye coordination and footwork under pressure.
- Defensive leverage and offensive creativity.
- Physical toughness and mental composure.
Forge Lacrosse Performance is built around those demands. The goal is to prepare athletes for what actually happens on the field.
Developing athletes beyond the drill
One of the biggest mistakes in youth and high school development is confusing activity with progress.
An athlete can sweat, run, shoot, and leave tired without becoming significantly better. Forge is different because the standard is development, not entertainment.
Every session should have a purpose. Every drill should connect to a larger goal. Every athlete should know what they are working on and why it matters.
Forge teaches athletes how to train with intent, compete with discipline, and evaluate their own performance honestly.
Built for South Carolina lacrosse and beyond
Forge Lacrosse Performance is based in South Carolina and is committed to helping grow serious lacrosse development in the region.
As lacrosse continues to expand, athletes need access to high-level coaching, performance training, and structured development environments. Forge aims to become a trusted training resource for players and families who want professional standards, competitive energy, and a clear path for improvement.
This is about more than building better players. It is about helping build a stronger lacrosse culture.
The Forge standard
Forge Lacrosse Performance was created for athletes who want to be developed, not just trained.
The Forge standard is built on effort, accountability, preparation, and growth. Players will be challenged physically, mentally, and technically. They will be coached with honesty. They will be expected to show up ready to work.
The name Forge matters. A forge is where raw material is shaped under heat, pressure, and precision. That is the vision for every athlete who enters the program. Not perfect. Not finished. But willing to be shaped.
Forge Lacrosse Performance exists to help athletes become stronger, faster, smarter, more skilled, and more confident lacrosse players.
For the player who wants to separate from the pack, the work starts here.
Forge Lacrosse Performance — built to develop the complete lacrosse athlete.
Coaching reference notes
This article is original Forge Lacrosse Performance coaching content. It was developed from Forge's coaching framework and current athlete-development practices. It does not provide medical advice, injury treatment, rehabilitation, or physical therapy services. Athletes and families should consult qualified medical professionals for pain, injury, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, or medical concerns.