How Can I Shoot The Lacrosse Ball Faster?

Question: hey, I've been playing lacrosse for a while now, and I always wonder how come my shot isn't as speedy as it should be. I have the right stance perfect angles when shooting, but I still can't get the ball 2 go as fast ...help me..I would really appreciate it...thank you


My Answer: Hey there Iz. You know this is a great question. And it is extremely complex. But I'll give you a few things to think about that may help you.

1) Your core strength. You can have all the best technique, but if you are weak at the core then you aren't going to be able to transfer any power into the stick and therefore into the ball. You need to be strong from your feet to your fingertips because that is how we develop power, from the ground up. If you have any glaring weaknesses between those two points then you're not going to transfer power into the ball. I tell all my guys to fall in love with the gym. Learn to love the weightroom. Get stronger. I can take any great athlete and turn him into a lacrosse player. But I can't always take a lacrosse player and turn him or her into an athlete.

2) The pocket in your stick. This is a place where you can lose a lot of technique but it is too detailed to get into here. If you've got a crappy pocket in your stick it is really going to affect your technique and that brings us to number 3...

3) Your hands. Some guys have it and some guys don't. Your hands will develop according to the pocket you have in your stick. When I used to coach in the North East we used to joke about how our guys didn't have any hands. It's because they were using store bought sticks with really bad pockets. The guys in Maryland and Long Island all had great hands and when they shot the ball it was like a rocket.

Shooting the ball is like cracking a whip. It's the little "flick" of the end of the whip that makes it crack. That's where all the speed comes from. If there is no speed, and no whip, there is no 'crack.' And that crack is the power that we are looking for.

One little thing, make sure you've got your feet on the ground when you shoot. Some college guys will jump and shoot. It looks cool but you lose a ton of velocity on your shot. The reason being is that you need to be in contact with the ground to generate significant torque. If you aren't anchored to something you're just going to spin in space. Not cool.

Hope that helps Iz. Let me know if you need anything else.

Jonathan -

www.yourbestlacrosse.blogspot.com
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com