Mastering Shot Techniques in Lacrosse: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners and Experts

Lacrosse is a highly strategic and physically demanding sport that combines speed, agility, and intense ball handling. One of the most important and often the decisive skill in lacrosse is shooting. This guide will walk you through the essential steps, drills, and tips to improve your lacrosse shooting technique, making it a powerful tool in your game arsenal.

Part 1: Getting into Position

For an effective lacrosse shot, proper positioning is crucial. Here are the steps to get into the correct shooting stance. 1. **Bottom Hand as Fulcrum** The bottom hand acts as a fulcrum or pivot point for the leverage of the stick. Your hand should be wrapped around the stick with your thumb near your body and your knuckles outward.

It’s possible to become very versatile at lacrosse and give yourself the option of shooting with either hand. If you learn to shoot with your non-dominant hand, you can make shots from either side of the goal more easily.

2. **Positioning Your Dominant Hand** The power for your shot comes from this hand. Your palm should be on the stick such that it faces toward the opposite hand as you push. This hand should be positioned 10-12 inches (25.4-30.5 cm) from your bottom hand.

Having your hand too low on the stick will reduce the amount of control you have. Leaving it too high on the stick will reduce the amount of power you have.

3. **Taking a Powerful Step** Your legs lead your shot, so this step is essential. As you approach the goal, take a powerful, lengthened step with the leg opposite your dominant hand. Both of your legs should be slightly bent, but the front leg will be bent a little more.

Whether you just dodged a player or were running, slow down as you move into your shooting stance.

4. **Body Alignment** Square your body to the goal as much as possible. This involves primarily squaring your hips to the goal.

Part 2: Making the Shot

The power of your shot comes from a combination of your leg placement, wrists snapping forward, and torso twisting through the motion. 1. **Windup** Lift both of your elbows so that the pocket or net of the stick goes slightly over your dominant shoulder. This is the start of the shooting motion. The farther back you wind up, the more power you can achieve. Crank back just enough to feel tension in your shoulders. 2. **Swing the Stick** Thrust your upper hand forward and pull the bottom of the stick back. Bring the head of the stick downward. The goal is to snap your wrist quickly. The power comes more from your wrists than from your shoulders. Get comfortable with performing a nice, full crank back and swinging straight through the arc into a complete follow-through. 3. **Twist Your Torso** Your shot’s power is a combination of your leg placement, wrist snap, and torso twist. Your dominant shoulder comes forward while your non-dominant shoulder goes backward. You'll feel this twist through your abdominal area. Keep your hips forward. 4. **Follow Through** Just like in golf, tennis, and baseball, the follow-through after a shot is important in lacrosse. Once the ball leaves the pocket of the stick, let the stick continue with the momentum it has. When you finish, the pocket of the stick should be pointing down at the ground near your forward foot. Move your top hand back up toward the middle or top of the stick to get ready for the next play. The complete arc of your shot should move the pocket in a diagonal line from the top of your dominant side to the bottom of your non-dominant side.

Part 3: Improving Your Shooting

To improve your shooting, there are several drills and exercises that can help you refine your technique. 1. **Sitting Positions Drill** Drilling shots from a sitting position takes your leg placement out of the equation and focuses all of your attention on using your upper body to swing through the shot. Best done in close range to the goal. Focus on twisting your torso and bringing your arms through the full range of motion. 2. **Shadow Shooting** Practice your shot without a ball. This allows you to get the motion down without worrying about ball placement and aiming perfectly. You can practice this anywhere since you don’t need a ball and goal. However, you cannot practice aiming or gauge your power as well as you can with a ball. This drill is essential for beginners. 3. **Shooting from Different Angles** Lacrosse shots during games are rarely straightforward. Practice shooting from different angles such as sidearm, aiming specifically at top or bottom corners. These drills force you to adapt and aim under different conditions. 4. **Strength Training** Since lacrosse is a physically demanding sport, building strength is crucial. Run daily, both endurance and sprinting. Core training like push-ups, pull-ups, and other exercises are highly recommended. Consult your coach for specific exercises tailored to your team.

By mastering these aspects, you'll elevate your shooting game, making you a more versatile and effective player on the field.