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Basic Tips for Shooting

SHOOTING MECHANICS MUST BE COMMITTED TO MUSCLE MEMORY

"Understand the Stance"

Flat Stance, Power Stance, Reverse Stance are great ways to help work on your shooting. Use the same mechanics described below(Arms up and Away, Show Numbers) and shoot. However, don't move your feet or step into the shot. The Flatstance is done with your feet slightly wider than shoulders width and pointed at the cage(show your numbers before you shoot). The Power Stance is having your feet wider than shoulders width and facing the right or left depending on which hand you are using(show your numbers before you shoot). The Reverse Stance is having your feet wider than shoulders width and having your upper body turned so you are shooting across your body.(i.e. if you are shooting right, face the left, turn your shoulders so you are square with the goal and bring the stick to the right-hand side and shoot, DON"T MOVE YOUR FEET) If you do these correctly, you should have a sore lower back afterwards, that means you have been rotating correctly. The soreness will disappear as your body adjusts to the proper mechanics of shooting.

Eyes always up looking towards cage

Seems very easy, but a common mistake in shooting is that the player waits too long to look at the goal. I have seen, more times than I can count, a player wait until right before he shoots to look at the cage, giving him tenths of a second to see and decide where to shoot the ball. On the other hand, try not to stare at one place of the cage through the entire shooting motion.

Arms up and away from body

Gets your arms out and away from your body, don't "pin" your arms against your sides and chest. Be sure to have your lead hand(bottom hand on the stick) slightly lower than your back hand(top hand on stick) so the ball does not fall out when you bring the stick back.

Lead elbow should point at target

If you are shooting right handed then your left elbow is your "lead elbow" and should be pointing at your target. One trick is to use the "v" in your elbow as an arrow to help guide your placement.

Stick behind body

This can be confusing for younger players. "Behind" means opposite the goalie, not behind the back. The player should understand that he is trying to hide his stick from the goalie behind his body and hands. If this is not corrected early, the player will develop the nasty habit of "hanging the stick" which will lead to a lot of ground balls.

Proper hand position on stick

Another common mistake is to have your top hand too high on the stick. One tip is to place some tape about 12 inches from the bottom of the stick so you know where your top hand should be every time you shoot. Once you commit this to muscle memory, you will no longer need the tape.

SHOW YOUR NUMBERS!!

This is probably the most important, and overlooked, part of getting velocity on the shot. Begin your motion by turning your back and "showing your numbers" to the goal(Be sure to keep your eyes on the goal). This will create a "torque effect" and allow to gain extra velocity on the shot.

Transfer your weight("Everything behind then everything in front" or "Flip your hips")

Be sure to have all of your weight on your back foot when you begin your shooting motion and then make sure your entire body comes over your front foot after the shoot(if you do this correctly, your back foot should end up in front after you shoot). This will ensure that you are putting your entire mass into the shot and not just shooting with your arms.

SHOOTING ON THE RUN

This may be the hardest skill to learn in lacrosse and will require tons of practice. Learn to do it with both hands. This description is for a right handed shot, a left handed shot will be reversed. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE GOAL. Start by moving across the face of the goal from the right side to the left and have your shoulders parallel with the sidelines but as you begin to plant your left foot "show your numbers" to the goal. Begin the shooting motion by planting your left foot so it will face at about the 10 o'clock position, bring your right foot around slightly after so it will end up pointing at the goal. Be sure to have your right foot come around slightly before the stick, this will force you to "coil" your body so you will have more torque in your body which translates to more velocity in your shot. YOU MUST TAKE A WIDE STEP WITH YOUR RIGHT FOOT SO YOU CAN GET ALL OF THE VELOCITY FROM THE TORQUE IN YOU BODY INTO THE SHOT.  Remember, you are moving through the entire process, do not stop to shoot. If you bring your right foot around properly with all of your body power behind the shot, the follow through should almost spin you completely around. Keep the stick behind your body so the goalie cannot see it, be careful not to "hang the stick". You can release the shot either over hand, 3/4 or sidearm. YOU SHOULD HAVE A SORE LOWER BACK AFTER WORKING ON THIS OR YOU ARE NOT DOING IT RIGHT. You can practice shooting on the run from any angle on the field. It does not have to be across the face of the goal only.

Shoot Overhand, Sidearm and Underhand

That's right, you read that correctly. Many top coaches agree that shooting overhand produces the highest percentage of control, but that it is not your only option. Watch any great shooter and you will see a variety of shots, not just all overhand shots. You should practice all three. You must understand your stick and every aspect of how the ball comes out of it to become a great shooter.

Change planes

Always try to change planes on your shot(low to high, high to low, etc.)

Use your head and shoulders

You can use your head and shoulders to also throw the goalies off. Stand high and shoot low. Dip your shoulders and then dunk or shoot high.

"Find the pipe, find the spot"

Look at the pipe of the goal and find the spot of the goal where the goalie is most vulnerable, usually off-hip. Never look at the goalie or most likely you will hit him in the chest with your shot. Always focus on the open spots in the net but do that from the pipe in, not the goalie out. The goalie may be moving in the cage, especially if you have just received a quick feed, so start at the pipe, it will never move and will be a consistent starting point.

No goalie, No problem

If you don't have a goalie or a "rejecter" to help with practice, be inventive. Tie old milk cartons in the corners or use the ball bucket in the lower corners. If you work on your shooting and you get the ball in the cage every time, you are more than likely doing something wrong. Most important, don't shoot the ball in the middle of the cage, that is not a realistic shot.

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