The number one most important part about being able to shoot the ball hard and accurate is keeping your arms extended away from your body when you shoot, just like all athletes do when throwing anything such as football QB's and baseball pitchers. This is one of the hardest things to consistently do while shooting and this drill I'm going to show you below is by far the best way to work on it
If I gave you a ball and said throw it as far as you can with your hand you would probably stick your arm up and away from your body, but once people get a lacrosse stick in their hands that all changes. This isn't just for new players, so many high level players still shoot with the incorrect form without even knowing it. Almost everyone wants to have their arms close to their body which feels more powerful and accurate but is not. The only way to shoot the ball accurate and hard consistently is to have your arms extended away from your body when the ball is released from your stick. It's really hard to tell if you're doing it correctly without having someone watch you every single rep and that is where this drill comes into play.
For this drill you want to set one goal up about 10 yards in front of another goal and then reach your hands up and away from your body and shoot down over the first goal into the bottom of the second goal. If your ball hits the first goal or goes over the second goal that usually means your form was incorrect and you're getting alligator arms. You want to feel as if you're shooting down over something, not shooting up over something. It provides immediate feedback on every single rep of how to shoot with the proper form. Once you do enough reps with the two goals you'll be able to start to feel the correct vs incorrect form so you can still practice on your own even if you don't have the second goal all the time.
This drill is great to work on individually but is also good to be used during team practices. Skill work isn't always the most exciting thing in the world but it's necessary to work on if you want to be a great player. Keep your thoughts on how much all this skill work will pay off in the end and how much of a better player you'll become.
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- Tyler Simmons
President/Founder Elevate Sports
Stanford University Asst Lacrosse Coach
University of Denver Lacrosse 14'