Couple of Beginner Questions (Cradling, Positioning) [Archive]

Thats Scats

10-17-2007, 11:55 PM

Hey guys, I'm brand new to the forum and have a few questions:

This is my first real season of lacrosse on a club team at my university (I played a year of JV in hs but quit after not seeing much play time and feeling sort of disappointed by how far behind I was compared to everyone else).

1) I find that my right cradle keeps getting better and better. However, my left feels weak, incorrectly timed, and not very confident. I often find myself shying away from dodging left or changing to left hand because I feel so insecure about it. Even when practicing on my own I find it hard to successfully split dodge or roll at full speed without losing control of the ball.

Does anyone have an easy to follow instruction on how to cradle both single and double hand?

2) Our coach insists on me playing crease based on my height (I'm 6'4")... is this as an attack position or mid?

I tried defense today for the first time during off-season practice and felt pretty good there, but I'd rather be on offense because I'm kinda skinny and quick and feel I'm more suited to position where I'm trying to stay away.

Does height really matter in this sport? Any recommendations for someone skinny, tall, and decently fast?

3) When passing and shooting on the run in practice (by myself with the net or wall) I find both hands to be coming along very well in form and accuracy. But when I'm actually running down for a fast break or something when playing mid in practice, I find that my shots/passes often don't go where I want them to or that my dodges fail in ways I'd never think possible.

Is there a piece of the puzzle I'm missing as to why I lose all of my progress from practicing alone within minutes of real play?

WHEELAX2

10-18-2007, 05:59 AM

Cradling advice:

I suggest you have your stickdoctor on your team look at your stick first and foremost. I see a lot of beginner/inexperienced players that have a hard time cradling simply because their pocket is not all that good. You can really accellerate your learning curve by having a decent pocket.

As a new player, I would suggest you cradle with two hands on your stick at all times. this will help hold the ball better, and you can use your body to protect your stick. For two handed cradling, keep one hand near the head of the stick, and one just above the butt- end. When you are ready to pass, all you have to do is slide your top hand down so that it's about 12 or so inches from your bottom hand.

when cradling, you should use your top hand to do most of the work. Keep the shaft in your fingers, and not in your palm! your bottom hand should be on the stick only as a guide, you shouldn't be gripping it very hard with either hand... your bottom hand should be very lightly placed on the stick. make a circle with your thumb and your index finger to place the shaft through. when cradling with your top hand, think of it like a wrist curl; you sipmly curl the stick toward you. do not swing your elbow as you cradle... the cradle should come 99.9% from your wrist action. you should have the feeling as if the ball is being "pressed" against the pocket as you cradle (use centrifugal force to keep the ball in the stick: just like swinging a bucket of water over your head)..

As far as playing crease; this is generally a position which a midfielder or an attackman could play (or both). it all depends on what offense you run. Crease players often must move well off the ball, catch the ball in traffic, and burry the ball in the back of the goal with good placement. You do not have to have too accurate a shot to score from close range. Always shoot overhand, and shoot low (about a foot off the ground). do not bounce the ball in tight.

getting better with both your left and right hand, requires a lot of practice in your own time. Carry your stick everywhere you go, and try to copy the motion of your right hand to get your left better. really slow it down and see what you do with your right that you do not do with your left.

a good way to get more comfortable with your stick work is to use the wall a lot. really get out and pound the ball on the wall for a couple of hours a day. it will improve your stick handling, ball control, passing, and shooting. you can also try one handed tosses against the wall to accelerate your progress...

Traditionally, height was not that much of an asset to a lacrosse player. the range in size of lacrosse players over the years is astonishing. it's not like football where you have to be 6'2" and 225 just to step on the field. lacrosse is traditionally a finess sport that requires you to be agile and very light on your feet. it is not a power sport where you are trying to push the opposition back 5 yards... you are trying to dodge around them using your feet, not brute strength. Your size does offer you some advantages as an offensive player. Taller offensive players can get away with less-than-perfect stick skills because they have their body and arms to protect and hide their stick. Taller players can also do well on the crease; you can be a much bigger target than a short guy who is overshadowed by longpole defenders.... So, i wouldn't worry too much about your size.

passing and shooting on the run are the most difficult skills to learn in lacrosse. the true measure of lacrosse skill is the ability to pass, catch, dodge, and shoot on the run with accuracy and speed.

as Millon said: anyone can sit against a wall and catch/pass, but you must be able to do all those skills while running full speed.

developing stick skills is one thing, being able to use them while going full speed is another. I wouldn't worry too much about the on-the-run skills right now... focus on really hammering the wall, and getting that cradling down... chances are, that if you are going to play crease, you won't need to shoot on the run too much.. (not that you never will, but i think it's most important now to get used to your stick, and develop a good base; you can work on the more difficult skills as you progress)...

The difference you see from practicing in your own time to team practice or games is due to the fact that when you practice on your own time, you are not practicing at game speed. you do not have defenders breathing down your throat, or teammates asking for the ball, or a goalie in the way, or a screaming coach, or any other game/practice elements distracting you. When you practice in your own time it's you, your stick, a ball, a wall, and a goal... that's it... you can really get comfortable with yourself, and have a false sense of your game... try picking up the intensity of your individual practice and you should feel much more comfortable in live practices and games...

remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

I stilll struggle with many aspects of lacrosse, from field vision, to stick protection, to shooting and passing on the run - and hell, i've been playing almost 20 years...

I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions or whatever, don't hesitate to PM me