shooting revelation

[ragnut]

I've only been messing around with lacrosse for a few months. I have a goal and a SpeedChek radar I put behind the goal. I'm usually shooting low 70s righty, low 60s lefty. Well today I decided to practice more shots on the run. I usually practice on-the-run shots running to my right, but today I decided to try righty shots running to my left. When doing this I found I had to throw less overhead and more across my body. Whoa -- low 80s!! So I tried this approach without shooting on the run -- consistent low 80s. Once again, I used to throw more overhead (like I'm supposed to) and moving straight at the goal. Now I throw more across my body, torquing more to the left, spinning around my left hip, much closer to the way I saw Millon doing it in his Offensive Wizardry video. I feel like I'm using larger chest and back muscles this way and less rotator/shoulder muscles. Anyone find this to be true with their shot?

[isuckatlax]

not tries it, but i will tommorow, where did you get the lazer thing and how much $$$$ that sounds cool, i reall hope it works for me!!!

[calhi34]

Im going to have to try your shooting method but anyway but over the top is usually less accurate. After a few months your left is almost as hard as your right? I assume your a righty.

[creaseattack]

yea for a faster shot you need to include your core muscles by sort of winding your body up by twisting at the torso and building tension I hit mid 80s when before I was shooting low 70s with just a little bit of torso.

[ragnut]

Here's info on SpeedChek:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/speedcheck-radar.html

[CoachK]

I'm glad you figured out your body is where all your power comes from. When you're shooting on the run it is tougher to get a full body turn, but you still need to find a way to do it. I was working with a friend from Syracuse, and he was showing me some of their teaching techniques (couldn't do it online). I ended up shooting harder on the run, than spotting up, left or right handed. Over the top is the only way to make it work well, as a matter of fact, if I drop it down to 3/4 on the run, I end up losing about 15mph and a ton of accuracy. All I can really say is if you're moving toward the cage, not away from it, overhand should be the way to go. If you're running away, the step of champions and a sidearm or underhand shot may work better for power.

[IrishDefender]

'across your body'? do you mean like sidearm?

[ragnut]

If sidearm is 0 degrees, and overhead is 90 degrees, I'm gonna say it's about 30 degrees. Now I'm not saying that's the way everyone should shoot, because my accuracy did go down, but for pure power, I find that angle is best.

[ragnut]

I tried again yesterday and once again, topped my personal best at 83. I also found it didn't matter if I threw overhead or 3/4 or near sidearm (good thing too -- I was getting horribly inaccurate the farther away from overhead I was). The key thing was still getting my left hip (on a righty shot) pulled to the left early in the shot, so that my pelvis was virtually square to the goal while my arms and shoulders were still far back ready to uncork. One of the keys was not turning my hips too much on the wind up -- just get the stick back by turning the shoulders. I think you lose torque if you turn both the hips and the shoulders too much on the wind-up. I know golfers try to turn their shoulders 90 degress on a backswing, but their hips only about 45 degrees. Turning the hips too much on the backswing loses power.

The part of my body I was feeling kinda sore in was my lower left abdominals and just above the front part of my left hip. Just thought I'd share all this in case it helps anyone else.

[isuckatlax]

thanks for that post^^^^

[CoachK]

I think you lose torque if you turn both the hips and the shoulders too much on the wind-up. I know golfers try to turn their shoulders 90 degress on a backswing, but their hips only about 45 degrees. Turning the hips too much on the backswing loses power.

You're a little off here. Some of the biggest hitters in golf history turn their shoulders and hips are far as they possibly can. Every once in a while you'll see a long drive competition on ESPN, and the guys are hitting ball 370+ nearly everytime. When they hit it, its gone, if they mi**** it, it doesn't land in the fairway and doesn't count. They're not progolfers because of accuracy, not power.

You're way off base here. The fact that you can shoot harder sidearm is great. But it really just means that you should spend more time working with a coach or experienced player and work on overhand. I'm worried about you getting stripped when your stick is hung sidearm during a game. I won't get into angles or what happens if you're a bit off or have to readjust your shot last second, but really work on overhand. Just becaues its not as natural as swinging a baseball bat doesn't mean that it's not the best way to do it. It means you have to work harder at it. You're not going to re-invent the wheel of lacrosse. People have been doing it for years, and really do know better than you. Sidearm may feel more natural, and it is definately something you should be able to do, but overhand is more important and practical. My team is pretty run and gun, and I can count on one hand all of the goals that were made sidearm this season. I'd have to add up all the overhand goals, I'd probably have to add up all the sidearm misses off cage.

[ragnut]

Whoa, perhaps you misread, or I didn't better clarify myself. The second day found I didn't have to throw sidearm to get speed, and admitted it was less accurate. I think we're on the same page on the angle issue. I'm not sure we're on the same page on the hip turn issue. I will concede I'm a rookie at all this, and chances are I'm wrong on the hip issue as your opinion is backed with more experience. I'll keep an open mind -- I know you're trying to help -- thanks! --Joe

[busdriver44]

so doe ur turn ur hip, or do u keep it squared to the goal the whole time. I tried keeping my hip squared to the goal which made my torso twist more, and i found it was easier to square up after to the goal during the shot. When shooting on the run, does pointing ur outside foot toward the goal help accuracy too? The offensive wizardy tape is kind of unclear for me during the shooting on the run, even after i rewind it.

[TitanLax]

I tried again yesterday and once again, topped my personal best at 83. I also found it didn't matter if I threw overhead or 3/4 or near sidearm (good thing too -- I was getting horribly inaccurate the farther away from overhead I was). The key thing was still getting my left hip (on a righty shot) pulled to the left early in the shot, so that my pelvis was virtually square to the goal while my arms and shoulders were still far back ready to uncork. One of the keys was not turning my hips too much on the wind up -- just get the stick back by turning the shoulders. I think you lose torque if you turn both the hips and the shoulders too much on the wind-up. I know golfers try to turn their shoulders 90 degress on a backswing, but their hips only about 45 degrees. Turning the hips too much on the backswing loses power.

The part of my body I was feeling kinda sore in was my lower left abdominals and just above the front part of my left hip. Just thought I'd share all this in case it helps anyone else.
good post, especially on sorenes. i worry about back pains from that position of having ur hips squared and ur chest not to squaring ur chest rapidly, mostly cus of my back problems.
anyone knwo if this might happen?

[CoachK]

Ragnut, I did misread you're post, sorry about that. This will all come as you get more and more comfortable with your stick. You'll just start to do it without thinking about it.

I started playing attack because I was horrible at defense, and never learned a crank shot. I ended up being a decent defender (because of riding) after college, and now play middie. I had to learn a crank shot at that point, sidearm was the way I went. I focused so much on it I couldn't shoot with much power on the run, and I hung my stick badly. 3/4 ended up being ugly, and hand very little power, so I went and worked with another coach on my shooting on the run. I learned a lot from him, and can shoot harder overhand than I ever did sidearm. I left that fundamental behind, and it really hurt me for over half a season. Now the only sidearm shots I take are around defenders (to screen the goalie), and my game is much improved (again) from it. I just don't want a lot of you guys to make the same mistakes us old guys have made.