Lacrosse Forums

It seems to me that I shoot a lot harder with my side-arm shot then I do with my overhand shot. Is this normal? I was thinking about just using my side-arm and perfecting it if it's gonna be a harder shot... But people keep telling me to only use overhand... Opinion?

most coaches will get mad at you if you shoot sidearm. If you can execute it, and its as good or better than other people's overhand shot, then keep doing it. coaches can't argue if your posting goals.

Most people cant shoot sidearm or miss the goal, so coaches get pissed when thier players miss easy goals because they shot sidearm. But if you can pull it off, then keep doing it.

I know a lot of kids with harder sidearm shots

It feels more natural, so most kids do it. If you played baseball or golf, it should feel better than overhand. There is a place in the game for sidearm and even underhand shots. You should be able to do them all. That said, I'd rather have 1 great shot, than 3 okay shots, so choose your own practice time wisely.

As a coach, we want you to shoot overhand for a few reasons, 1 being you don't miss wide. If you shoot far pipe from 7 yards and you're off a little bit, your shot can still go in, just a little lower or higher than you intended. If you shot the same shot sidearm, you would either hit the goalie or miss the cage if you were off just a little bit. Shooting sidearm is also tough if you're running North/South. Getting your hips involved is problematic, besides the fact you'd hang your stick. If you were shooting over hand, the stick isn't hung before shooting, and you can get a good shoulder turn, and more power. Running East/West or standing standing still getting power is easier sidearm, but the first problem I listed still exists. With practice, you can shoot harder overhand than sidearm, and you wouldn't be the first person to do so.

I couldn't have said the problems with sidearm shooting any better than CoachK did.

Zerov, give overhand shooting a shot. If you still really wanna shoot sidearm, then practice it a lot. You can fix many of the problems coaches do not like kids to use sidearm shots in your shooting technique. Practice and get comfortable shooting sidearm, to the point where you will NOT miss on net.

It's sorta a double standard IMO. If someone misses overhand, coaches won't be that bugged. But if you miss shooting a sidearm shot, coaches will get really pissed off and blame it all because you shot the ball sidearm. Its true that shooting is more accurate with overhand shots, but sometimes a shot will miss one way or another.

Anyway, repetitions are key in sidearm shooting. Shoot a lot during your free time, and don't be afraid to rip shots. Get comfortable wit hthe way your stick releases the ball, and then make it so your body will get used to shooting so you will NOT miss left or right. And if you're shooting sidearm, it better be really fast and hard. If you can shoot just as fast overhand, then a coach will make you shoot that way.

Also, practice on ball protection and having a quick windup on sidearm shooting. Another advantage of overhand shooting is that its fairly easy to shoot quickly with it. With sidearm, its not always the case.

If you show up to practice with a very polished sidearm shot, then a coach doesn't have much to complain about (but that still doesn't mean he won't complain...)

I forgot to mention that if I were learning to shoot again, I would learn underhand before sidearm. I before practice i spend about 10 minutes a day working on either, and even helping the kids with them. Our best shooter shot sidearm this past year, but he was accurate, and shot hard. He could shoot literally from the top of the box. He's taking a year off to go to another school, but I finally convinced a different middie to shoot straight over the top. He's way more consistent, and shoots just as hard, with a quicker release, and he can do it moving with no ill effects.

Underhand shots are probably my favorite, especially if you can do it on the run. They can throw off a goalie if you can go low to high well, and the goalie has a tendency to drop low. In my last game, the goalie didn't move low very well, so overhand shooting low was the best bet. The game before, sidearm was the trick, it froze the goalie. I like my players to have all the shots in their bag, but you have to know when to use them. If you choose the wrong shot to look cool, you're new position will be left bench. When you're at practice, I'd appease your coach, and work on overhand on his time. Before practice, after practice, and your own time, play with it.

only problems with side-arm shots are that most kids can't do it when they think they can and that usually your shot wont change plains, thus making it easy for the goalie to save.

it depends on the situation. if the d guy is playing off you and you see you have a shot you want to shoot side arm because overhand will probably just hit him or if you dont have a good angle which you shouldnt be shooting anyway, but in most other situations you want to shoot overhand because its easier to control and more accurate shot placement is more important then speed

Sidearm is more likely to mess up your elbow also. But i do also find it harder and sometimes it is even my most accurate shot. I try to avoid sub shots, but overhand is definetely what the most people have success with.

Get good at shooting from all angles (sidearm, 3/4, underhand, etc.) , and with both hands. This way goalies wont know what to expect from you from any range.

Just to tell you, from a d man's point of view, its much easier to pla a man with a sidearm shot. you can get the ball away alot easier.

I understand that some of you say that most coaches will hate a sidearm or underhand shot but this was my firstyt year with real competition and i really started to use my underhand shot alot and my coached loved it. I scored a aton and rerely went wide so he didnt care and no one else has ever gotten mad at me for it.

most ppl's sidearm shots are harder, but not many people use it so much because it is really in-accurate since ur going from side to side instead of up and down

a correctly done overhand shot is MUCH harder/faster than any sidearm shot. (and more accurate)

i disagree my overhand shot is pretty good if i may say so an so is my side arm, and my sidearm is harder