How to grip your lacrosse stick
Before you start slinging lasers on the lacrosse field, you have to learn the two primary ways of holding your lacrosse stick. When gripping your lacrosse stick, your hand that controls most of the throwing motion will be closer to your lacrosse head while your other hand will be by the butt end of your lacrosse stick. Depending on whether you're cradling with your lacrosse stick or passing the rock, your hands will be in different positions that help with control and skill.
How to hold a lacrosse shaft when cradling
When cradling a , you will want to place your dominant hand near the top of your lacrosse shaft and your non-dominant hand near the butt-end of your lacrosse shaft. This wide grip allows you to protect the entire lacrosse shaft from checks and get a full cradle.
How to hold a lacrosse shaft when passing
Throwing a lacrosse ball is one of the four primary skills that have and one that you will want to practice a lot if you're new to lacrosse. When shooting or passing a lacrosse ball, you will want to choke up on your lacrosse shaft compared to when you're cradling the ball, where your hands are farther apart.
Keys to Success
- The higher your primary hand is when gripping the lacrosse shaft, the less power you will have when passing or shooting the lacrosse ball.
- On the other hand, if you move your primary hand too far down the lacrosse shaft, you will lose control and the ball during your cradle.
How to Throw a Lacrosse Ball in Men's and Women's Lacrosse
There are three easy steps to follow to throw a lacrosse ball properly.
- Start angled 45 degrees to the wall the player your practicing with and have a shoulder-width stance.
- If you're right-handed, your left foot will lead your stance
- If your left-handed, your right foot will lead your stance
- When pulling pack your lacrosse stick to release a pass, use your elbow for a guide to place the lacrosse ball where you want it.
- If your left-handed, use your right elbow
- If your right-handed, use your left elbow
- When releasing your lacrosse, pass step with your left foot first if your right-handed and your right foot first if you're left-handed. While taking a step, use your body's natural momentum to push with your primary hand and pull with your non-dominant hand.
Keys to success
- You wouldn't practice for your math test with a calculator if you weren't allowed to use one! Practicing catching and throwing on the run is one of the most significant opportunities to develop excellent lacrosse ball handlers. Practicing moving on the run helps lacrosse players develop vision, quickness, and anticipation. So don't practice while standing still; always be moving.
- Patience is a virtue! It takes time to become great at anything, but becoming proficient is relatively quick! Stay the course and put in the work, and you will be turning heads at practice this spring.