Shooting is easily the most fun skill to work on in lacrosse, but one that isn’t as easy as it seems. Whether you are an offensive or defensive player, everyone wants to score. Shooting is also one of the essential skills you need to be an offensive threat. Luckily, getting better is as easy as ripping some cheddar by yourself, or with a friend or two.
Lacrosse Shooting Tips
There are also so many drills you can do to improve your shooting and become a better player even if you are new to lacrosse. You can even make up your own drills and get as creative as you want. It will never hurt to pick up the stick and get some shots off, so never make any excuses to not shoot.
How to Improve Your Lacrosse Shot
When you’re shooting you always want to keep your form and technique in mind. You want to work on shooting from both sides of the field, along with both hands, and shoot smarter rather than harder. Changing levels of your shot to make it much more difficult for the goalie to save is also a skill you should practice. If you start high shoot low, and vice versa. Lacrosse Bounce shots are even more effective because the ball changes more levels and can be very unpredictable. They are always the hardest shots to save and the best for scoring a lot.
For the best form, mainly work on shooting overhand with the correct fundamentals. This means keeping your elbows away from your chest for outside shots and rotating your midsection. Remember to snap your wrists when you release to add more power to your shot. Inside and outside shots need strong wrist movement to be accurate and fast enough to score. Also, be sure to incorporate your whole body into your power shots. Crow-hop into your windup, and throw with your body. Rotate through the shot correctly, and you might be facing away from the goal after a severe rip.
Another pro tip is to change the variety of your shots often in games and practice. Keep the lacrosse goalie guessing by being unpredictable and versatile. If you can only hit one corner, they only need to protect that one corner. Improve your accuracy and scoring chances by focusing on the best spots on the goal. The corners and the goalie’s off-hip are your best bets, and when you aim small you miss small.
Lacrosse Shooting Drills For Solo Work
All of these drills are quickly done by yourself; however, you can always add a partner or two. Adding another player will also help you get in some passing work, which can never hurt. You won’t always have a buddy to shoot with you, so don’t rely on a partner to get in some work, even though it can be more fun. If you have one, use a lacrosse rebounder, wall, or stone to get some catches when shooting alone. The more skills you can work on at once, the more well-rounded and complete your game will be. If you already have a lacrosse rebounder check out our lacrosse wall ball routines!
Shooting Drills That’ll Turn You Into A True Shooter
Step Downs – place a cone around 10 yards up and 5 yards out from GLE on each side. Approach each cone in a crow hop shooting with both hands at each cone. You need to work on inside and outside handed shots with both hands to maximize your range. You can use a friend or bounce-back to get your quick releases off here too. Use plenty of locations as well so you can be prepared to rip from anywhere.
Quick Hitch – put a cone down on the field anywhere above the goal past 7 yards. The cone will simulate a defender approaching you. Run towards the cone at full speed and do a quick hitch once you reach it. A hitch is a quick plant and fake that can be as simple as moving to a shooting position. Then immediately continue running to an open spot to shoot.
Lacrosse Shots on the Run – One of the most important shots in higher levels of play is the on the run shot. Sprint down both alleys shooting only with your outside hand to practice on the run shots. You can also sweep over the top and shoot with your outside hand too. Shooting with your inside hand on the run is impractical because a defender will be on you and you don’t get a good rotation for power. Practice these often because being able to shoot on the run in lacrosse is crucial and can make you easily standout early on. If you need to work on your speed, check out our tips on how to get faster.
Lacrosse Shooting Tips & Tricks
Behind the Back Lax Shot: running/cutting behind the back shots, or standing behind the back shots are all useful. Shooting behind the back just gives you another shooting option. Sometimes it can be a wide-open shot choice if you can’t shoot normally. You want to focus on keeping your hands in a natural position, twist your hips, and throw with your shoulder and wrists. Your top hand should control most of the shot, while the bottom hand supports it. If you end up shooting a behind the back shot in lacrosse during a game be sure to connect or your coach may not be happy. It is a useful skill, but one you shouldn’t bring to a game unless you are confident in your ability.
Lacrosse Power Shots – a good way to work on your power and your form is to practice shooting on your knees. Focus on using your entire upper body in the shot and follow-through around your body. One knee and both knees will help strengthen your core and make you a much stronger shooter.
Faking Your Shot, Then Shooting – when you’re too close to the goal and the goalie is covering it well, using a fake can get you an open shot. This skill is best for catching passes on the doorstep, but also useful for a shot from a dodge. Either way, get to a shooting position you would normally try to reach and fake a shot before actually shooting. Once you’re going to shoot be sure to place the shot somewhere besides where you faked too. Normally the opposite place on the goal is best and will help you score the most
Lacrosse Shooting Drills for Attackmen
Question Marks from X – Lacrosse Attackmen should start with cones at 5 yards up 5 yards out on both sides of the goal. Reps begin at X where you’ll attack one side of the goal, roll back at GLE, and then attack the other side. If you start going towards the right, you’ll end up shooting at the left cone. When you reach the cone, quickly roll into your other hand and get off a shot. Many attackmen, especially Rob Pannell, use this constantly and elevate when releasing the shot.
Turning the Corner from X – start with the ball at X and make a move while you approach the back of the goal. Have a cone a slightly higher than GLE and attack it once you practice a dodge. Use your body to shield your release as you rise above GLE and aim for the farthest two corners. An overhand release is best recommended for hiding your release, but a sidearm shot greatly improves your angle.
