A great tips on passing practice.

Finding camps is helpful. Playing in summer leagues and tournaments is terrific, but there is a whole summer to learn and there are times when you have only yourself (and a wall) of a buddy.

Here are some great thoughts from howtoplaylax.com

Watch and read their thoughts and then go have fun experimenting. Keep good form, but have fun trying new things.

Watch the video and read:

From the website How to play lax howtopalylax.com

http://howtoplaylax.com/ADVANCED/ADVANCED/HOW%20TO%20PLAY%20LACROSSE%20ADVANCED%20THROWING.html

ADVANCED THROWING INSTRUCTION

It is important for an intermediate player to continue to work on his throwing everyday. Using the drills that this manual outlines for a beginner is a good way for an intermediate player to warm-up or practice on his own every day. One-armed passing is a great way for an intermediate player to continue to strengthen his forearms for shooting and overall stick control.

There are a few more advanced throwing techniques that an intermediate player can learn. The first is throwing with a three-quarter-arm motion. This means that instead of throwing with the stick head straight up in the air and throwing with a completely over the top motion, the player will drop the stick head slightly off his shoulder and throw with the stick pointing to the sky at a 45 degree angle.

Many players at the top levels shoot with their stick at a 45-degree angle because it gives them many advantages. First, it hides the ball from the goalie much like an overhand shot, while also allowing the player to get more velocity on his shot. Also, throwing with a three-quarter motion is easier to do on the run than a direct overhand throwing motion. Intermediate players can begin to incorporate three-quarter motion into their wall-ball, passing with a partner, and line drills.

The next throwing technique that an intermediate player should learn is sidearm throwing. Many coaches tell their players to never throw sidearm. While at times, throwing sidearm is unnecessary and can be a little less accurate, it can still be an important skill for a player to have. It makes it easier to throw around defenders, can add some extra power to a player’s shot, and can be a good change-up for a shot on the run. Instead of yelling at players and telling them not to throw sidearm, coaches should help them learn how to do it correctly and encourage them to use it in the right situations. Make sure they practice before using the sidearm throw in game situations. Like learning overhand, they should practice throwing sidearm with a friend or against a wall with one and two hands. When throwing sidearm, players have to understand that it is more a flick of the wrist than anything else. This is why it is extremely important for them to extend their arms and have their hands away from their body when they throw sidearm.

The final throwing motion that an intermediate player should learn is the underhand throw. Learning to throw underhand can come in helpful when making a quick pass off of groundballs. It is also a great shot for a player to have in his repertoire. Like three-quarter and sidearm throwing, it is important to practice throwing one-handed with one and two hands against a wall or with a partner. Much like throwing sidearm, throwing underhand is mostly just a flick of the wrists with the hands extended away from the body. The head of the stick is dropped below the waist and can almost turn completely upside down depending on how good the player gets at throwing underhand. The underhand shot can be highly effective for fooling goalies. Dropping your stick and shooting a low to high shot is a great way for a player to change it up on a goalie.

With all of these throwing techniques the player must learn to always start with his stick in the “ready position”. Most intermediate players will try to begin their throwing motion with the head of their stick starting at the wrong point. Whether throwing three quarters, sidearm or underhand the head of the stick should always start up by the player’s head and execute the same push/pull motion described in the beginner section.

The further a player gets away from throwing overhand, the less accurate he becomes. Coaches should not discourage players from using these techniques because all of these throwing motions give him more options and make him a well-rounded lacrosse player. The fact is that to be good at them, the player has to practice frequently. Players do not miss the goal or throw the ball out of bounds because they throw underhand or sidearm. They make these mistakes because they do not practice these throwing motions enough. Encourage them to work on these throwing motions in practice and on their own and help them understand different situations when it is advantageous to use them. If they understand that over-hand is the most accurate way to throw, but sidearm is a good way to throw around your defender, then they will use sidearm sparingly with good judgment. Remember, the more players can do with their sticks, the more fun they are going to have playing lacrosse. Encourage them to experiment and have fun with the game. And don’t forget to have them practice these skills with both hands

After you learn how to throw well utilizing these fundamentals, then you can move on to some of our more advanced skills featured in our VIDEO section.

KEYS

1 | Always start from the ready position

2 | Practice without a ball first, then with one hand, two hands, and so on

3 | Bad Habits: dropping the head of the stick before passing