Showing posts with label wall ball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wall ball. Show all posts
December 31, 2012
UMD Lacrosse Day
A video that two 11 year olds from Duluth filmed and edited of themselves playing lacrosse, wall ball and shooting on the UMD campus. This should motivate you lacrosse players out there to get out the sticks and hit the wall! These little guys are making wall ball fun!
February 27, 2012
Practicing Off a Wall Pays Off
By Craig Haley
Play SportsTV Managing Editor
“A lacrosse player’s best friend,” says Salisbury University men’s lacrosse coach Jim Berkman, who has won the most games in NCAA history, “is a nice concrete wall that he can throw the ball off for endless hours and numerous times.
“The kids that throw the ball off the wall are able to motivate themselves to do that for hours upon end (and) are usually the kids that separate themselves in the game of lacrosse.”
It sounds so simple, but it’s true. The gym rats of lacrosse usually become its top players because they work the hardest on their craft.
There aren’t enough youth lacrosse coaches to keep up with the sport’s growing popularity among kids lax players today. So in addition to playing on teams or attending camps, the best players have to keep working on their lacrosse skills and figuring out their moves. Throwing a ball off a wall is a great way to work on eye-hand coordination, strengthen wrists and develop lacrosse stick skills.
“Anybody who has ever been any good in lacrosse has always had a great stick,” says Berkman, who won eight Division III titles in his first 20 years at Salisbury University. “A great-stick kid just never puts his stick down. He’s always got his stick wherever he goes, he’s always playing catch with his buddies, with his dad, he’s throwing the ball off the wall all the time and he has a routine where he loves to go shoot off the wall, he loves to go shoot on the net. And he’s doing it with both hands all the time. It seems that those kids who have that drive and determination and love for the game, that never put their sticks down and always have it in their hands where it becomes an extension of their arm instead of a foreign object, end up being the ones with the best skills.”
The more a lacrosse player practices throwing off a wall, the better. While standing 5 to 10 yards away from the wall - and eventually farther - it’s important to be creative. A player can work with a quick stick throw, on the backhand or while in motion. He should work on both hands – throwing with one hand and catching with the other, incorporating dodge moves and reversing the stick handle, or just using the same hand for the catch and throw, and then switching his handle. Do the work in sets, and above all do a lot of wall-ball lacrosse throwing.
Play SportsTV Managing Editor
 |
| Salisbury University lacrosse coach Jim Berkman |
“The kids that throw the ball off the wall are able to motivate themselves to do that for hours upon end (and) are usually the kids that separate themselves in the game of lacrosse.”
It sounds so simple, but it’s true. The gym rats of lacrosse usually become its top players because they work the hardest on their craft.
There aren’t enough youth lacrosse coaches to keep up with the sport’s growing popularity among kids lax players today. So in addition to playing on teams or attending camps, the best players have to keep working on their lacrosse skills and figuring out their moves. Throwing a ball off a wall is a great way to work on eye-hand coordination, strengthen wrists and develop lacrosse stick skills.
“Anybody who has ever been any good in lacrosse has always had a great stick,” says Berkman, who won eight Division III titles in his first 20 years at Salisbury University. “A great-stick kid just never puts his stick down. He’s always got his stick wherever he goes, he’s always playing catch with his buddies, with his dad, he’s throwing the ball off the wall all the time and he has a routine where he loves to go shoot off the wall, he loves to go shoot on the net. And he’s doing it with both hands all the time. It seems that those kids who have that drive and determination and love for the game, that never put their sticks down and always have it in their hands where it becomes an extension of their arm instead of a foreign object, end up being the ones with the best skills.”
The more a lacrosse player practices throwing off a wall, the better. While standing 5 to 10 yards away from the wall - and eventually farther - it’s important to be creative. A player can work with a quick stick throw, on the backhand or while in motion. He should work on both hands – throwing with one hand and catching with the other, incorporating dodge moves and reversing the stick handle, or just using the same hand for the catch and throw, and then switching his handle. Do the work in sets, and above all do a lot of wall-ball lacrosse throwing.
November 11, 2011
Wall Ball: Get in Your Touches!
Are you getting in your touches in the off-season? Have you played a lot of wall ball? This video will help you get in your touches. Always have a stick in your hand, you never know where the opportunity to get a little "wall ball" in will arise...
March 27, 2011
Practice! Drills to Do on Your Own or With a Parent or Friend
More from Coach B
To improve, it's essential that players practice their game on their own. High school lacrosse players may only practice 6-8 hours per week. On non practice days, players should work cradling, scooping and throwing/catching/shooting on their own.
Whether a player teams up with some other teammates, practices with a parent or just works on his own, the benefits of working fundamentals outside practice will pay dividends as the season progresses. Self practice can be nothing more than standing and cradling a ball in the stick (on both sides) for a few minutes. It can be nothing more than tossing a ball on the grass, running and scooping it up over and over. Any little thing helps. Below are a bunch of different drills that a player can do on his/her own and with the participation of a parent, sibling, or friend.
Drills For Player To Do On His/Her Own
1. Wall Ball Drill
Stage 1 – Quick Stick/Rapid Fire: Line up 3-5 yds from a concrete wall or LAX WALL. First, throw 50 right side throws and catches without cradling. After completing 50 right side throws and catches, do the same with the left side. Notice that I didn’t say start with your strong or dominant hand. With “wall ball” anything you do right side, you follow up with left side. This Stage allows the player to work on quick sticks, hand-eye coordination and timing. The player will become better about getting rid of the ball in a timely fashion without even noticing it by practicing this Stage.
Stage 2 – 10-12 Yard Passing: Line up 10-12 yds from the wall. Start with 30 right hand throws, which will come back to you on one bounce. When player retrieves ball from the one bounce, cradle one, then follow up with the next throw to the wall. After completing 30 right hand throws, do 30 on the left. (Depending on the player’s age, you should adjust the distance from the wall accordingly)
Stage 3 – Throwing and Catching On The Run: This drill can’t be performed on the LAX WALL you buy at the store. This drill requires a long concrete wall, such as the side of a school building. First, line up 5-7 yds from the wall on the far left side of the wall. Typically I begin this drill with the stick in my right hand and while I run along side the wall (towards the other end), I throw the ball and catch it on the run. The important aspect is to throw the ball on the run and not always catch it on the stick side. During practices and games, the player does not always receive a pass on the stick side so when training with this drill, the player should throw the ball against the wall and catch it cross hand (or across the face). After running one length of the wall, run back to the other end throwing left handed (doing the same thing as you did with the right hand). Keep going back and forth for about 5 minutes. (see last page for a typical Wall Ball workout)
Stage 4 – Shooting: line up approximately 12-15 yds from the wall. Get into proper shooting formation (hands loose and high, three quarter/overhand motion, snapping hips, and following through) mark a few places on the wall with tape or chalk to aim at. Shoot at about 80% effort, having the ball come back to you on one bounce. Depending on where the player aims, the ball may take bounces that aren’t the same so the player will have to work a little bit to retrieve the balls. Start with 25 right, and follow up with 25 left.
2. Throwing
Proper form is to throw over the top. Drills to help reinforce this:
1. Basic Catching and Throwing
Wall Ball Routine
25-30 minutes (the immediately below drills can be done on a Lax Wall or actual wall such as at a school)
50 quick stick R hand
50 quick stick L hand
50 quick stick alt. hands
50 1 handed R
50 1 handed L
50 catch, cradle R hand
50 catch, cradle L hand
50 forehands to cross hand R to L
50 forehands to cross hand L to R
50 throw R catch L, throw L catch R
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw R catch R
Run back throw L catch L
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw L catch cross hand
Run back throw R catch cross hand
All drills to be done with gloves and helmet
To improve, it's essential that players practice their game on their own. High school lacrosse players may only practice 6-8 hours per week. On non practice days, players should work cradling, scooping and throwing/catching/shooting on their own.
Whether a player teams up with some other teammates, practices with a parent or just works on his own, the benefits of working fundamentals outside practice will pay dividends as the season progresses. Self practice can be nothing more than standing and cradling a ball in the stick (on both sides) for a few minutes. It can be nothing more than tossing a ball on the grass, running and scooping it up over and over. Any little thing helps. Below are a bunch of different drills that a player can do on his/her own and with the participation of a parent, sibling, or friend.
Drills For Player To Do On His/Her Own
1. Wall Ball Drill
Stage 1 – Quick Stick/Rapid Fire: Line up 3-5 yds from a concrete wall or LAX WALL. First, throw 50 right side throws and catches without cradling. After completing 50 right side throws and catches, do the same with the left side. Notice that I didn’t say start with your strong or dominant hand. With “wall ball” anything you do right side, you follow up with left side. This Stage allows the player to work on quick sticks, hand-eye coordination and timing. The player will become better about getting rid of the ball in a timely fashion without even noticing it by practicing this Stage.
Stage 2 – 10-12 Yard Passing: Line up 10-12 yds from the wall. Start with 30 right hand throws, which will come back to you on one bounce. When player retrieves ball from the one bounce, cradle one, then follow up with the next throw to the wall. After completing 30 right hand throws, do 30 on the left. (Depending on the player’s age, you should adjust the distance from the wall accordingly)
Stage 3 – Throwing and Catching On The Run: This drill can’t be performed on the LAX WALL you buy at the store. This drill requires a long concrete wall, such as the side of a school building. First, line up 5-7 yds from the wall on the far left side of the wall. Typically I begin this drill with the stick in my right hand and while I run along side the wall (towards the other end), I throw the ball and catch it on the run. The important aspect is to throw the ball on the run and not always catch it on the stick side. During practices and games, the player does not always receive a pass on the stick side so when training with this drill, the player should throw the ball against the wall and catch it cross hand (or across the face). After running one length of the wall, run back to the other end throwing left handed (doing the same thing as you did with the right hand). Keep going back and forth for about 5 minutes. (see last page for a typical Wall Ball workout)
Stage 4 – Shooting: line up approximately 12-15 yds from the wall. Get into proper shooting formation (hands loose and high, three quarter/overhand motion, snapping hips, and following through) mark a few places on the wall with tape or chalk to aim at. Shoot at about 80% effort, having the ball come back to you on one bounce. Depending on where the player aims, the ball may take bounces that aren’t the same so the player will have to work a little bit to retrieve the balls. Start with 25 right, and follow up with 25 left.
2. Throwing
Proper form is to throw over the top. Drills to help reinforce this:
- Throw against a wall on one knee (if right-handed, kneel on right knee). When throwing side-arm, the ball will automatically spin, making it difficult to catch on the return. The player will also hit himself on the left thigh with the butt of the stick. This is how to reinforce proper over the top throwing.
- Kneel 2 feet from a wall and practice throwing motion. This will force the overhand throw.
- Scatter some balls on the grass and run and scoop. Emphasis should be on stick position being almost parallel to ground and head should scoop through the ball.
- Roll balls out against wall and scoop them up on the return (bring stick up to protected position)
- Practice both right and left handed scoops
- Player uses natural surroundings such as a tree to practice various dodges.
- Player very simply practices cradling on both right and left, switching hands every 2-3 minutes
- Set up cones or markers on a field or in back yard and practice running around each cone with cradling ball in stick. Player should try and switch hands as player rounds each cone. After getting comfortable with this, players should do this at full speed (game-like situation)
1. Basic Catching and Throwing
- Stand 15 feet apart and have a catch. If parent is not skilled with a lacrosse stick, he/she can use a baseball mitt. Player should practice catching and throwing on both right and left sides. Be sure throwing is over the shoulder and not side arm.
- Parent rolls balls out to player, player scoops with proper technique and tosses ball back to parent. This drill can be performed with parent standing at different angles to player (such as the 3:00 and 9:00 positions (left and right sides)).
- Parent places ball on ground, stands with a stick over the ball and has player scoop through. This allows player to develop skill of scooping throw crowded or tight situations.
- If you have a goal or net in your back yard, or you go to a school that leaves a goal out on the field, have the player catch a pass from various spots (thrown by the parent) and shoot on the goal.
- Stand about 5 yds from the side of the goal, have player cut around a cone placed at different points near the goal crease, player should catch and shoot on the turn.
- Have player start behind goal. Parent in front. Yell “go” or “break” and have player come around from the back. Feed player a pass as player is parallel with goal line and then shoot. Do this with player coming both from right and left sides of goal.
- Have player stand about 5-7 yds in front of goal with back turned to goal. Parent should be positioned on side of goal. Parent yells “turn” and immediately feeds a pass to the player who turns catches and shoots. This allows the young player to develop skills for finding the ball in flight, catching and shooting. (be sure player wears a helmet for this drill).
Wall Ball Routine
25-30 minutes (the immediately below drills can be done on a Lax Wall or actual wall such as at a school)
50 quick stick R hand
50 quick stick L hand
50 quick stick alt. hands
50 1 handed R
50 1 handed L
50 catch, cradle R hand
50 catch, cradle L hand
50 forehands to cross hand R to L
50 forehands to cross hand L to R
50 throw R catch L, throw L catch R
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw R catch R
Run back throw L catch L
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw L catch cross hand
Run back throw R catch cross hand
All drills to be done with gloves and helmet
March 17, 2011
March 16, 2011
Is It Too Late to Start Playing Lacrosse?
Lacrosse is a skill sport that takes time to master throwing, catching, shooting and cradling. But, if you're a good athlete and really want to play lacrosse, you can definitely do it. And, after playing a little while, you WILL love the game and will REALLY want to play it! Of course, starting in 2nd grade is the best option, but if that wasn't an option for you or your kid, they can still play this great game...and become pretty good at it if they're willing to work.
It's really all about touches. Coach B on his Coach B's Lacrosse Blog explains, "I talked to a coach one time that had success converting baseball and football players to lacrosse as late as the varsity level. He basically figured out how many touches his experienced players had in their life time and came up with an approximate number. If a kid has been playing lax since 5th grade, it is safe to say he's had 15,000 touches. His plan - get the new guys to "catch up".
Coach B goes on to say, "30 sessions of wall ball with 500 touches = 15,000. If you start a player indoor in November with only 2 sessions a week he will have 15,000 by March 1st. If he gets 3 sessions in a week with 500 touches a day that's 24,000 touches. 500 touches can be done in a relatively short time."
So, if you're new to the sport of lacrosse, or even if you're not, get in your touches! It will make you a better player, allow you to catch up to those who have been playing longer than you, and help you succeed as a lacrosse player.
Check out Coach B's Lacrosse Blog.
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