Exercises for Lacrosse Players to Shoot Harder
So, you wanna shoot harder?
It’s no secret that lacrosse players are consistently trying to improve their shot power. We all know the player who scores goals simply because he can completely let it rip when he’s got the ball.
And the truth is, you’d probably add more goals this season if you were shooting harder too.
This is why elite players are focusing on consistently refining their shot mechanics, creating a smoother release, getting the ball out of the pocket quicker.
But eventually players realize that it’s not all technique.
This is when players reach out to us to ask “what can I do in the gym to shoot harder?”
While shooting mechanics is vital – you need to be developing the strength and power that you can utilize in your shot. Otherwise you’re building an F1 car and putting in a Honda Civic engine.
We created this article to give the exact exercises that will help you develop that F1 engine by developing strength & power in the kinetic chains that will specifically translate to shooting harder.
We’ll going to be breaking this into 3 sections:
- Strength Exercises to Shoot Harder
- Power-Based Exercises for Increased Shot Velocity
- Mobility Exercises to Improve Shot Mechanics
So let’s dive in!
Strength Based Exercises
Power starts with strength. Literally.
Power is defined by the body’s ability to generate force (strength) with speed. So, while lacrosse players often turn to weighted ball exercises and power exercises – it’s vital to be developing the foundational and functional strength that will allow for more force generation.
Before we dive in, it’s important to note that we want lacrosse players to focus on full-body strength as much as possible.
Pallof Press
The Pallof Press is one of the single most valuable core exercises for lacrosse players.
Considered an “anti-rotation” exercise, we use this exercise religiously in our lacrosse programs to challenge players’ capacity to brace their core as much as possible. In addition to letting players play stronger, it also allows them to develop the musculature responsible for shooting.
This can be done with either a cable or a band – and we’ll typically use it for 10-12 reps with a focus on completely eliminating rotation.
Half Kneeling Chop
The Chop is similar to Pallof Presses, but adds in actual rotation.
We love this in the “half kneel” position because it allows lacrosse players to really brace their core and lock in, while also challenging them to create the rotation from their upper back.
It might not look like it, but this exercise directly trains all of the musculature and rotational chains used in a lacrosse shot, making it insanely valuable.
Again, this can be done with either a cable or band – make sure you’re squeezing your abs and getting strong.
Face Pull
The Face Pull is insanely valuable for lacrosse players.
All Lacrosse Players should have heavy pull-based exercises like chin-ups or off bench rows in their program – but they also need to focus on targeting the small muscles of the back and shoulders (i.e. the rotator cuffs) that support shoulder strength and stability.
This is an exercise we put in all programs for lacrosse players – almost weekly.
This exercise mainly hits the rear deltoids, rhomboids mid-traps, along with the muscles of the rotator cuffs. Overall, insanely valuable for lacrosse players to develop the strength they need to improve their shoulder posture, biomechanics, and strength/power expression while shooting.
We like to see players using higher reps for this exercise and focusing on movement quality – where they squeeze their shoulders blades back, hold for a couple of seconds, and then slowly control back.
Incline Chest Press
Alright, so at this point you’re probably looking to see if Bench Press is on the list.
While it’s a favourite for all athletes because it gives them a chance to throw up serious weight – it’s far from the best exercise for lacrosse players to develop push-based strength and is arguly putting them are greater risk than reward.
Instead, we love the Incline Chest Press.
Dumbbells allow for greater shoulder stability demand and unilateral strength development. While the incline allows for greater shoulder recruitment. Together this makes the Incline Press far more valuable than the bench press.
This can still be heavy – and should be in all lacrosse players programs.
More reading:
- Top Upper Body Exercises for Lacrosse Players
- Top Lower Body Exercises for Lacrosse Players
- Top Core Exercises for Lacrosse Players
- Best Shoulder Exercises for Lacrosse Players
Power Based Exercises
Alright, so while it’s essential to be developing a strength foundation that will give you more fire power in your shot – you also need to be developing the capacity to express this strength and rapidly and explosively as possible.
It’s important for these exercises to be done with a maximal contraction. While some players see the power exercises as high speed, in reality, we want to hit every rep with as much intensity as we can possibly express. Much like a lacrosse shot, the goal for these types of exercises are to fire as agressively as possible. We’re challenging the nervous system’s capacity to fire with as much force and as fast as possible.
While many Coaches over complicate this with complex olympic lifts or using technology like force plates – the reality is that we see the best results with simple exercises done with this maximum rep intensity.
Here’s some of our favorites that we include in all of our lacrosse player programs:
Rotational Ball Slam
While we also use the classic “Ball Slam” exercise a ton, we love this rotational variation because it directly challenges the musculature and kinetic chains related to shooting a lacrosse ball.
We really want to emphasize maximum contraction with each rep here and creating an ultra braced core. The entire intention of this exercise is to practice full body power expression, so make sure you’re really firing here!
Rotational Ball Throw
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This exercise is ultra popular with baseball and lacrosse strength coaches, and for good reason – it allows you to generate as much rotational power as possible.
When we give this exercise to lacrosse players, we actually like to keep the ball on the lighter side (6, 8, or 10lbs) because the goal isn’t challenge the strength of the movement, but refine your rotational capacity and the biomechanics related to generating as much rotational power as possible.
This is one where you can really let it rip.
Landmine Rotational Press
Whenever a lacrosse player doesn’t have access to a ball or a wall to throw against – this is the exercise they need to have in their program.
While some players have likely used landmines in the past, this exercise isn’t as common but is insanely valuable in challenging the rotational chains.
For this exercise, we typically start light and focus on utilizing the entire body to create that rotational expression.
The whole premise of this exercise is “load and explode” – we don’t want to crush out reps, but instead explode through each one.
Dumbbell Scoop to Rotational Press
This exercise is much more of a sleeper. While the above exercises allow for more intensity and power expression, we wanted to include at least one exercise on this list that could be done with just dumbbells.
This exercise challenges rotation in a unique way because it encourages players to start the rotation through their lower body and then at a certain point flex the core and fire into a press.
While this isn’t the exact rotational demands as a lacrosse shot – this principle is super valuable for lacrosse players to refine and optimize.
Mobility Based Exercises
Can stretching help you shoot harder?
It might be a strange concept to most players, but the answer is – absolutely yes.
We’ve seen elite college players who have already elite shooting capacity who start reporting that their shot feels smoother and “cleaner” when they start focusing on the mobility program we give them in our Relentless Off-Season program.
Healthy range of motion allows for lacrosse players to create more wind up and range in their shot, while also allowing for more optimized movement patterns (not just in shooting, but literally every component of lacrosse).
This is why our programs focus on improving mobility each workout and on off-days.
While we have full articles that dive into mobility & stretching for lacrosse players, let’s look at the top 3 exercises that we see improve shot velocity.
Shoulder Dislocations
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Restricted shoulders create restricted shots.
If you can’t get into a healthy overhead range of motion, then you’ve limited your opportunity to generate power through your shot.
It’s kind of like pulling a bow and arrow only part way back and expecting it to release just as hard as a full range.
When it comes to shoulder mobility, this is by far the easiest way to release through the entire upper body. Whether you feel this through the chest or the front of your shoulders (you’ll feel it most wherever you’re tightest) this is the perfect release through the upper body.
Grab a band or even a broomstick and get some reps in daily.
Thread the Needle
Whenever we did movement screens on lacrosse teams, we’d see that well over 60% would fail a rotational back test.
This is surprising because lacrosse players need to have a healthy range of motion in their back in order to create more wind up in their shot.
This exercise addresses exactly that range of motion by challenging your ability to rotate through your torso. Really try to pause at the top and bottom of this movement and feel yourself trying to actively create more range.
T-Spine Book Openers
This is another rotational-based mobility exercise that’s insanely invaluable for improving your rotation.
By having your knee firmly on the ground for this exercise, you eliminate rotation in the lower back (which is healthy in most lacrosse players) and challenge your range of motion in the upper-back (which is restricted in most lacrosse players).
We have our lacrosse players do this nearly every workout and it pays massive dividends after just a few sessions.
Shoulder CAR
Shoulder mobility is essential for lacrosse players.
Coming back to that bow and arrow concept, when a player is restricted in their shoulders they limit their ability to utilize more range to generate more power.
For this exercise we really want our lacrosse players to go slow and controlled.
This exercise is not only about increasing range of motion, but also developing an increased range of control. Meaning that lacrosse players can more effectively control themselves and generate power from this end range of motion.
To Wrap it Up:
While refining your shot on the field is always priority number one, being able to develop the strength, power, and mobility off the field that translates is like increasing your horse power in your engine.
That’s why we put an emphasis on all of these exercises in our Lacrosse Off-Season Program – to develop a body built for explosive power. Whether it’s on our programs or creating your own program, all lacrosse players should be fitting these exercises into their workouts at least weekly!
How and Why to Tape Your Lacrosse Stick
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Get a strong grip on your lacrosse game with these tips on taping your stick.
A properly taped lacrosse stick could make a difference in your game. Speciifically, it could be the difference between a successful shot and your stick flying out of your hands and across the field.
From personal, pre-game rituals to guarding against the elements, discover why lacrosse players tape their sticks and how they do it.
BENEFITS OF TAPING A LACROSSE STICK
“Taping lacrosse shafts is a really important part of players’ games,” says Greg Kenneally, Co-founder of East Coast Dyes Lacrosse. “It’s a very personal touch and, for some people, it’s even a ritual they do before every single game.”
While taping may be part of some players’ pre-game routines in order to get focused, the biggest reason to tape your stick is for in-game benefits.
Lacrosse shafts can often be slick. This is especially the case when it’s raining or wet outside and you’re wearing your gloves. Taping your stick can help add grip so you can have a better handle on your stick, which could ultimately help improve the power you get on your shots.
For many players, taping can also act as a teaching aid. A common technique is to put tape where your bottom hand holds the stick and where your top hand naturally lands when you’re throwing or catching.
This way, your hand will find exactly where it needs to be while passing and shooting.
HOW TO TAPE
Taping your stick is a simple process that doesn’t require much gear. You can use lacrosse-specific tape, but any form of athletic tape can get the job done.
Before you begin taping your stick, you should wipe down the shaft with warm water to get rid of any dirt and debris so that the tape easily adheres. Be sure to dry your stick well before taping.
To tape your stick, follow these steps:
- Unroll a few inches of tape and begin wrapping it at the butt end of your stick. You should work your way from the bottom to the top of the shaft
- While rotating your stick, spiral the tape as tightly as possible around the shaft so that the tape is flat with no gaps
Once you have finished taping your shaft, tape over the butt end to help ensure it is locked into place.
Each player can individually decide how much tape they want and where they want that tape to be.
Some may choose to tape the entire stick, while others may focus only on the butt end.
“Where you put it is totally up to you, and I think that will evolve as you learn to play and go through in your career,” says Kenneally.
While your taping methods may change over the years, these tips can help you learn the basics of taping your lacrosse stick.
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📕 We are over the ocean. Book 1 – Yanina Logvin You look great, Kate! What are you doing tonight, Kate? Can I sit at your table, Kate?
And like this all day long. Blah blah blah, let me wipe your ass, Kate!
I’m leaning closer to the table and pretending to write when a tall blonde walks into the biology class and wobbles her way to an empty front row desk. Behind her, her boyfriend, Sean Renton, the new captain of the school’s lacrosse team, enters the classroom, and with a confident step catches up with the girl.
He almost stumbles as he rushes to pull her a chair and smiles a goofy smile when Keith Harding finally stops at her desk and slings her piggy pink GUCCI backpack off her shoulder.
Turning to Renton, she strokes his cheek gratefully and sits down while he stares at her like an idiot.
I look down and continue to diligently ink up a new notebook while waiting for the teacher, while my friend Trisha snorts loudly and rolls her eyes, contemplating this picture indignantly. Putting his fingers to his throat with a slingshot, he sticks out his tongue in disgust and says:
– Wow! I’m sick of them now! It remains only to scratch Renton behind the ear and check for dog reflexes. What if he, like Bolto, twitches his paw and whines? That would be a laugh! What a goat he is! I can’t stand being disappointed in people!
Trisha Jenkins and I have been friends since middle school and have never had a fight, so I have no secrets from a close friend. Although it is hardly a secret for anyone at this school that Sean and I met last year. For three whole months, until he was chosen as the captain of the Berkuts before the start of the summer holidays, and he and his friends left for a summer camp.
That’s when it all ended.
He returned from there a completely different person. Well, okay. No matter how it turned out for us, but I was not going to suffer for a guy who so easily forgot about me.
The summer has passed, and with the beginning of the graduation class and the need to think about a good certificate, the tears have dried up.
True, at first I could not understand why Renton disappeared so abruptly and stopped responding to my messages, but when I saw him at school in an embrace with another, I guessed.
Someone suddenly became extremely popular and liked it immensely. The simple Ashley Wilson no longer fit into his circle of friends, which means she became uninteresting, unlike the beauty Kate, the only daughter of the assistant to the mayor of Sandfield Rock, Iron Patricia Harding.
Of course, my heart burned with pain – I’m still a living person, and for a long time I considered Sean a good guy. However, I had the pride not to show anyone how upset I was and how painful it was to face the first betrayal in my life.
It’s like being turned inside out, touched by the soul… and then crushed without mercy, along with the glass chips, like a used paper bag, and thrown out to bleed.
In general, nothing good came out of my first relationship. But I learned a very important lesson in life: we always pay for our stupidity and trust ourselves. And whatever the cost of the lesson, I wasn’t going to turn into one of those abandoned girls who pine for their exes and shed bucketfuls of tears for the amusement of others.
You can’t wait!
The main thing is to survive this year and ridicule behind your back.
It’s good that Trisha and I are sitting in the middle row, the teacher is not there yet, and the class is noisy. Glancing at my friend, I shrug my shoulders and say, trying not to look at the happy couple:
– Come on, Trish. This is the graduating class. Less than a year later, school will be over. We will all part ways and forget who met whom and when. I’m just unlucky enough to be “one of”.
Think!
I even try to smile ruefully while half the class of students turn around curiously and squint in my direction.
– Welcome to the outcast club, Ashley! I say to myself jokingly. “This is just the beginning of life, so it’s time to get ready for surprises!”
“Well, I won’t forget, Ash,” Trisha retorts angrily and very seriously. “And you, I’m sure, too. Such a betrayal, you know, is hard to forget!
The sad smile immediately disappears from my face, followed by a heavy sigh.
Girlfriend is right, it’s hard to forget. It’s a double shot to kill and I’m still alive.
I look at the happy couple again, press my lips into a straight line, and then lower my head to the notebook.
Tricia Jenkins is one of the few people in this school who knows the truth.
Kate Harding is my half-sister. And her mother, Iron Pate, is my stepmother.
***
There are a few minutes left before the lesson starts. The teacher has already emerged from the laboratory room, but the class continues to make noise.
I hear the general laughter of Sean and Kate, the loud jokes of the witty Hugh, but biology is my favorite subject, and I do my best to focus on the upcoming class. I open a new textbook and am about to press my hands to my ears when the class suddenly quiets down on its own.
I raise my head along with everyone, just as a tall dark-haired guy appears on the threshold of the office, in a black T-shirt with a steel hieroglyph print, and loose jeans.
He gives Mr. Schelman a curt nod as a greeting, adjusts his backpack slung over one shoulder, and slowly looks around the class. Noticing an empty seat behind the last desk by the window, without greeting anyone, he confidently walks towards it, while everyone around them comes to their senses and begins to whisper in surprise.
Trisha’s eyes widen too. Forgetting about Renton, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards her.
– Oh my god Ash! Do you see him? It’s Matthew Palmer! Did he really go back to school? He was expelled only in the spring for a fight!
It is very difficult, if you are not blind, not to notice the one to whom all eyes are riveted.
And of course I watch him too. Behind a guy with a strong and flexible body, who turns into the aisle between the rows of desks to take his chosen seat.
— What did he forget here? my restless friend exhales meanwhile, and I whisper in response:
- Apparently, the same thing as you and me – knowledge and a certificate of education! And be quiet, Trisha! I ask the girl, feeling a prickly chill crawl down my spine as Palmer approaches. He will hear us!
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At home, it also turns out that audio is more profitable than text, because if read , so you need at least an hour of free time, you need to sit down, make yourself comfortable, not be distracted by anything. And with headphones in your ears, you can simultaneously play computer games, even knit, even do housework. Again, you can listen together if you start the sound on the speakers – then, sort of, and reading in the home circle, and, at the same time, one does not need to dry his throat while the other is doing something of his own. You can have a quiet lunch for this business, and collect the puzzle, and brush the cats, and in general. 
There are quite a few books, the reviews are quite short, just a few words about personal impressions and hopes. Or insults, that’s how it goes. 
He was strongly associated with the Druga Era fantasy club in Poznań, writes criticism and journalism for one of the applications of New Fantasy, the magazine Czas Fantastyki, a kind of application-for-critical-works that began to appear from the time when NF itself ” has reduced the amount of such materials. 
Lema. The first volume, as interested parties may remember, contained the correspondence between Lem and Mrozek, and covered a wide range of topics from literature to driving. 