Sweep Dodge Shooting Drill
We love this great shooting drill we saw one of the college teams using to get ready for playoffs. Use this simple drill with your players to practice getting to the middle of the field and shooting on the run!
We got this easy shooting drill from Lindenwood University outside St. Louis, MO. The coaches and players at Lindenwood are having great success in the NCAA DII. Good luck to them in the ECAC Championship Game this weekend!
Shooting "On the Run" can be one of the most important skills for young players to master, and one of the hardest for coaches to teach. Your players can't score if they can't get past their Defenders and get their hands free to pull the trigger. Many beginning players make the mistake of stopping their feet to shoot, which allows Defenders to catch back up to them and check sticks.
Get your players Dodging into the "Funnel" or "Slot". Dodging down the alley can be difficult for beginning and experienced players to score if they go too far down the side. This drill works on Dodges into the middle of the field, where your players will have better shooting angles and scoring opportunities in front of the goal.
Teach your players proper footwork to get good, hard shots on target! Check out this video of Paul Rabil, one of the BEST at shooting on the run.
HERE'S THE DRILL:
Set up your players in four lines- two up top at the corners of the box and two down low along Goal Line Extended (GLE). All the balls will be with the two lines down low.
Place a cone about 12 yards out from the goal so your players know where on the field they should Dodge and Shoot in a game.
You can do this drill with or without a Goalie! Don't let them rip on your Goalie from in close.
Figure 1.) Blue 1 will pass to Blue 2 up top. Make sure your players are properly spaced so they have enough room to work in a game without getting too crowded. Field Spacing is a difficult concept for younger players to understand if you don't tell them where they start their Dodges from and where to go.
PRACTICE TIPS:
- Shoot Overhand! Beginning players should always shoot overhand when starting out until they learn to control the release point of their shots. Even if they miss, an overhand shot might still be on target. 3/4, Sidearm and underhand shots come later.
- Back foot around and down! In order to get good shots on target, your players must turn and square their hips to the cage as they shoot. If they are shooting right-handed, bring the right foot around and down to turn the body to face the goal as they shoot on the run.
- Back-Pedal Through! Many coaches will also tell you that players should "back pedal through" after they shoot. Their momentum should turn them around as they bring their back foot around and down and uncork their bodies when they shoot.
RELATED PRACTICE DRILLS:
- Two-Line College Lacrosse Shooting Drills: Use these simple shooting drills from college coaches to let your players practice all their dodges while getting tons of reps done in rapid fire!
- Dodging and Close-Crease Shooting Drill: Our favorite pregame shooting drill! Teach your players to finish in tight, close to the goal while giving your Goalie tons of reps seeing shots before game time!
- Pass and Shoot Pregame Warm-Up Drill: We saw the USA U-19 Team using this super-easy pregame shooting drill during the selection process last year. We also see lots of high school and college teams using it.
- Box Lacrosse Pick & Roll Shooting Drill: Practice your Two-Man Game and shooting with this great drill we got from Box Lacrosse players. Use it with your Box or Field Lacrosse teams!
- Box Lacrosse Star Passing & Shooting Drill: We see lots of Box (Indoor) and Field (Outdoor) Lacrosse teams using this passing and shooting drill before games.
