WALL BALL

WALL BALL

The most important fundamental to lacrosse is catching and throwing.  Without the ability to catch and/or throw the ball with accuracy, both individually and collectively as a team, success on the field will be unattainable. 

Luckily, the throwing and catching is the easiest and most accessible fundamental for a player to work on outside of practice on their own.  All you need is a wall (or a bounce-back) and the time you make for yourself to improve.  (You can also substitute a tennis ball, if needed, depending on the wall you use.)

Below are some basic wall ball drills and fundamentals that every player should be working on year round.  There are also links to videos and articles that can help you further.  It doesn’t take that much time and should be worked on every day.

Fundamentals for Wall Ball:

-        If you’re going to work on being better, do it correctly!  Go into your wall ball workout with a purpose: to become a better player!  That can only be accomplished if you’re using proper throwing/catching fundamentals.

-          Stance:  Standing straight up, shoulders square to the wall will get you nowhere if you want to improve.  You must use a proper athletic stance when throwing, one that will mimic how you’ll play on the field.  You knees should be shoulder-width apart and slightly bent.  You should be standing on the balls of your feet, not back on your heels…you should be able to have a little “bounce” in your feet.  Your front should, elbow and chin should be pointed at the wall.  Your grip should be light on the stick and your wrists loose.  Bottom hand at the butt of the stick and top hand at mid-shaft, with the head of the stick always in the “box”.

-          Throwing:  Always follow through with an over-hand throw.  If your head is at 12 o'clock on a watch, then your stick should throw through 11 o'clock (righty) or 1 o'clock (lefty).  Be sure that your bottom hand’s elbow, shoulder and your chin are pointing at your target.  Always keep your head up looking at your target on the wall.

-          Catching:  Soft hands are the key.  You need to have some “give” when you catch the ball and not be stiff.  When catching, always have the head of your stick in the “box”.  Your top hand should be slightly in front of your bottom hand when the pass is coming.  Once the ball reaches your stick, your bottom hand should move in front of your top hand to allow enough “give” to catch the ball.  Always keep your head up and eyes on the ball all the way through the catch.

-          Feet:  Don’t ever do a wall ball drill with your feet firmly planted.  There should always be some movement with your feet when throwing and catching – even during quick-stick drills.  Be sure that your lead foot is stepping towards your target.

-          You’ll want to do your wall ball drill around 5 yards from the wall.  You can start a little further out until you’re comfortable at first, but work on advancing your way closer to wall until you’re in the 5-yard range.

-          The higher up the wall you throw the ball, the easier the return will be.  Do this first to get comfortable.  However, you’ll want to work your target on the wall down to a point in which the ball returns in a manner that mimics a pass from a teammate.

-          You want to be sure all throws result in a catch in the “box”. 

-          Finally, always throw with your gloves on!

Wall Ball Drills:

-          The most dangerous lacrosse player is the one who can be proficient in catching and throwing with BOTH hands!  Be sure that for every drill you perform with your “strong” hand that you equal the reps (more importantly increase!) for your “off” hand.

-          One-Cradle Catch/Throw:  This is the basic throwing drill for wall ball.  Use proper fundamentals and “have a catch” with the wall.  Be sure to limit yourself to one cradle, this will help you move the ball out of your stick more efficiently.  This is the one drill that should be done constantly at high reps (50-100) for each hand.

-          Quick Stick:  Similar to the previous drill, but now you are taking away the cradle after you catch the ball.  This creates a “quick stick” throw.  This skill is important, especially for finishing near the crease or when guarded heavily.

-          One Hand/One Cradle:  This drill works similar to the One-Cradle Catch, except you are only using your top hand to throw and catch.  This drill helps improve your form – both catching and throwing – by strengthening the muscle-memory of your top hand.

-          Catch & Switch:  Throw the ball with one hand and switch to the opposite hand to catch the ball while it’s in the air.  Be sure to re-position your feet, as well, before making the catch!  Also, work on limiting the wasted movement of switching hands by following the rule: ear-chin-ear.  Have the head of your stick move from one ear to your chin to the opposite ear.  Don’t be lazy when switching hands!

-          Grounders:  Similar to One-Cradle Catch but with a twist!  Once catching the ball, drop it to the ground, scoop it up and throw.  This drill mimics the skill of picking up a GB and coming up throwing right away.  Work on a quick release with an accurate pass once picking the ball up.

-          Cross-Hand Catch:  When throwing the ball, do so in a manner so that you have to catch the ball across your body in the opposite box.  To catch, you’ll have to move your top hand across your face.  This drill helps in reacting to bad passes.

-          Behind-The-Back:  Have some fun on the wall and work on your throwing behind the back.  It won’t be pretty at first, but you’ll want to work your ability to a point in which the ball, after being thrown behind your back to the wall, returns to you in the “box”.

Resources (videos & web articles):

This video is a wall ball session given by Liam Banks at a camp.

Here are links for videos from Liam Banks on throwing and catching fundamentals:

Throwing:  http://www.playsportstv.com/major-league-lacrosse/liam-banks_throwing-basics

Catching:  http://www.playsportstv.com/major-league-lacrosse/liam-banks_the-box-area

Lacrosse Magazine:

http://www.laxmagazine.com/genrel/091107aaa.html

STACK Magazine:

http://www.stack.com/2012/05/19/mens-lacrosse-wall-ball-drills/

US Lacrosse:

http://www.uslacrosse.org/multimedia-center/blog/postid/426/wall-ball-20-minute-stick-skills-challenge.aspx

Remember, Wall Ball is NOT a Crime!  Have fun with it!!!