All lacrosse players have to start somewhere, and for beginners, the lacrosse field can seem like a daunting place. Lacrosse is a sport that requires skill and technique, as well as strength and agility.
If you’re just getting started in the sport of lacrosse, you’ll need the right combination of training exercises to help you become the best player you can be. Here are 10 lacrosse training tips for beginners to get your game up to speed!
Tip 1: Start with the basics
If you're new to lacrosse, you might feel a bit overwhelmed trying to figure out the best way to approach individual training. The first step in becoming a great lacrosse player is mastering the basics.
This includes learning how to properly grip and throw your stick, as well as understanding the different types of passes and shots that you can use in-game situations. Make sure that you practice these fundamentals until they become second nature.
Tip 2: Know Your Role on the Field
Before you hit the field, it’s important to know what position you will be playing and what that entails. Playing lacrosse at an elite level takes dedication and commitment, but becoming a complete player starts with knowing your role on the lacrosse field.
One of the top lacrosse training tips for beginners is to educate yourself on the game, learn how to interrogate team dynamics, and understand the different roles a lacrosse player can have.
Knowing your role will help ensure that you have a proper technique when playing and will make it easier for your coach or teammates to give you pointers when needed.
Tip 3: Practice With A Partner
While individual practice is great for honing skills, working with a partner can help take your abilities to the next level. Find someone who plays at a similar level as yourself and challenge each other while practicing drills together. This way, both players can work on improving their skills while pushing each other further.
Having someone else around to practice with will not only help your technique and reaction times, but it can also provide some helpful feedback.
Tip 4: Improve Your Stick Skills
Improving stick skills is one of the most important aspects of lacrosse. Work on your lacrosse stick skills with lacrosse balls, lacrosse training accessories, and repetition. Focusing on accuracy and precision will help improve your shot speed in the long run.
Working on drills like cradling, catching, throwing, ground balls and shooting is essential in order to become an effective player. Make sure to focus on these drills every time you practice so that they become second nature when playing in a game setting.
Tip 5: Work on hand-eye coordination
Lacrosse is an intense sport that requires muscle memory and hand-eye coordination for success.
Hand-eye coordination is essential when playing lacrosse; having quick reflexes allows you to react quickly to what’s happening on the field which will help you make better plays.
Try juggling or playing catch with a friend or family member in order to improve this important skill set.
Tip 6: Condition Your Body
Lacrosse requires strength and agility from all players on the field. Doing regular conditioning exercises such as push-ups, burpees, sit-ups or planks can help improve overall fitness levels which will benefit performance during games or practices.
Along with that, medicine balls can be great tools for building core strength as well as overall upper-body explosive power that is essential for lacrosse success.
You should also consider investing in a strength training program if you want to get the most out of your own body weight and really crank up your performance in lacrosse.
Tip 7: Work On Your Speed
Being able to move quickly around the field is essential in lacrosse. The good news is that there are plenty of simple techniques you can use to begin developing better agility and quickness — starting with the basics.
To increase speed, try doing short sprints followed by jogging back slowly before repeating again. Doing this regularly will help build endurance and improve overall speed on the field.
The top training tip for improving your speed is weight vest training. This method has been implemented by many high-level lacrosse players to help amplify their performance and boost their speed on the field.
Wearing a weighted vest during an intense cardio workout will help to develop muscle memory in connection with high speeds, enabling you to be more agile when it matters most!
Additionally, this type of training is highly efficient, as you can use low amounts of weights and still see elevated results from a sprinting activity. All this together will work wonders in making you a better lacrosse player.
Tip 8: Focus On Footwork
Footwork plays an important role in how successful a player can be in lacrosse. Working on footwork drills such as shuffling between cones or jumping rope can help improve agility and overall quickness on the field which will benefit any player looking to improve their gameplay ability.
It may sound basic, but agility exercises like quick feet and shuffling can have a major impact on your game. Take time to practice agility drills so you can benefit from improved agility, balance, and coordination in the field or on the court.
Tip 9: Stick protection
Good lacrosse players know how to protect their sticks from defensive players, just like football players need to protect their bodies from contact.
Learning proper stick protection techniques is essential if you want to protect yourself from getting stripped of the ball by opponents in close quarters or one-on-one matchups against attackers coming at full speed!
Knowing how to keep possession of your stick while avoiding contact with other players will give you an edge when it comes time for crunch time during games!
Tip 10: Have Fun With It!
Most importantly remember that lacrosse is supposed to be fun!
Don’t take it too seriously but use each practice session as an opportunity to get better at something new – whether it’s passing with more accuracy or learning how to shoot better with both hands – this should be enjoyable rather than stressful!
Try out new things every time you hit the field and don’t be afraid of making mistakes – this is how we learn after all!
Conclusion:
Whether you are just starting out in lacrosse or looking for ways to improve your gameplay ability, using these tips can help any beginner become an expert in no time!
With the right lacrosse training tips and enough dedication, anyone can become a complete player no matter their current skill level.
Remember that having fun should always come first when practicing any sports activity and don’t forget that practice makes perfect so keep at it until everything starts coming naturally! Good luck!
Be sure to check out our other lacrosse and sports & fitness articles!
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
Timo Väistö
