LAX shooting question/observation

[jreinsdorf]

As a rec lax coach I am always looking for creative ways to practice. At a recent club practice the kids were having a blast with the radar gun and it got me thinking. I had an idea what a competitive shot speed was for youth players but wondered about HS and beyond. I did some googleing and came up with this:
youth: 60-75mh
HS: 70-85
College: 80-95
Professional: 90-105

Generally speaking this seems about right. Anyone lax guys care to comment? Furthermore, I'm as interested in hearing what and acceptable discrepancy would be when shooting with the nondominant hand. Judging from practice most 8th graders appeared to be a full 15mph slower on average. Lastly, HS and college goalies are SAVAGES.

 

[rufamily]

Speed is nice but placement is key, a guy can shoot it 115mph but if he can't hit the cage he is useless. Non dominate hands get better with age and practice. but 10-15 mph slower sounds about right for younger kids. Elite HS goalies gobble up hard shots, but shots in a good place are really hard to save, especially with their weak hand. Until they are really comfortable shooting with their weak hand they should be focusing on placement.

 

[jayman]

Speed is nice but placement is key, a guy can shoot it 115mph but if he can't hit the cage he is useless. Non dominate hands get better with age and practice. but 10-15 mph slower sounds about right for younger kids. Elite HS goalies gobble up hard shots, but shots in a good place are really hard to save, especially with their weak hand. Until they are really comfortable shooting with their weak hand they should be focusing on placement.

Totally agree with Family. Placement and Off Hand should be focus for youth.

 

[Caliknight]

Canadiens have proven that an offhand isn’t really needed. I do think it can be beneficial but there are so many way to play the game now. I’m loving the creativity I’m seeing around the goal.

 

[patk89]

Is there a significant speed advantage to firing a shot with a long stick versus a short stick? I saw one of the defense men (Russo?) take a shot on Saturday with his long pole and it looked like a rocket. Leverage?

 

[rufamily]

Is there a significant speed advantage to firing a shot with a long stick versus a short stick? I saw one of the defense men (Russo?) take a shot on Saturday with his long pole and it looked like a rocket. Leverage?

not really it just has very different release points which tend to confuse goalies, which is why they hate when the defensemen shoot.

 

[Caliknight]

It’s also what makes Bartolo dangerous. With his height and length it’s almost like a long stick shooting. That kid can sling it. Would like to see a bit more of them on cage so hopefully that will come. From a speed factor though that kid is shooting over 100 in game when his hands are free.

 

[CERU00]

It’s also what makes Bartolo dangerous. With his height and length it’s almost like a long stick shooting. That kid can sling it. Would like to see a bit more of them on cage so hopefully that will come. From a speed factor though that kid is shooting over 100 in game when his hands are free.

Admittedly from a very long distance... I haven't any shooters approaching the shear velocity of shots we saw from Kirst or Charlambedes. Obviously those kinds of players dont grow on trees.

 

[Caliknight]

Admittedly from a very long distance... I haven't any shooters approaching the shear velocity of shots we saw from Kirst or Charlambedes. Obviously those kinds of players dont grow on trees.

This might be tough to believe, but Bartolo shoots harder than both of them. He's just not as accurate.

AC is one of the best shooters I've ever seen. Every goal he had in the UNC game was a highlight reel.

 

[CERU00]

This might be tough to believe, but Bartolo shoots harder than both of them. He's just not as accurate.

AC is one of the best shooters I've ever seen. Every goal he had in the UNC game was a highlight reel.

Very strange... on TV most of Bartolos shots appear kinda weak when compared to a shot from the other 2.

 

[Caliknight]

Very strange... on TV most of Bartolos shots appear kinda weak when compared to a shot from the other 2.

Definitely not the case. From a speed standpoint, he's at least at Connor's level. If you ask the kids on the team, it's even harder. Connor was ridiculously accurate with that speed though.

 

[mdk01]

Placement, placement, placement. Played on a club team, not my midfield line, with a guy from the 1974 National Team that won the first world tourney. His speed was in the upper half of your college range. His placement was utterly magnificent. Another thing, when he got his hands free the shot was always launched a second earlier than you were expecting it.

If a guy shoots it 95 and puts it high on the hand side of a goalie with an open look he's just playing catch for anything over 10 yards.

 

[DowntownT_Brown]

Placement and having a deft release are nice, don't project where and when you are shooting.

I begged the younger grades(3-5)to shoot low as I found goalies at that age didn't have a handle on the stick to stop something at their feet.

 

[mdk01]

Placement and having a deft release are nice, don't project where and when you are shooting.

I begged the younger grades(3-5)to shoot low as I found goalies at that age didn't have a handle on the stick to stop something at their feet.

An introduction to the bounce shot also can't hurt, especially if it's a grass field. A lot of young kids, even young HS kids, have a Nuke Laloosh fastball desire to "announce their presence with authority" (and usually upstairs).

 

[Caliknight]

College guys are so good now at having their sticks at one level and shooting to a different one. The modern equipment really allows for things that weren't possible 20 years ago. And they've had to. The goalie play has gotten much better.

I talked to Brian Carc about this when he came back for a late pro year. The velocity on the shots is just different now, and the players ability to catch everything has really changed.

I'd like to see these kids play with a SAM or Ultralight!

 

[jreinsdorf]

Yeah we love low shots on our team because we play on grass and the ball is just so difficult to track on a bounce shot. But we got a few kids who can really uncork a low to high or high to low shot. Anything flat or from 10+ yards away is usually catch. It's rec ball but all the club kids play rec before club summer season around here. I got 6 club kids on my rec team

 

[DowntownT_Brown]

Yeah we love low shots on our team because we play on grass and the ball is just so difficult to track on a bounce shot. But we got a few kids who can really uncork a low to high or high to low shot. Anything flat or from 10+ yards away is usually catch. It's rec ball but all the club kids play rec before club summer season around here. I got 6 club kids on my rec team

Which club do the kids play on?

My son's coach wants the kids to shoot exclusively overhand but the kids try to sneak in side-arm and underhand every chance they get.

 

[mdk01]

College guys are so good now at having their sticks at one level and shooting to a different one. The modern equipment really allows for things that weren't possible 20 years ago. And they've had to. The goalie play has gotten much better.

I talked to Brian Carc about this when he came back for a late pro year. The velocity on the shots is just different now, and the players ability to catch everything has really changed.

I'd like to see these kids play with a SAM or Ultralight!

Or an old Brine PL66, though it was a great stick to face off with. Inside Lacrosse had a photo gallery last year of sticks that have been preserved.

 

[Caliknight]

Or an old Brine PL66, though it was a great stick to face off with. Inside Lacrosse had a photo gallery last year of sticks that have been preserved.

I don't know that one. My first stick was a blue Brine Ultralight. Still have it to this day. I was never much of a stick guy. In fact, I used to like using one of my teammates old ones.

 

[jreinsdorf]

Which club do the kids play on?

My son's coach wants the kids to shoot exclusively overhand but the kids try to sneak in side-arm and underhand every chance they get.

My son and daughter play for Mad Dog. As they came up in rec we hammered the proper mechanics of overhand shooting but as they got older and defense got tougher and better at matching sticks it's imperative to change arm angles.

 

[rufamily]

Placement and having a deft release are nice, don't project where and when you are shooting.

I begged the younger grades(3-5)to shoot low as I found goalies at that age didn't have a handle on the stick to stop something at their feet.

My son is a goalie in college at a very highly ranked D-III school and he said plainly that hard shots are clears or fast breaks the other way. What bothers him are kids who can hide the head of the stick and kids who change planes well.

 

[rufamily]

College guys are so good now at having their sticks at one level and shooting to a different one. The modern equipment really allows for things that weren't possible 20 years ago. And they've had to. The goalie play has gotten much better.

I talked to Brian Carc about this when he came back for a late pro year. The velocity on the shots is just different now, and the players ability to catch everything has really changed.

I'd like to see these kids play with a SAM or Ultralight!

first, real stick was wood, we used to take old or broken ones and fix them up. The first plastic stick I had was a Superlight II

 

[mdk01]

I don't know that one. My first stick was a blue Brine Ultralight. Still have it to this day. I was never much of a stick guy. In fact, I used to like using one of my teammates old ones.

First superlight was an STX circa 1974-5. The one problem was that facing off against a Brine PL66, very heavy and rigid, it would get crushed in a clamp move and be misshapen until you got to the sidelines and fixed. Both Brine and STX put out some serious superlights in the late 70's.

 

[patk89]

Just ordered a Gait Apex for my daughter. She saved up the money for it. Seems excessive but some of her teammates have them already. Now she needs to improve her skills to match the stick.

 

[RU Husky]

Whew. I thought perhaps there was an incident at the airport.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Cali, don’t hate me, but I would prefer colleges switch lacrosse to the indoor game. I just enjoy that there is more action . As for outdoors, would like to see it starting in late August for a Fall season instead of the beginning of February. Would certainly help get bigger crowds since the weather doesn’t warm up for the first two and a half months of the season.

 

[mdk01]

Cali, don’t hate me, but I would prefer colleges switch lacrosse to the indoor game. I just enjoy that there is more action . As for outdoors, would like to see it starting in late August for a Fall season instead of the beginning of February. Would certainly help get bigger crowds since the weather doesn’t warm up for the first two and a half months of the season.

The early February games are relatively recent, maybe 3-4 years, and are basically the result of conference playoffs and the desire to limit weekday games. I'd be in favor of 1 or 2 more weekday games and at least push the beginning of the season to President's Day weekend.

And put me down for a field fan over box. Stick skill in box are excellent, but I like the athleticism that field requires.