Welcome to Drill Of The Week, a series on ACTIVEkids.com that explains individual and team drills for parents and coaches to help kids improve at the sports they love.
This week's drill is a lacrosse drill called Time & Room Shooting brought to you by CoachUp.com.
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Understandably, effective shooting is an essential part of winning lacrosse games. Simply enough, you cannot win without scoring, so taking advantage of your Time & Room Shooting opportunities is key. Time & Room means you have time to set up your shot and enough space from your defender to deliver a hard and accurate shot at the goal. The ability to shoot precisely and powerfully is a weapon that every offensive player should possess. Often, Time & Room shots can only occur when an offensive player beats his defender and finds open space between he or she and the goal.
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Chris Burdick, head lacrosse coach for Providence College, has expressed the importance of a strong shooter in aspiring lacrosse prospects, however, it can often go overlooked. Burdick says: "Shooting ability is what separates a scholarship player from a walk-on for many coaches," so you need to make sure it gets the attention it deserves. Across the board, shooting is a continuously evolving aspect of lacrosse, so get ahead of the game with these tips from CoachUp!
Try thinking of the acronym B.E.E.F. once you find yourself in a shooting situation -- which stands for body, eyes, elbows, and follow through. For beginners, don't try to run through it all at full speed; instead, go step-by-step until it feels more comfortable and natural.
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First, make sure your body is sideways to the goal, this is crucial for generating force behind your shot. Then, you'll want to line your eyes up with the net, aiming directly where you want the ball to go. Keep your elbows high and away, step to build more power and energy, and let it rip! As you take that step towards the goal, accentuate your swing by following through with your stick down to the outside of your front leg.
Mike Stone, a midfielder for the Boston Cannons and CoachUp Coach, explains how to practice Time & Room Shooting with the B.E.E.F. System in the video above.
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