Wreckers Wall Ball Philosophy
Put in the extra work on your own!
Wall Ball is a great way for lacrosse players to develop thier skills on their own. The idea behind wall ball is to PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE! There is a big difference between throwing a ball against a wall and training yourself through wall ball. One of the best ways to make wall ball fun is to set up challenges/competitions against your self - how many in a row, can you hit the same spot on the wall, build a shape, etc. There is no "wrong" way to wall ball as long as you're working hard! Check out a few different ways you can practice wall ball to develop your stick skills.
1. Strong Hand / Weak Hand: The standard wall ball session trains both hands. Stand at a distance from the wall that allows you to throw a direct, strong pass against the wall. You want the ball to come back off the wall with pace. Your body (hips & shoulders) should be facing parrallel to the wall, not directly at it. This encourages a rotation on each throw. Every wall ball routine you do with your strong hand should also be done with your weak hand.
2. Catch and Split, Throw and Split: These two versions work on changing hands in two different situations - with the ball in your stick and with the ball in the air. Changing hands with the ball in your stick should be easy, be sure to flip your hips every time you change hands (face the opposite way along the wall). Changing your hands with the ball in the air should be more difficult, this will train you to have softer hands. Pick up the speed as you get more comfortable.
3. Catch Across: For this version throw the ball normally except aim for a spot on the wall that retunrs the ball on the opposite side of your body. You are working on catching a pass that is thrown on the wrong side of your body. A player with great stick skills is able to make up for a teammates error. You should aim to have the ball arrive just outside your shoulder. On the next version you'll aim to have the ball come back even further across.
4. One Hand Catch Across: This type of wall ball is similar to the above, except when you throw the ball off the wall, you are now aiming for a spot that puts the ball even farther away so that you need to remove your top hand from the stick and catch with only your bottom hand on the stick. So if you are throwing R handed, the ball comes back on your left side. You reach your stick across and remove your R hand (top hand) and leave just your left hand (bottom hand) on the stick.
5. One Hand Top Hand R & L: Training wall ball with one hand on the stick helps to work on proper technique and wrist strength. Hold your stick with two hands. Prepare to start wall ball and remove your botton hand from your stick. Your top hand shouldn't change from where it would normally be. When doing one handed wall ball, you need to make sure your elbow is up and extended from your body to allow you to hit a consistent target. Having your arm tight and low will pull the ball towards the ground.
6. "Canadian" Cross Arm: Before throwing the ball to the wall, perform a face dodge across your body. From this position turn the head of your stick to face the wall and begin playing wall ball. Before each throw be sure to have your stick across your body like the end of a face dodge. The trick here is to always make sure your butt end is up and aiming at the wall. If you leave your butt end down, the ball will be pulled down to the ground.
7. Advanced Techniques: You should always practice advanced techniques when finishing up wall ball. This is the easiest place to learn Behind the Back (BTB), Around the World, sidearm, etc. You should push yourself on these techniques. Some elite wall ball skills include using two balls at once, BTB Catches (catch the ball with your stick behind your head without looking at it), and BTB throw to BTB catch! Invent your own or try these challenges!
The best players in the world are the ones with the greatest inner drive! Choose to be GREAT!
