Kissing the Shoulder

Oct 16, 2019

BTB Lax coach Jesse Miller

Hey there,

Lately I’ve been writing A LOT about the parallels between lacrosse and other stuff...

Cross-cutting concepts that can be applied to lacrossegetting in shape, and life in general.

But today it’s all lacrosse…

And it’s about how proper mechanics can result in better shooting.

Specifically… how to shoot with MORE velocity.

I play LOTS of golf, and it’s amazing how efficient technique can allow golfers to pound the ball.

Same concept applies to shooting the lacrosse ball.

You don’t have to be ridiculously strong to shoot the ball harder.

I coach at Gonzaga in Washington D.C. (The head coach, Casey O’Neil, has created an incredible program.)

One of my buddies on the staff is Thomas Alford.  

He can rip the ball… I witness it whenever he shoots on our goalies.

I notice how well he gets his arms, shoulders, and hips in sync.

He coils them up to create that NEEDED tension…

...and then unleashes it towards the goal.

It’s creates a WHIP.

The ball is just along for the ride.

Feelin’ the coil is key!

More on that…

You want your front foot locked in place pointing to the target… then rotate your hips back. With that comes the arms and hands.

Your not sliding back… INSTEAND rotating around.

You’ll notice a tense feelin’ in your leading hip flexor.  

That’s good!

You combine hip rotation with a shoulder turn.

One good pointer for that is to KISS THE SHOULDER...  you literally kiss your front shoulder to ensure that full rotation.

Then let it go… remembering to have a strong follow-through to the target.

This is what your finish should look like…




Next up... combine this body movement with the proper footwork.

First, it’s one little step.

Followed by a crow hop.

BOOM!

When practicing you want to shoot as hard as possible.

A great drill is the Close Range Shooting Drill.


This works on all the stuff I mentioned above.

It’s demonstrated for you step-by-step by UVA All-American, Danny Glading,  in BTB LX+. 

This drill is perfect for you to work on your rotation and foot work.

It helps you get the feel for hitting the net WHILE shooting with speed.

Proper mechanics and footwork is just one of the things needed to become a better lacrosse player.

I developed the BTB LX+ to walk through ALL of them.

It’s basically the roadmap for your lacrosse success.

Inside the the BTB LX+ is a video called Grip It & Rip It.  

That’s where you’ll find the Close Range Shooting Drill (along with close to 12 others.)

Start doing this stuff, and you’ll be well on your way to scoring more goals.

So if you’re ready to take the next step there’s no better way than picking up a copy of BTB LX+.

And the bet part?  You can get lifetime access to the entire thing in a matter of minutes.

So why not get started right away?

Talk soon,

Coach Miller