The game of women’s lacrosse takes an immense amount of skill to catch, throw and cradle the ball while moving a full speed. A wall ball program can help you be more confident when you need to thread the needle for the game winning feed. Develop both your left and right hand to make sure your scouting report reads, “Can go either way. She’s a handful to defend. Bring your ‘A’ game defense.”

Skill transfer is a term used to describe the impact that the practice of one skill has on another. There are three types of transfer: positive, negative and neutral. Positive transfer occurs by rehearsing the exact skills used to perform a task. Motor learning experts agree that it is impossible to reproduce the neuromuscular pattern used to perform a skill, unless that specific skill is performed.

Neutral transfer describes a different skill or activity that will not help or hurt the development of another skill neutral transfer results in no transfer, good or bad. You periodically hear of an athlete touting the positive impact an activity had on her performance. The activities might include karate, judo, ballet, aerobics, juggling, jumping rope and many others. We have all heard, “jump rope to improve foot speed.” Jumping rope will improve your skill to jump rope. These skills do not transfer to the skills used to play women’s lacrosse.

How do you best develop the skills used to play the game? The answer is easy. Improve the skills used to play the game by practicing those skills. Practice those skills under game conditions whenever possible. Do not attempt to mimic or imitate a skill in the weight room. It cannot be done. Strengthen the muscles in the weight room, develop a high level of conditioning and practice the skills used to play the game. It is that simple!

The following wall ball workout can be performed before a strength training as a pre-­warm up, after a conditioning session as a finisher, or as a team competition that tracks hitting the target and successful throw and catches. The following workout is designed to improve your stick skills as well as your hand-­eye coordination. Complete at least five of these drills three times a week to enhance your game. Concentrate on good mechanics for 15­‐20 minutes each session.

1. Right hand up, throw right­‐handed, catch right­‐handed, repeat 10 times. Dip dodge to the left hand and…
2. Left hand up, throw left-­handed, catch left-­handed, repeat 10 times. Dip dodge to the right hand and…
3. Right hand up, throw right­‐handed, catch right­‐handed, extended twirl reaching to the left, then reaching to the right, repeat 10 times. Dip dodge to the left hand and…
4. Left hand up, throw left‐handed, catch left­‐handed, extended twirl reaching to the right, then reaching to the left, repeat 10 times. Dip dodge to the right hand and…
5. Right hand up to weak side…twirl your stick away from your head and throw right-­handed, catch on the weak side. Remember to flip your stick over, soft hands so you can give with the catch, push the bottom hand out, repeat 10 times. Pass your stick through your legs to your left hand and…
6. Left hand up to weak side…twirl your stick away from your head and throw left-­handed, catch on the weak side. Remember to flip your stick over, soft hands so you can give with the catch, push the bottom hand out, repeat 10 times. Pass your stick through your legs to your right hand and…
7. Right hand up…twirl away from your head twice, throw right, catch right, switch quickly to your left, twirl away from your head twice, throw left, catch left, switch quickly to your right, etc. (switch right into your passing position). Repeat 10 times.
8. Right hand up…drop your stick to your right hip, twirl once and pass sidearm,catch right and dip dodge to your left. Drop your stick to your left hip, twirl once and pass side arm, catch left and dip dodge to your right, repeat 10 times.
9. Right hand up…toss the ball high on the wall so you have to really reach for it on the catch. Catch 5 with two hands on the stick (slid almost to the bottom of the stick so you still have some control). Remember to pull the stick in quickly to your head on the catch.
10. Left hand up toss the ball high on the wall so you have to really reach for it on the catch. Catch 5 with two hands on the stick (slid down to the bottom so you get a god extension) and 5 with one hand on the stick (slid almost to the bottom of the stick so you still have some control). Remember to pull the stick in quickly to your head on the catch.


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