Flying Solo: Wall Ball and Rebounder Drills to Improve Your Lacrosse Skills

Do you have time to practice at home, but no teammates are around to work with? Get familiar with wall ball.

Finding someone to practice with to help improve your lacrosse skills might not always be an option.

But, don’t let that discourage you.

Lacrosse is one of the sports an athlete can affectively practice on their own. All you need is a wall or rebounder, a ball and a lacrosse stick. By using a wall or rebounder, you will be able to improve your catching and passing while getting more familiar with your stick.

It is recommended to wear a helmet or goggles while performing wall ball drills.

GETTING STARTED

For maximum results, always aim for the same target on every throw. The focus on a particular area will help improve the accuracy of your throws. Make sure to keep your stick up in the triple-threat position as you would during a game.

Throw to the wall and catch the ball on your stick side for 20 repetitions. You will want to get the ball into and out of your stick as fast as you can. This shouldn’t be a leisurely exercise so don’t be afraid to work up a sweat. Don’t let the ball hit the ground — keeping the ball in the air will improve your stick-handling ability.

You can change the exercise up by moving around. Take a step to your right and do a set aiming at an area so the ball travels to the opposite side of your head. This will help you learn to adjust the ball before returning to the triple threat position.

QUICK STICKS

To work on your quick stick — the act of catching and then passing or shooting in one motion — choke up with your top hand and move closer to the wall.  Always maintain good form with you front elbow up as you cradle the catch. You will want to go through 20 or more reps hitting the same target.

As you improve, you can work on increasingly more difficult moves such as the one-handed catch, behind-the-back throws and alternating quick sticks.