The most important thing you can do to improve your lacrosse shot is… you guessed it correctly… shooting.

All you need is a lacrosse net, grab a bag full of balls, and start practicing … shooting.

And how this repetition will benefit you?

Well, it’ll expose you to any flaws in your shooting and also strengthen all muscles involved.

Besides, it will, of course, improve your accuracy and consistency.

Once you have your technique improved, you’ll only be limited to your physical abilities.

And, the only way to boost your speed from that point is increasing the force your body can output.

Here are 4 drills that you can use with one of your goalies to give them an instant reaction, soft hands, and fast food speed:

1. Forearm/wrist

The most challenging area of a shot in lacrosse is perhaps the wrist snap.

Too little snap and you have a shot that is underpowered, leaving the stick slower.

On the other hand, a snap that is blazingly fast but wild can make it dreadfully accurate.

You need to find a balance between these two extremes.

And to find that balance, there are few simple yet highly effective exercises you can do: “forearm/wrist strengthening exercises and plenty of shooting practices.

Doing these two exercises can help you build a consistent and strong snap that’ll be “a kicker” that can take your shots to the next level.

The best exercise for the forearms is the wrist rollers.

Just remember to roll the rollers in both directions (turning the rollers towards and away from you).

And, once it’s up on your hands, DO NOT let the weight drop back to the floor.

Keep the tension while performing this awkward part of the exercise.

BONUS: With this exercise, you’ll not only develop a stiff forearm, but it’ll also help you in almost every other aspect of the game, from checks to stick control to face-offs and the power cradle.

2. Thick Rope Grappler Throws

The thick rope grappler will trigger and strengthen the muscles in your hands and forearms.

However, this exercise will require right foot pivot, rotational core strength, and the lats to slam it to the ground.  

Grappler throws are one of the best exercises that’ll help you build the gap between strength training and core sports skill.

3. Chin Ups

Now that we have dealt with the “core” part of the movement, we’ll move higher up the torso.

I am assuming that you’re already using the correct overhand form.

Now, before you move the stick forward, make sure that your arms are far behind you, creating a maximum extension with the lead elbow to generate an extra range of motion and accuracy.

Once this contraction has begun, the back muscles on the lead side of the body must engage and pull that lead elbow lower and down.

Add chin-up exercise next on your upper body workout days, and it’ll add power to your shot.

4. Rotational med ball throws

Many players make one huge mistake when making a lacrosse shot: they do way too much with their arms and shoulders.

However, contracting your core muscles to twist the upper body can instantly add extra power and speed to your shot.

And the best exercise to increase strength in this particular area is… you guessed it right… rotational throws.

But, there are many variations of this exercise.

The most effective exercise will place the athlete standing sideways (perpendicular to the wall) in the athletic stance. This explosive core twist will trigger the movement, followed by the upper body acceleration to propel the ball forward.

And the motion of the arms should be a punch rather than a throw to reduce the likelihood of shoulder injury.

What’s the best thing about this exercise?

Well, by adding this simple yet effective exercise to your usual workout routine will help you build faster shots to catch those pesky goalies off guard.

Conclusion

Just remember to include these four essential exercises to your regular workout routines, and watch how goalies cower in fear after your newfound power shot rips a hole through their mesh.  

You see, strength development is the KEY component of becoming an elite athlete.