The lacrosse shot is complex rotary motion. Technically, it’s a kinetic chain whose segments are sensitively timed from the initial foot plant… to the stick finally being whipped at the goal. The underlying design of the body is a factor. And, to transfer energy from the ground up powerfully to the stick, one also must have ideal sequencing of body parts. Within all this complexity, there exists the potential for an athlete to get things a little wrong or to be absolutely great.

Those of us who coach need to understand lacrosse shot biomechanics and its underlying physical components if we hope to develop proper exercise programs and on-field drills. These two aspects of lacrosse training truly bring a player’s game to new heights.

Luckily, technology can assist us in breaking down a sports motion that we, as coaches, can analyze, understand, and perfect going forward. And while the diagnostic technology was available to lacrosse, the information about it was not. That is, until Athletic Edge Lacrosse participated in a 3-D biomechanical research study on the lacrosse shot.

The results, presented at the 2008 and 2009 US Lacrosse National Convention, as well as the 2008 Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Convention, confirmed that there were biomechanical differences between good shooters and great shooters:

1. For one thing, great shooters moved their center of mass (the area just behind the belly button) to their front or plant leg more quickly when initiating a shot. They never allowed their upper body to hang back toward the trail leg side. That momentum transfers into power-producing torque at the pelvis.

2. Great shooters planted their lead leg with slightly more knee bend, but they did not allow that knee to collapse after foot plant. This lead leg stability allows for efficient energy transfer from the ground up and out toward the stick. In contrast, when the lead knee continues to collapse at foot plant, energy is dissipated and lost into the ground. In other words, shots suffer.