There are so many moves in lacrosse you can use to get a step on your defender or even break away from a riding attackman. In this post, I go over my 4 most important moves to learn and why!
Split Dodge: A split dodge is probably the first dodge you learn when you pick up a lacrosse stick. A split dodge is very important to learn because it allows you to change your direction quickly, while keeping your stick protected. It also is the easiest and safest way to switch hands, whether it's off a pass or ground ball, in my opinion it's always the safest and quickest way to change hands. So how do you do it?
It's easy, all you need to remember is:
1. Top of plastic to the opposite hip, hiding the shaft behind your leg. While putting your opposite hand that you started with TO THE TOP OF THE PLASTIC
1a. That way you're not putting your hand in the middle of the shaft which is an easy way to leave your stick hanging for a trail check or get can opened
2. Punch your hand out and away from pressure as you reconnect your free hand to the bottom of the shaft
You can also split dodge different ways. For example, when I split dodge, I split my stick under my defenders almost like a crossover in basketball. Others just bring it straight across their chest. Both are perfectly acceptable, except mine might take a little but more practice.
Here's a video of me scoring off of a split dodge
Face Dodge: A face dodge is very useful if you're trying to keep the stick in a singular hand. It's very important to learn a face dodge because it's the easiest and quickest way to protect your stick. You pull it over to the opposite side of your body, cradle vertically and use your shoulder and back to protect your stick. So here's how you do it!
1. Bring the stick from one side of your body, all the way to the other
2. Turn your shoulder blade towards the defender
3. Cradle hard, tight and VERTICALLY. If you cradle horizontally, it makes it so easy for the defender to slap the ball out of your stick, or get in on your hands and handcuff you.
3a. When you're "handcuffed" it means your arms or hands are in such a weird position, that you aren't in any position to throw, catch, pass, shoot, get a ground ball. Pretty much anything!
Here's a video of me scoring off a face dodge
Roll Dodge: A roll dodge is a very useful tool in any scenario whether it be rolling into a shot or even just rolling back to flip the field once the slide is drawn. But, the roll dodge is very hard and in my opinion the hardest move to master correctly. Lots of things can go wrong in your roll dodge if you don't do it correctly. For example, you can hang your stick, you cannot be explosive out of your roll, you can get handcuffed or can opened, you can get over the head checked. For a roll dodge, there are certain aspects of the dodge that you need to perfect if you're going to be doing a roll dodge at all. So, how do you roll dodge correctly?
1. Whatever hand you have your stick in, plant on the opposite foot and drop your other knee low to build power
2. Punch your hand away from pressure and let your head and shoulder follow
3. MOST IMPORTANT PART! You need to explode off that planted foot and change your hands at the same time. It saves time and it's so much more efficient. While switching your hands, make sure the hand you're changing to goes to the top of the plastic.
3a. If not, like if you bring your hand to the middle of the stick, you could leave your stick hanging for a trail check or over the head check
4. Cradle with you hand at the top of the plastic and as soon as you know you want to do something with the ball, (pass, shoot, dodge, fake, flip, etc.). Once you know you're ready to do something with the ball then you bring your hands back and slide your top hand down to make the throw, shoot the ball, etc.
Here's a video of me scoring off a roll dodge
Swim Dodge: In my opinion a swim dodge is a very flashy dodge, not necessarily useful all the time but it does have it's advantages and disadvantages. For example, an advantage of a swim move is that it works very very well if you are someone who is tall. I am not tall so I do not use swim dodges a lot, I am 5'7 so it's not really the one for me. However, I do use it on certain occasions like if I am about to get can opened and I want to go the other way. I will lift my stick up and swim dodge to the side I want to go to. One of the disadvantages though, is it leaves almost your entire stick very vulnerable to checks and if you do it the wrong way it can lead to a lot of turn overs! Just so that anybody reading this doesn't turn the ball over on a swim dodge, I am going to teach you how to swim dodge.
1. Start your cradle with TWO HANDS. If you start with one hand, it will be very easy for the defender to read that a swim dodge is coming and they can counter it
2. Extend the hand at the top of the stick out and up while keeping the stick vertical
3. Very quickly, bring the stick over the defenders stick and bring it all the way across your body
4. shuffle or run with your feet in the direction you are dodging, if your don't bring your feet. YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!
5. Once the stick is across your body, being cradled vertically and being protected by your shoulder and back
6. Reconnect your hand to the bottom of the shaft
I do not have a video of me scoring off of a swim dodge, as I do not do it a lot. But here is a picture of me in high school using a swim move to split a double team
Comments
Post a Comment