THE WEAK SIDE: PLAYING LEFT AND RIGHT

Nobody likes talking about their weak side. It’s the part of every lacrosse player that’s keeping them from their potential. But there’s hope. A lacrosse player that plays both right and left sides always has the advantage over the player that cannot. On defense the player that is skilled on both sides will match their opponent stick-to-stick on coverage. On offense that player always has a second option of motion just as secure as the strong side– able to place the ball in a protected area behind the trailing shoulder away from defensive coverage. And the upper hand continues when positioning for a shot on goal. Using the inside arm at a high angle shot, increases the available goal target area. Those are just a few advantages of being able to play both left and right. The reality is that playing one-sided will always lead to compromises in a game.

The above diagram shows that the player who shoots from the inside hand (left) has a larger target for the shot.

How do you improve your weak hand? The video below has some excellent exercises for improving the off hand. Also see the How-to: Wall Ball post for more drills.

It’s all about learning to mirror the strong side with motions and actions. These guys used a phone to record both left and right motions for a comparison.