Wall ball is the cheat code for stick skills

If you ask any college player how they got their stick skills, the answer is some version of "I played a lot of wall ball."

Every All-American I played with in college, every kid I have coached at the next level, they all spent serious time at a wall. The good news is that a wall is free and almost everywhere. The bad news is that most players use that time poorly.

This is how to actually get the most out of wall ball.

1. Move your feet

The biggest mistake players make is standing in one spot for thirty minutes. You do not get to stand still in a real game. So why would you stand still while you are training?

While you throw, mix in:

• Lateral shuffles
• Backpedals
• Small loops with a catch on the run
• Quick stops and starts

Your hands have to stay sharp even when your body is doing something else. That is what every catch and clear actually feels like with a defender on you.

2. Strong hand, then off hand

Most players give their strong hand 80 percent of the reps and call it a day. That is exactly backwards. Your strong hand is already good. Your off hand is the one holding you back.

A simple rule:

• 100 righty? Then 100 lefty.
• If anything, give the off hand a few extra.

If you cannot pass and catch with both hands at game speed, defenders will figure it out by the end of the first quarter and force you to your weak side every possession.

3. One hand on the stick

Once you have warmed up with two hands, drop one hand off and keep throwing. Do it with both hands.

This sounds silly until you realize how much more comfort and confidence mastering this gives you.

Start short, maybe ten feet from the wall, and back up as it feels natural.

4. Pick a brick

If you can find a brick wall, you have a built in target system. Try this progression:

1. Pick one specific brick.
2. Hit it ten times in a row.
3. Pick a different brick and do it again.
4. Pick a brick you have to hit while moving.

The point is not to be perfect. The point is to make your hands accountable. Aiming at a generic wall lets you cheat. Aiming at one brick exposes every sloppy release.

5. Use the randomness

A wall is the only training partner that throws the ball back at you with no pattern. The ball is going to come back at weird heights, weird angles, and weird speeds depending on how you hit the wall.

That is exactly what game catches feel like. Embrace it:

• Step in tight so the ball comes back fast.
• Throw a half speed lob and wait for it.
• Hit different parts of the wall on purpose to mix up the bounce.

The variety is what builds soft hands.

6. Off balance reps

Stand on one leg and throw. Then switch legs. Then go back to two feet.

Most of the best plays you ever make in a game happen when you are off balance, falling away, reaching, or getting hit.

Off balance reps at a wall teach your hands to work when your base is not perfect. It feels stupid for about thirty seconds, and then you realize you are actually working on something real.

7. Advanced stuff

If your fundamentals are solid, start mixing in:

• Behind the back throws for control in tight spaces and feeds
• Canadian style

Do not start here. These are the cherry on top, not the meal. If your basic righty and lefty over the top throws are not tight, work on those first.

8. End on a number

Every wall ball session should finish with a PR attempt. Pick something measurable:

• Most consecutive catches without dropping
• Most consecutive righty quick sticks
• Most one handed lefty catches in a row

Whatever you pick, the goal is one more than last time. If you did 47 last week, you are not done until you hit 48.

That standard is how you turn wall ball from "I did wall ball today" into "I am better than I was yesterday." Big difference.

A 20 minute session you can run today

If you want a simple structure to use right now:

1. 5 min of two handed passes, righty and lefty, while moving
2. 5 min of one handed throws, both hands
3. 5 min of brick targeting on the move
4. 3 min of one leg balance throws
5. 2 min of PR attempt to close

That is one productive session. Do it five days a week for a summer and you will not recognize your own hands in the fall.

Closing thought

Wall ball is the single highest leverage thing you can do to get better at lacrosse. It costs nothing. You can do it alone. The reps compound.

Twenty minutes a day for a year beats two hours once a week.

If you want to play at the next level, this is not optional. This is the work.

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Want help building a real practice plan around stick work and the rest of your game? Send an inquiry and Coach Dan will put a session together based on what your athlete needs to work on next.