Passing

Overhand Passing Technique
Stance
Grip of the Stick
Position of the Stick prior to a Pass
Position of the Wrists
Throwing Motion
Follow-Through of the Stick
Correcting the Hook
Instruction for Passing
Passing Drills

Overhand Passing Technique

  • Stance,
  • Grip of stick,
  • Ball carrying position of stick, 
  • Ready position of stick,
  • Throwing motion,
  • Follow-through of stic. [Top]

Stance

The player should take a "baseball batter's" stance standing sideways , with the shoulder in front facing the target. This is the stance taken in a game situation when the  ball carrier is being checked and must protect the stick with the body by turning sideways. [Top]

Grip of the Stick

The bottom hand lightly grips the butt end of the stick, so the stick is easily rotated. The top hand is placed slightly below the mid-point of the shaft, about 8" from the bottom hand. This is usually the balance point of the stick.  Another way to determine the placement of the top hand is to grab the stick (with the top hand) and rotate the stick such that the the butt end of the stick touches the elbow.

Coach first time players through the following progressions to learn how to grip the stick. Form an "O" with the index finger and the thumb on the hand at the bottom of the stick. Place the butt of the stick into the "O" such that it is free to rotate. Cup the other hand slightly and support the shaft with the cupped hand. Using the cupped hand roll the stick back and forth. Now add arm motion with the cupped hand to create a small cradling motion with the stick in front of the body. Now close the grip of both hands on the stick, maintaining a loose grip with fingertip control. Emphasize a loose grip so the player get s a good feel of the stick. The player should not grab the lacrosse stick like a hockey stick or an axe. Holding the stick with the fingers helps to keep the wrists flexible for rotating the stick when cradling and faking. Some players like to place their thumbs up along the shaft to get a better feel for the stick and to give the wrists more flexibility.

By properly positioning the hands on the stick, it becomes easier to control the stick for faking, passing, and shooting. If a player grabs his stick too high on the shaft then it is not possible to properly follow through on a pass or a shot. If the top hand is too close to the bottom hand, then it is not possible to have good control of the head of the stick. [Top]

Position of the Stick Prior to a Pass

Prior to a pass, the stick is held at a 45 degree angle over the stick shoulder while doing a small cradle with the ball. The top hand is positioned at the height of the players ear. The bottom hand slightly below the top hand on the shaft with leverage to move the stick towards the vertical position.

The player keeps the stick close but not touching his body, with arms flexed. [Top]

Position of the Wrists

A player pulls both wrists backwards when ready to pass or shoot. As a player pulls the wrists backwards, the top hand moves the stick straight back with the butt end of the stick pointing at the target . The stick is in a horizontal position with the players weight on the back foot. Some players like to hold the stick at a 45 degree angle to the floor rather than horizontally, but this depends on what is comfortable for each individual player. [Top]

Throwing Motion

Always start the throw off the back foot, then transfer weight from the back foot to the front foot. Stepping into the pass by taking a short 6" step with the front foot help s a player get more power in the pass. The player must step with the foot opposite to the stick side. Some players prefer to stay stationary when transferring weight for the pass.

At the same time that the player steps, the stick is brought forward by the top hand arm, and both wrists are snapped forward. A good ball handler will keep both hands at the same position on the shaft when making a pass and receiving a pass.

It's important to find the point at which to release the ball from the pocket to have the ball follow a level line-of-flight. One of the main passing rules is to release the ball sooner and not later from the stick. Releasing the ball from the stick while it is still behind the head results in high looping flight. A high non-looping pass occurs if the ball is released from the tip of the stick. [Top]

Follow-Through of the Stick

On the follow-through of the stick it is important to use the the following technique.

  • The top hand arm ends up fully extended while the bottom hand arm remains flexed. A beginner will try to push the ball out of the stick by extending both arms fully, rather than using only the top arm. This should be corrected.
  • The butt end of the stick touches the elbow of the top hand.
  • The follow through of the stick is straight ahead and downward with the tip of the stick pointing at the target.
  • The upper body is turned from a sideways position to a position square with the target.
  • The body weight ends up on the front foot after the release.

In putting all of the parts together, it is important to throw in a continuous, smooth overhand motion. The stick traces out the path of the top half of a ferris wheel from the beginning of a pass to the end of the pass, (i.e., the stick starts in a position nearly horizontal to the floor with the head of the stick pointing back. During the throwing phase the tip of the stick follows an arc ending up in a position horizontal to the floor. This technique results in an overhand pass that is very accurate. The motion is analogous to that of throwing a baseball. [Top]

Correcting The Hook

Every player, whether experienced or new, at some time hooks the ball, i.e., the ball exits from the pocket too low. The hook may be caused by: sloppy netting, the way the player throws the ball, the ball hitting and bumping off the shooting string(s), incorrect placement of the shooting pocket, or a pocket that is too deep.

The hook can be corrected by forcing the ball to be released higher and following the steps below.

  • Smoothing out the shooting pocket making sure the runners are smooth and not bulky.
  • Pulling in the leather runners to make the pocket shallower.
  • Putting in extra shooting strings to help the ball roll out of the netting more smoothly.
  • Making sure the shooting pocket is near the tip of the head.
  • Releasing the ball from the stick when it is still behind his body rather than when the ball is beside or in front of the body. [Top]

Instruction for Passing

Teach only the overhand pass. It is the most accurate of all passes and it carries into the overhand shot nicely.

  • Before passing, the passer must make sure the receiver is looking and is ready for the pass. Eye contact is a good way to signal for a pass.
  • Use a shooting pass or a passing pass. This is a pass in which a player catches and passes in one continuous motion. No time is wasted moving the stick from a catching position to a throwing or shooting position
  • Stress passing with a snap of the wrist. Discourage pushing the ball out using arm motion alone.
  • Have the players throw hard, crisp passes, but not too fast. Passes are meant to be caught. Much of the responsibility for a completed pass rests with how hard and accurate the ball is passed. The strength of the pass depends on how skilled the receiver and the distance between the passer and receiver.
  • Stress throwing passes that are parallel to the floor. Do not use lob passes except when throwing to a player who has a breakaway, or throwing to a player up the sideboards on the passers side. Where possible avoid throwing bounce passes since they come off the floor with back spin and may spin in unpredictable directions and may spin out of the receivers stick.
  • Encourage players to throw only short passes in the breakout and on the offense. The short pass is more accurate and reliable.
  • Practice quick passes and quick releases, but not a hurried pass. By hurrying, a player may pass out of control, pass off balance, or make wrong decisions, resulting in a bad pass.
  • Stress accuracy over speed. Pass quickly but do not sacrifice accuracy.
  • At more advanced levels have players use peripheral vision when passing. Avoid telegraphing passes (looking directly at the intended receiver). Have players use deception by faking a pass one way and passing the other way.
  • Have the players concentrate on the head of the stick as a target. Stress a high outside pass on the receivers stick side. Ideally the ball should enter the stick without the receiver having to move it
  • Players often make mistakes on the height of a pass. A rule is: pass too high rather than too low.
  • The timing of a pass to a teammate running across the floor is very important. The receiver's stick should be held over the inside shoulder. That is, the stick is held behind the runner - not in front. By aiming in front of the receiver's stick the idea is to have the ball make contact with the stick of the moving player.
  • When running down the floor with a teammate on the opposite side of the floor, the rule is: if a passer makes a mistake, throw the ball too far in front of the receiver rather than behind. The reason is that the receiver may still have a chance to receive the pass by accelerating his run or the player may be able to retrieve a bouncing ball by carrying his momentum forward.
  • A similar rule is employed when passing to a teammate on a breakaway: use an over pass rather than under pass , i.e., throw a semi lob, soft pass so the receiver has a chance to run forward under the pass for a reception.
  • When receiving a breakaway pass, catch the ball over the inside shoulder. Place the stick with the face of the pocket parallel to the floor and in front and let the ball come to the pocket to avoid breaking stride.
  • After receiving a bad pass, pause for poise. This means regaining balance and composure before making the next pass. By hurrying the return pass, a player often creates the chain reaction of bad passes. [Top]

Passing Drills

To be successful, a team must have solid in fundamentals in making a pass and receiving a pass. I t is important that the drills are fun, organized, competitive, short, varied, progressive, and game like.  When teaching passing and receiving use the following progressions.

  • Assume that all players know nothing about making a pass and receiving a pass. So teach everything from the ground up.
  • Teach by having the players use repetition to acquire the skill.
  • Recognize that high repetition tends to build confidence.
  • Have the drills favor success at the beginning.
  • Concentrate first on form, secondly on accuracy and finally on speed.
  • Follow this drill progression:
    • Start the drills with both players stationary; then have one of the players running; then have both players running.
    • Start with no pressure in the drill, then slowly create pressure by adding players (competition), adding time limits (race against the clock), or setting goals on the number of passes successful completed.
    • Instill team spirit an have the passers call out the receiver's first name. [Top]