How To Stay Focused On The Lacrosse Ball Plus How To Stop Those Pesky Low Shots

Jonathan Writes:

Micah keeping your eye on the ball really comes down to concentration and interest. Also, a little bit of fear.

If you are afraid of the ball at all, and are blinking, you will have trouble keeping your eye on the ball. So you need to identify if that is a problem and do what you need to do to fix that. You may need some more equipment to feel protected etc.

If you are just getting distracted then you need to buckle down and really focus on the ball. I recommend you follow the ball no matter where it is on the field. I mean really zone in on it. Don't worry about peripheral players just zone in on it where ever it is. If the coach has it in her hand and drops it on the ground just stare at it. When the play stops and it's in a players stick just stare at the ball in the stick.

When I mention interest I mean that it's easy to get distracted especially if you're uninterested. Let me explain: Guy in bad jeans and crappy shirt with beer belly walks by you on the street. Not interested. Well dressed guy in nice suit with model good looks walks by you on the street. Interested! Right? If practice is boring to you, and the game is a little dull you're not going to be as focused on the ball as you need to be. But if it's interesting to you it's no problem.

Most of us need to really focus on the ball. When I was playing a lot it was easy. It took me a bit to train myself to stay focused. I would give myself little cues to stay focused like, "Every time my bottom hand touches my stick I am glued to the ball." Or, "When the whistle blows my eyes don't come off the ball." It might take you a few weeks to dial this in but you'll notice a bid difference once it does.

When I stopped playing I had to conciously remind myself to stay focused. But once I get back playing again it gets easier.

To be honest, if you get your focus on the ball back you'll probably do better on those low shots. That will be step one. But most goalies I find are either standing on their heels a bit, or are just plain worried about getting hit with the ball on the low shots. Make sure you're well protected on your lower half. If need be, go get some football pants with some thigh pads and maybe even some shin guards. That will help. Also, think of yourself more like a baseball catcher. If you get the chance to watch a game or two on tv watch how a catcher saves pitches in the dirt. They really focus on moving in front of the ball, getting their head and chest over the ball and getting their hands out and body in front of it. That is what you need to do. When you see the ball go low you want to almost think , "Hands first, body second, stick third." Now your stick is in your hands obviously but by focusing on your hands and your body you'll block more shots. It's pretty cool.

Let me know how it goes Micah.

Jonathan-
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com