Why Trick Shots are So Tricky For The Lacrosse Goalie

So I got an email from a goalie who was complaining about trick shots that were going in. Now there are "trick" shots and there are also "fake shots." Either way it helps to know what the shooter is doing. I wrote an article that will go into our newbie goalie packet and I think you'll like it. Always take some time every day to work on trick shots and fakes with a shooter. But remember to know where the shot is ultimately going. That way you can focus on the movement of the stick so that you can honor the fake but not sacrifice body position. Let me know if this helps.

Also, thanks for Kevin from Ireland and Rob from North Carolina who told me I missed their states on my list. Also, South Carolina too! Here's the article.


Why Trick Shots are so…Tricky.

You remember when dad, or maybe Grandpa, did the old hidden coin behind your ear trick. Or maybe the pull-your-thumb-apart trick? Remember how WOW! you were? They were tricking you. Inside you were both awed and frustrated. You were awed at how he did it, and you were frustrated because you didn’t know what the heck was going on?

But do you remember what happened when you figured out the trick? Grandpa wasn’t cool anymore. You were thinking, “Dude. Grandpa. Give that trick a rest. Or come at me with something new. That trick is so yesterday.”

The deal with any sort of trick or fake you have to know how it’s done. Once you know what the pattern is, or the move. You now how it ends. Let me give you an example:

A couple of years ago I was getting warmed up by Lewis Ratcliffe of the Calgary Roughnecks. Now this guy is a stud. He now plays for the Toronto Rock, but he’s an all-star in the NLL and he played college ball at Ohio State.

He’s got a cannon for a shot. But he was schooling me on this dinky little overhand shot. Basically what he was doing was this: He’s right handed, and he was shooting overhand bringing the head of his stick over the left side of his head. Follow? The stick is way over his head but it’s almost like it is now a lefty shot. But as he followed through the ball would come back across his body to my left side. He’d bounce it and I was totally fooled. The way the stick was coming I expected the ball to go to my right. But instead it came back left and my weight was totally out of position.

So, I stopped the warm up. Because I wasn’t learning anything at this point. I went up to him and asked, “What the hell are you doing! Because I think I saw my jock over there on the side of the cage you faked me so hard.”

Once he explained it to me. I now knew what to expect. I had him take ten shots on me and stopped every one. I even had him do it left handed. Once I saw that stick come up over his head I knew what was coming. No more tricks Grandpa!

As you play more and more you know what to expect. You learn more and more things that offensive players try and you can move accordingly. The key for you the lacrosse goalie is to identify what shots give you trouble and which ones you are good at. Then you want to work on those shots.

If you have a kid on your team how is a great shooter and can work with you on following fakes or trick shots, grab him for a couple of minutes before or after practice. If he’s schooling you every time ask him what he is doing. That way, when you see the shooter go into that sort of shot then you know what to expect.

Because of the way sticks are strung in lacrosse the opportunity for fakes on the goalie are pretty frequent. Unlike a hockey stick, a lacrosse player can pretty much look like he is going to take a full side arm shot at the cage only to turn the stick over at the last minute and keep the ball in the stick. Meanwhile you’re expecting a cannon.

What makes fakes so difficult is that you need to respect certain periods of time within the fake when the ball can be shot by you. So you need to be in position for the first fake while not sacrificing yourself for the shot that might come after that first fake.