@@lydia2865 you should be fine as long as you improve every time you practice. Coaches generally like to watch people grow, it's what they're there for. So as long as you are improving you should be fine. When you make the team, by the end of the year you should be laughing at how bad you are now.
No worries. Time to get creative. Rebounders, DIY wooden bounce backs, or small trampolines (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N8JArLyYBVI.html) all give you a chance to get those crucial reps.
Great video -- thanks for all the effort you put in to making this! One related question: what do you think about the majority of youth players who have natural form (bottom hand to hip)? Practicing wall ball with natural form never becomes the form that advanced players use (bottom hand to elbow). (Think of both form examples in a time and room shot.) No one even tells most players that they have natural form, and even fewer players get good advice if they want to improve. We all know the difference between natural form and good form when throwing a ball with our hand. The same issue exists in lacrosse, but as a sport we don't tell or teach players the skill that lets them experience the best part of the game. Interested to hear your thoughts! Thank you.
Thanks for the question. I agree there are more nuances to the game as the players age. I've coached kindergarten to high school, and I'd say it depends on the goal of the age group. Young elementary is just to introduce, have fun, and to minimize the fear of the ball. Late elementary I think understanding of the rules and first refinement of skills takes shape. Middle school is about turning them into a rough version of high school players, think high school but not polished. Then high school should be in game IQ, continuous refinement (like tweaks for shot speed), minimizing mistakes. Natural form works to a point, but with a good coach hopefully you rule that out in late elementary to early middle school. What you are discussing is important, but many of us are beholden to the "dad's" and "moms" we LOVE dear, but these nuances are foreign to those without lacrosse background. Youth programs with knowledgeable coaches and/or great education plans yield the best players. Generally speaking, high school is too late for natural form. Sorry for long answer but great question and it's certainly an in depth topic.
@@OffBallLax Thanks for your reply. Do you think it would be better to focus more on form from the start? Baseball does this and we don't see young baseball players still throwing naturally after 2-3 years of playing. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-37zs0XITraw.html In lacrosse it's like >95% have natural form until they quit. Also do you think the emphasis on "wall ball, wall ball, wall ball" might make the less-knowledgeable people believe that wall ball is effective when for most players it just makes them lock-in their natural form so they can never improve? Thanks very much for your thoughts on this!
@@PhantomLacrosse Would it be better from the start, for some I would think so but not for everyone. I don't want a kids first experience thinking how to play is so rigid that they don't want to try and be creative. When I started I felt like lacrosse was the X games of team sports. Creativity was encouraged and part of the fun. My goal for younger children is understanding the basics and having fun. As they get older I agree with you the form is important for them to see bigger gains. I also agree with you that wall ball is most effective when practiced correctly. However, as I mentioned before we are subject to the lacrosse IQ of our youth programs. In high school, we still taught nuances to shooting that helped re-teach a "good form". I think for the players that are going to take this sport to the next level; their form can be reshaped later in life (late middle/high school) as well. We can't pick out all the All-Americans in middle school because so much can change at high school, especially for great/dedicated players.
@@OffBallLax Thanks very much for your thoughts. I think most coaches would agree with you. I just wonder when this strategy will produce results. Nationally I see maybe 1% of middle school players with good form, and maybe 50% of HS players. Youth participation has gone from fastest-growing sport to a shrinking sport (last 3 years in a row not counting 2020/COVID). Natural form is awkward and doesn't work with any creative moves. It's not fun and it makes players quit because their skills can't improve no matter how much they practice. Anyway thanks for helping me understand other viewpoints on this.