Lacrosse Goal Targets to Improve Your Shooting Accuracy

Many of the most important factors for shooting success are not related to how well you handle or cradle the ball or with your hand-eye coordination. You can work on these elements, but they will always improve only slightly. The biggest factors that determine whether you're a great shooter are determined by how effectively you can shoot accurately and consistently.

To become an accurate shooter, you need to pay attention to goal placement (how far out from the goal), blade lie (the angle between the ground and the plastic where your bottom hand leaves it) and mechanics (not wasting energy). Consistent shooters make sure these things are consistent every time they shoot. This is where accuracy drills come in. Aim for targets over and over again so you know exactly where you need to shoot the ball every time, and keep working on your mechanics until they become automatic.

The following are some examples of shooting accuracy drills. You can practice these alone or with a friend (or several). As you get better at them, try making them harder by practicing in spots further out from the goal or trying different blade lies. Don't forget to work on your own customized accuracy drills so that you can become a truly great shooter!

FACING THE GOAL:       

A simple way to work on your accuracy is to face the goal and take shots one-handed or two-handed without using your bottom hand. This forces you not only to control the ball with just one hand but also adjust your shot due to the different blade lie. Also, try going around the horn and taking shots from several positions.

TARGET SHOOTING:       

This is one of the most well-known accuracy drills. Set up a target about 9 feet away from the goal and take shots at it until you can get three out of five in the target area. The target area should be about 18 inches across and about 3 1/2 feet off the ground (the "X" should touch or nearly touch both posts). Keep working on this until you're getting four out of five every time and then push yourself to shoot for five out of five. Next, set up another target nine feet away but this time start with your back to the goal. To do this right, you should be at least six feet away from the post nearest the target so that you can turn and shoot without hitting it. Every time you hit the target mark your spot by putting a cone or some other marker on the ground and keep shooting until you can hit five out of five targets from there with your back to the goal.

CIRCLE SHOOTING:     

A bit more difficult than just standing still is circle shooting—standing in one place but taking shots while moving around in a circle (it's easier if you have someone else move your feet). This forces you to focus on accuracy rather than speed because rushing will only result in missing the target altogether. Once again, start with your feet about six feet away from the post nearest the target, but this time start facing toward the goal. Now take shots while moving around your circle until you're able to hit every target mark five out of five times.

PUSH-UP SHOOTING:     

You can make any shooting drill more difficult by adding push-ups between each shot. To do this, shoot 5 pushups and then take a shot before getting up for another set of push-ups. The first time you try this it may seem impossible, but keep at it for one minute straight and you'll be surprised how much better you are after just 60 seconds of shooting with added push-ups!

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:     

Once you've mastered these, you're well on your way to becoming an accurate shooter. Start practicing all of them together until you can do each one for 30 seconds straight before moving onto the next. If you try this, don't be discouraged if it takes a long time—it took years to develop your current level of shooting accuracy, so it'll take some time to change bad habits and build up good ones. The most important thing is not how much you practice but that you are consistent with everything you do!