Cradling Balls in Lacrosse

Video Transcript

Hi! This is Tamir Elterman on behalf of expertvillage.com and in this clip we will be talking about cradling. Cradling is one of the hardest skills to master and it involves keeping the ball in your pocket or running up and down the field then maneuvering through the defense. Each hand is placed on the stick in a different way. The bottom hand is considered the control hand and is wrapped loosely around the bottom of the stick. The top hand provides part of the motion that helps keep the ball in the pocket of the stick. The stick should rest lightly in the fingers to allow the stick to be curled slightly towards the wrist. Beginning players often have difficulty with the wrist action. The motion of the wrist should be controlled and smooth. As players begin to cradle, the ball should stay relatively still in the pocket. If the ball is jumping or bouncing in the pocket, the wrist is moving too quickly and the range of motion is too great. The wrist can move about 150 degrees when curled out away from the body. Of this motion, 70 degrees is wrist extension and 80 degrees is wrist flexion or being curled in toward the body. Beginning player should focus on moving the wrist no more than half that range as they become more advanced, they will learn when it is necessary to use a full range of wrist motion. This is too far and this is the correct way to do it. Too far, correct. The forearm of the top hand on the stick should swing like the movement of a hinged gate or door. Initially the swing may be long but as players become more comfortable the swing should decrease.

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