How to Cradle a Girl's Lacrosse Stick

Cradling takes superior arm strength and quite a bit of practice. Primarily a motion in the shoulders and wrists, cradling is a whole-body action. Learning how to cradle is the easy part when putting it together with the running necessary to be an effective lacrosse athlete. Cradling while protecting the ball in the pocket of the stick is extremely important. Therefore, good cradling form, using the interaction of the shoulders and the wrists in fluid movement, is necessary to be a functional lacrosse player.

Things You'll Need

  • Girl's lacrosse stick
  • Lacrosse balls
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place your right hand at the bottom of the stick, about a finger length from the bottom. The left hand should be about a hand length from the head of the stick.

    • 2

      Lift your right elbow from your right side until it is perpendicular to the ground. Lift your left elbow to about a 70-degree angle from your left side.

    • 3

      Using the shoulders, move the arms away from the body. To keep the ball in the head of the stick, bend the wrists so that the outside of left wrist is pointed away from the body. The left hand should be facing the body. The inside right wrist is pointed away from the body with the right hand facing toward the body.

    • 4

      Replicate step 3 by bringing the stick back toward the body, remembering to bend the wrists to keep the ball in the pocket on the head of the stick.

    • 5

      Repeat steps 3 and 4 continuously to develop a fluid range of motion.