Part Two: The Lead Leg
By Jim Fanara, CSCS
Impulse drives shot velocity. The laws of Physics tell us that to create a strong impulse the time to slow down an object’s forward momentum must be short. Elite lacrosse athletes maximize impulse to create high velocity shots by reducing the time it takes to stop forward momentum.
Stopping forward momentum starts with the lead leg.
High velocity shots are created by efficiently changing forward linear momentum into rotational speed. As the lead leg presses into the ground, energy rebounds from the ground thru the foot, ankle, knee and into the hips to create torque (rotational speed) at the pelvis. This rebounding energy must be conserved. That means no “energy leaks”.
Elite shot makers contact the ground at the optimal lead leg knee angle and keep that angle throughout the shot. There is no “give” in the lead leg. Lower level lacrosse athletes display a high degree of knee angle variation throughout the shot. Their lead leg is “soft” upon ground contact with more “give” in the knee position. This “soft” knee leaks energy from the shot sequence thereby slowing shot velocity.
The first step to creating a high velocity shot is the capacity to abruptly stop and stabilize the lead leg. Without this critical biomechanical component, maximizing shot velocity can’t happen, regardless of the other strength and speed components an athlete displays.
Part Three: Center-of-Mass Deceleration