If you start watching lacrosse, you will quickly notice that lacrosse players spin or twirl their sticks back and forth. If you aren’t very familiar with the game, it’s pretty confusing to figure out exactly why lacrosse players spin their sticks.
Don’t worry though, I have you covered! Today I will go over everything you need to know about this spinning motion and how to practice it if you are trying to become a lacrosse player yourself.
This Spinning Motion Is Called ‘Cradling’
Lacrosse is full of jargon, and this is no exception. Cradling is what lacrosse players decided to name the motion of spinning the lacrosse stick, and it actually has a pretty important purpose.
If you run with a lacrosse ball in your stick without cradling, it will quickly fall out of the stick. When you cradle, centrifugal force holds the ball inside the stick and allows you to run while still maintaining control of the lacrosse ball.
Cradling is one of the most important skills in all of lacrosse, and every lacrosse player should know how to cradle.
You can cradle the lacrosse ball with one or two hands, and you can bring the stick forward or backward depending on your preference.
How to Practice Cradling
If you have never cradled before, it can be one of the most awkward and frustrating parts of lacrosse to practice. Luckily I have the simplest and most effective drill you can do right now to practice cradling. Ready?
Set a timer for 10 minutes and try to cradle. Do this every day for 30 days.
I’ve found that cradling is something your mind naturally figures out. You don’t need to worry about technique; it will happen over time. If you just cradled for 10 minutes a day, you would be a cradle expert in a month!
So that’s why lacrosse players spin and twirl their sticks. Hopefully that was a lot less complicated than you thought, and maybe you will be able to do the same thing in a month.