The over-the-shoulder catch is the lacrosse equivalent of a deep ball. The pass is long, the receiver is running away from the passer. The stick reaches back, the eyes look back, the catch happens at full sprint. High difficulty, high reward.
What you need: Two sticks, ball, two players, 40-yard area.
Setup: Receiver at one end. Passer 30 yards away.
How to run it:
- Receiver sprints away from the passer.
- Passer throws a long pass that lands slightly behind the receiver.
- Receiver looks back over the shoulder while running, reaches the stick back.
- Catches the ball with the stick head behind the body.
- Continues running, brings the ball forward, cradles. Do 4 reps each side.
What to watch: The head turn. The receiver has to look back over the shoulder, not turn the body around. Body keeps running forward, head looks back.
If they’re struggling: Shorter passes. Or lead the pass less so the receiver doesn’t have to reach.
If they’ve got it: Add a defender chasing. The catch has to happen with someone on the back.