You hear about ‘wall ball’ often in the lacrosse community. ‘Hit the wall’, ‘Get on the walls’, or ’50 repetitions with your left and 50 repetitions with your right’ and so on. As cliche as it all sounds, there is something to be said about being a young kid and hitting the wall.

I know from experience, because that’s what I did and still do to this day as a pro lacrosse player. I would never have been able to tell you 10 years ago that I would be reminiscing about the hours I spent on the wall and how much they meant to me. At the time, it was just something I did because I knew I had to get better if I wanted to achieve my dreams.

Those countless hours spent across from my house next door at the Walgreens that was built when I was 12, in addition to time spent at the local high school truly helped to shape me as a player.

Once I realized that the lights were on all night across the street where I grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, and until 11:30pm next door as well, there were no excuses left for me not to be working on my stick skills.

When you’re young, the wall is so helpful because it allows for you to get a ton of reps in both your strong and your weak hand. Its a time for you to really zone in and commit yourself to getting better, and over time you can really quantify how much better your strong hand and weak hand are becoming.

With that being said, wall ball for me today is a lot different than it was when I was 12…

When I was young, 50 right and 100 left was a challenge. Now, that is the very baseline for any wall ball session. When things get easier, CHALLENGE yourself!

Go behind the back 100 times without dropping it, use two balls or go around the world with your off hand; whatever it is, keep being creative and working to improve because you can always have a better stick.

I still keep the simple stuff in my back pocket, but as I continue to play, it’s important that I can keep being more creative and still push myself to new limits.

The Walls I Grew Up On In Maplewood, NJ

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