Want to know how to get a better shot? Have you always had an ok shot but lack the power? If you have good placement most of the time when shooting but lack the power/speed on the shot, you are missing a key component.
So how do you do it? How can you get that power that I see the professionals have? Well, there are a few things you need. 1) Stability in your planting leg. 2) Strong quads and hip flexors on your striking leg. 3) Strong abdominals. Let's go a little deeper into what these three sections actually mean. For the examples below, I am going to use a right footed shot.
1) Planting leg stability. This is first and foremost. Without this, you have no shot at all. As you run up to the ball, your left foot has to plant next to the ball. Ok Mike, I know that! But do you know what goes into all of that? It requires three things on your left leg: ankle stability, quad strength and glute strength. If you are missing just one of these things, you will either lose your balance or lose the power in the shot. It actually all starts with your ankle and works up your leg. If your ankle "rolls", it doesn't matter how strong your quads and glutes are; you are going to be off-balance right away! So a strong ankle is first! Then you need strong quads and glutes on the left leg so that your body can move forward over that leg without losing balance. Give it a try! Can you stand on your left leg and swing your body forward without losing your balance?
2) Right leg quad and hip flexor strength. This is fairly self explanatory and the piece of the puzzle that everyone knows about. Strong muscles on the front of the right thigh to strike through the ball. There are various ways to strengthen these muscles and that is another blog post for another time.
3) Ab strength. "Huh? Wait, I'm using my leg to kick the ball...I'm not using my abs." Well, this is part of the problem. Just like a baseball pitcher uses abs to throw a faster pitch, you need to engage your abs to get a stronger shot! You can have the strongest quads in the world but you will always be lacking something if you can't get your abs to fire at the time of the shot. If you tighten your abs as you strike through the ball, you will see an increase in speed in your shot. Go ahead and try it. Try a shot without your abs and then try a shot while trying to use your abs. You should see a difference.
These are three components that you need to work on. Not sure where to start or what to do? Contact me to work together. Each of my programs starts with "a screen" and I will find what you need the most work on. Then I will create a program that is specific for you! There is a better way to train and it starts now!
Remember, Strike through the Competition!
-Dr. Mike