8 Meters: Thunder & Lightning

With the game on the line, stepping up for an 8 meter shot might feel like a lot of pressure. However, when you watch the best 8 meter shooters in the country step up on the line, you almost always see them consistently using their go-to shot.

A shot that they have worked on over and over again, so that when they’re called up on the line, whether it's the first play of the game or the game-winning opportunity, they know exactly how they’re going to finish it.

This blog will cover a few key types of 8 meter shots, some strategy, and some ways to incorporate deception into your game!

Speed Kills: “Off the Line”

A great case study for this is Lauren Gilbert herself, who’s lightning speed and offensive skill is already highlight-reel worthy enough. Coming off a 2021 campaign in which she scored 66 goals, and shooting 23-34 on Free Positions, she is off to a hot start with 6 out of 9 total 8-meters this season and 32 points through 6 games.

This past week, Gilbert sealed a huge Northwestern victory with a game winning 8-meter goal. Her speed off the line and ability to finish in front and protect her stick is second to none.

This was following a performance in which she had four 8 meter goals against Notre Dame in a big road win. Take a look how she gets to the back pipe and places her finishes around the goalie.

After throwing a few fakes, she does an incredible job of maintaining possession and wrapping it around the goalie at the last second while avoiding the crease.

What also stands out is that she truly explodes off her front foot like a sprinter - she doesn’t false step, but rather explodes off the front foot.

Her stance and speed remind me similarly of a player I coached at USC, Emiliy Concialdi from Yorktown, NY. Conch was 12/18 in 2019 and 5/5 in a shortened 2020 season. She knew her speed and played to her strengths.

Time, Room, Bullseye: “Time and Room”

While sprinting off the line has typically been the most practical way of shooting 8 meters, let’s examine an alternative. A concept that we highly recommend our athletes explore is time and room shooting (aka the “power shot” aka “hammer time”). While it might not be everyone’s strong suit, you won’t know until you put some time into it. Additionally, time spent on the time & room shot will undoubtedly benefit your understanding of weight transfer, deception & wrist snap which will correlate to better shooting on the run and feeding!

Charlotte North has been a leader in adapting the time and room shot from the 8 meter, but let’s not forget Selena Lasota’s dominance!

Kelsey Huff (USC reigning midfielder of the year) also has demonstrated a high level ability to mix this into her arsenal, as are more players who are understanding the benefits and unlocking more power with new stick technology and an open minded approach.

Let’s take a look here at Charlotte North amidst her dominant 2021 campaign.

North displays a great balance of power, accuracy, and deception with multiple release points. With the ability to shoot time and room, you give yourself another option if the defense is getting to your hands off the line.

You also give the ability to show one shot and shoot another (see below in Deceptive Setup).

We must teach our young players how to execute this shot, explore time and place and examine one’s strengths! At the end of the day, each player has a different skill set and must find their way to be most effective.

Hitches & Deception

Besides beating defenders off the line with speed and bringing power with time and room, utilizing hitches and deception are next level ways to take the next step with your 8 meters.

Deceptive Setup

While it might not always be most advantageous to be in your fastest sprint position or your best time and room position, being deceptive with your setup on the 8 meter line can keep defenders guessing.

Here’s a great example from UPenn player Kennon Moon.

It’s hard to tell based on her setup if she will sprint in or shoot time and room. On the whistle, she flips her hips and shoots a beautiful low to high with a 7-1 stick path.

Similarly below, UVA attacker Ashley McGovern shows her stick high on the setup before dropping her hands on the shot! You can disguise your setup to fool the goalie, not just the defense!

Lastly - what better way to fool the defense by selling a shot windup and feeding a cutting teammate! AU pro Halle Majorana (Syracuse Alum and current Hofstra Assistant) sells a nice windup to feed here to Katrina Dowd.

When we step up to the line, take a peek at the pipes and at your adjacent. You can sell the 8 meter and hit an adjacent teammate for a less contested shot, like Northwestern does here.

A few years back, the rules Committee removed players from the arm on the free position, eliminating a race to “get position” when an 8 meter was called. However, there can still be advantages in sealing off defenders like BC does here with the cross crease feed!

Biggest lesson? Don’t tip your hand!

Deceptive Shooting

Deceptive shooting, or most simply making the goalie think you are shooting somewhere you are not, is key in 8 meters. It’s not always just about sprinting in the fastest or having the hardest shot. We want the ability to make the goalies think we are shooting one way while we shoot the opposite.

One shot that I have found great success in introducing to our players is the “leaner”. There are a couple ways to do this. Here is a quick instructional video below, from our online Platform.

5th year midfielder at USC, Kelsey Huff, found great success with this shot. Here, in a 2021 game against Boston College, she causes the goalie to dip and drop low while finishing high as she sprinted off the line. I think it is difficult for goalies to avoid reading your eyes and shoulders, so use it to your advantage!

Deceptive Movement

A hitch is a great way to sell a shot and then attack a defenders’ approach. 8 meter crashes are set up to contest the shot, not breakdown and play defense. If you feel like a defender is getting to your stick, consider using a hitch!

Olivia Dirks, the talented midfielder from the University of North Carolina, displayed a fantastic hitch and split in a Team USA camp.

Most sticks go up to contest the shot, so it can be timely to avoid the check, step around and finish around the defender!

Here, let’s note how Jenn Medjid takes a few hard steps, to then realize she couldn’t get under. She reacts, gets topside, and extends her hands to finish low corner.

It’s very similar to Brindi Griffin’s “hitch” for Maryland in the championship a couple years back. She attacks, feels the pressure and then hitches and plants her feet for a time and room shot. This was phenomenal poise!

Think about your setup and use the shot fakes to your advantage to get a better one if needed!

You can check out all of our 8 meter instructional videos here.

Wrap Up

At the end of the day, like anything else, 8 meters are a key component to work on. While they seem “easy”, these aren’t freebies. There are only 6 teams above 60% at the start of the 2022 season:

Take some time to reflect on your tendencies, explore your strengths and weaknesses, and add it to your bag. There’s so much film out there to study and we love using film as a tool to send to our players. There are great players to learn from, now it’s on you to put in the work and work on YOUR game.

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