“You MISS 100% of the shots you DON’T take!” -Wayne Gretzky
My two newest drawings came to mind back in the spring, when my mom was watching one of the many college lacrosse games on ESPN and/or ESPN-U. She asked me, “how do you see that ball/shot coming at you?”
Funny how she asked that question, when she (along with my Dad) came to the decision when I was the age of 8 to be a goalie, because they did not want me to get hurt playing the field positions. Yup!
“That’s the Shooter!”
I remember my coach in boarding school telling me to call out the shooters but we were playing the Canterbury School and all of their 6 guys on offense had “guns”. So imagine, every pass and catch they made was complimented with my screaming the word “Shooter” from my mouth?
Figuring out who are the shooters. A little tip for my all brothers who step in the cage and our colleagues on defense.
You can probably notice who likes to “pull the trigger” before they have space and time to do it. I usually take a look at how the opposing mids and attack like to “tape” their stick. I study their favored locations of the “strong points” in the middle and the end of the sticks. If they have one of those “tape-knobs” that sit an inch or so higher from the bottom, most likely they favor a close-quarter action in the crease area. If they have a thin knob at the end with scattered “tape-notches” just below the mid point of the shaft, most likely those are the kinds that like to shoot – especially from outside!
Creating “The Shooter”.
Finished product. “The Shooter”. 8×12 inches, pen & ink on bristol board. 4 hours.
However, NOT all shooters like to hide their stick behind their head and shoulders!
Creating “From the Hip”.
Finished product. “From the Hip”. 8×12 inches, pen & ink on bristol board. 5 hours.
Fire away!
Both pieces are currently available at: www.TheArtofLax.com
