I'm starting to learn this shot and have a few questions:
(1) What is the advantage of starting the pull with the bumper against the far wall as opposed to starting with the ball on the white line half way between the wall and the goal? It seems that the second option has the advantages of a shorter distance to pull before shooting and the option to bank off the far wall.
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Both sets have specific advantages..
A. setting a ball at the wall, or closer to the wall (by this I mean halfway between the wall and the big box white line) allows deeper angles to the near corner, the dead center, and the far corner hole of the goal. I personally set it at or near the halfway pt between the wall and the box line.
B. setting a ball at the box line obviously gets you much closer to the long hole, or far corner, and also lines up with a nice passing lane to the 3bar... where if they start defending that passing lane, it opens up the opposing zone or combined D.
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at the wall or near wall shooting only makes sense if gkeeper HAS a spray (duhhhh) and understands (or at least has the feel) the concept of ballweight passing and shooting. Near wall makes sense, too, if the forward likes to receive shallow brushdown passes to the 3bar at the wall, or a lane pass to the 3bar about an inch off the wall. Doesn't make much sense if gkeeper sets, then goes into a tic tac.. almost always firing/releasing the ball with a slap or palm roll that's pretty much square.
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at the box line makes sense if you can do a large-angle lane pass or a brushdown to the 3bar at the wall, AND REGULARLY SHOOT A QUICK SQUARE PULL OR PUSH SHOT (distance and timing are similar to a 3bar pull or push shot)
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Going back to a long square 2bar pull: If you need more time to increase the stored/potential energy on the ball (the ball-weight makes it easier to redirect at time of shot or release) then the near or at-wall set gives one time, and also forces a longer region that the opposing forward at the 3bar has to defend.. This is a natural advantage of under-rod (push or pull) shots.. You can vary the release anywhere from the setting/starting point, all the way to the long.
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Tip: Don't practice by setting the ball (near/at-the-wall or at the box line...doesn't matter) and then waiting several seconds each time to shoot. This turns into a time-able and predictable shot (hint: a DUMB*SS type shot). Set up the ball (you should have the standard 15 seconds re ITSF or USTSA rules) and practice shooting within a second or two of setting. Most gkeepers (duhhh) can wait after 3 or 4 seconds and shoot a pull or push... but the better ones can shoot at 0.5 secs after set, .75 secs after set, 1 sec.. etc... They can and will shoot at any time after the set. At the higher levels of skill, the time a gkeeper waits DOESN'T BREAK DOWN A DEFENSE, especially a zone.. whichever hole one picks to shoot at usually shows and then disappears quickly as the opposing team adjusts and closes that hole. SO YOU SHOOT WHEN THE HOLE IS FLIPPIN' OPEN! at 0.3 secs or 14.7 secs!
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When Kobe Bryant or Dwayne Wade attack and see an open shot.. they don't wait 3-4 seconds.. they SHOOT! When in American football, a star quarterback sees and decides on a receiver, he PASSES! No idiotic waiting. That's like having an open door and being unable to walk through until the sentry comes and closes it.
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Try it . hand set the ball where you like for a pull or push.. and try shooting within 1 or 2 secs after setting.. The initial results are usually hilarious... And a lot of prideful gkeepers can't pass this test when challenged... Set the opposing gkeeper to close the straight and middle and set the opposing 3bar just a tad past the middle dot. hand set.. count "thousand-and-one" and immediately shoot. That's what separates better shooting gkeepers from the chaff or riff-raff wannabes.. They can shoot at ABSOLUTELY ANY TIME AFTER THE SET. Not a rolling pull or push, (a Quickset) mind you.. but instead, a real set/stopped ball.
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(2) Is it better to learn the 3 straight shots (near post, middle, far post) and then the sprays or all the near post shots (straight, sprays, and brush) before progressing to the middle and far post shots?
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Most gkeepers start with whichever release/shot is more natural: straight or "square" shots, versus spray shots. Really depends on which ones you're comfortable with. I have noted that unless you understand the principle of "ball-weight" passing or shooting, which is prolly why brushpassing was for a long time the "god" pass series... one should stick to square or straight shots until you figure this out.
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Best to start and master straight or spray shooting depending on which one you naturally take to at first.. but definitely a requirement to figure out the other series.. The more weapons you can command and easily control (this means a ton of practice!) The more deadly you are. NOT one or the other... (sounds like a DUMB*SS type principle) BOTH! You can certainly use both, so why not have both??? Remember.. there will always be an opponent or team that JUST NATURALLY shuts down either a complete spray series or a complete square series... very frustrating if they lock onto you .. usually 1 or 2 rounds out of the money LOL!
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I've noted that a lot of even experienced gkeepers will square a 2bar pull 70-90% and spray a push from the other side, or vice versa. This helps any defending team immensely if they can realize this. AND defending against a gkeeper with total control of straight vs spray, plus quickset tic-tacs of course.. has to be the hardest... A lot of zone D's naturally favor shutting down a straight series from the gkeeper, or a spray series, but not both. Best gkeeper offense is to have all these at least half-decently perfected and switching to whichever hurts the other team the most.
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