Grow the Game®

Here’s Your Help: Question Mark?

The Question Mark Dodge:

This dodge, when performed to perfection, is nearly impossible to stop. This dodge is easy to learn and very effective when performed properly. Rob Pannel has more than perfected the Question Mark, he has practically made a living off of it. Though it is a fundamental dodge, it can create so much space between you and your defensemen that it might not guarantee a goal, but it will definitely guarantee a shot.

I am going to attempt to break this dodge down in to three easy steps to make your life easy.

1) The Setup:

This maneuver all starts when you receive the ball behind the net. This is where you decide what hand you’d prefer to take your shot with. If you are a strong righty like myself, it’s important you come out of your initial dodge in your left hand and vice versa. You can perform any move behind to set up your defenseman, just make sure that when you are crossing GLE you are in the opposite hand you wish to shoot with.

2)The Separation:

This is the most crucial part of the Question Mark. This is where you’ll be breaking away from your defenseman in order to get your hands free. This part involves using your body to gain inside position and push your defenseman towards the middle of the field once you reach that 5&5 (5 yards off the pipe, 5 yards past GLE). Plant your inside foot and use the pressure of your defenseman to explode to the outside. You want to practically throw your stick to the outside when you explode to make sure your body is in between your stick and your defenseman. When switching hands, try and end up in triple threat position in order to get off a quick shot.

3)The Snipe:

Now that your hands are free and in the triple threat position, it’s time to pick a corner. Most of the time, low and away is available. Personally that is my favorite spot to shoot and one of the hardest spots for the goalie to get to. However, changing it up from time to time is obviously important when fooling the goalie.

All-Star Tip:

Adding a nice shoulder fake for the low corner in there helps make the goalie drop so you can open up the upper ninety!

Thanks for checking out this weeks edition of “Here’s Your Help!” Tune in every Tuesday for more tutorials that will better your game. Comment below if there is anything that we can help teach you!

Mason Powell

Mason Powell is a 21 year old enthusiast from Cazenovia, NY. Growing up with 3 legends as older brothers definitely gives you a unique perspective on the game. When he first started playing at age 3, Mason had seen so many high level games by that point, he thought throwing behind the back was the fundamental way to make a pass. He ended his Cazenovia High School years with two state championships before spending his senior year at The Hill Academy. There he learned more about the game and himself as a player. After a few years between different Junior Colleges, he decided to hang up the cleats but keep the passion alive. Now residing in downtown Rochester, he coaches Junior Varsity lacrosse at a local High School, creates content for LaxAllStars.com and serves the board of directors for Breaking Barriers Lacrosse.