Your Edge: Sam Bradman's Sweet Jump Shot

by Matt Forman | LaxMagazine.com | Twitter

Sam Bradman's jump shot from the alley. © James Seip

What I Do Off the Field

Drink All-Natural Energy
Before games I drink honey. My dad gets all-natural honey from a local place in Upstate New York. I usually take a mouthful before we walk out onto the field, a mouthful after warm-ups and before the start of the game and then a mouthful at halftime. I didn't know how people would react to it my freshman year, so I stopped doing it. I thought, 'These kids are probably going to think I'm a loser if I'm drinking honey.' But since I got back into it I've been going stronger and stronger. Now before games everybody wants me to give them a mouthful of honey. Now people are joking, "Give me a squirt of that honey, I want to see what this does for you."

Embrace My Environment
I like nature. I like getting out. I'm a scenic guy. I like going to rivers and lakes, chilling on the water. During high school, whenever my dad and I would get some free time, we would go out fishing. We lived in a log cabin out in the woods on a dead-end road. I'm real laid back. There's not a lot of tension with me. If there is, you had to do something to make me mad.

Follow Dad's Footsteps
My dad was a phys-ed teacher and coach, and I always wanted to do what he did. We have a very good program at Salisbury. I feel like it will take me where I'd like to be. Hopefully I'll play after college, and then eventually into coaching and teaching. It's very cool that I'm following in his footsteps. It makes him proud that I'm sticking to it.

My Guilty Pleasure

Video games. I'm addicted to Call of Duty. I'm not the bragging type, but I'm the best in my house right now. It's always a big deal when they knock me off the sticks. It's funny to see their reaction when they actually beat me. It's a two-player game online, so when we have a lot of people playing, everyone has to get their fix in for the day. We usually play late-night video games after we finish our homework. So we sit there for a good two hours. Last year at the national championship, I brought my XBox. But they didn't have free Wi-Fi in the hotel, and that's what I attribute my great game to. (Bradman scored seven goals in Salisbury's 19-7 win over Tufts in the 2011 NCAA Division III championship game.) They said they had to charge $13 a night for Wi-Fi. So I had to take it out on them.

My Twitter Game

I've grown up with that technology generation. We get all these new things, one after the next. I've been a computer nerd for a while, messing around with applications. I'm always trying to figure out what new little tricks my iPad and phone can do. I'm addicted to Twitter. My handle is @Ima_Brad_mane12.

My Core Values

Abs are crucial, just because of the whole rotational part of the game. Core strength is huge. I'm always trying to add a little weight or go a little faster on ab exercises, particularly on resistance bands. I'm always trying to get my body around faster — with a partner, doing side rotations with the bands. Also speed. I run a lot. I've got to trust my legs to get away from defenders, and that's a main part of my game.

A version of this article appears in the May issue of Lacrosse Magazine, the flagship publication of US Lacrosse. Don't get the mag? Join US Lacrosse and its 400,000-plus members today to start your subscription.