The Full Lacrosse Walkthrough

The game lacrosse is thought to be the Maryland sport (they really should change it) but it is real jousting. I moved here (Maryland) from California and knew nothing of lacrosse. The same goes for just about everyone from the west. Lacrosse is more of an eastern sport. Anyway, lacrosse is a game with loads of running, hitting, bashing, and especially running. It is, after all, the fastest sport on 2 feet.

There are 4 positions in lacrosse. Attack (offense), defenders, Midfielders (middies) and Goalie. Each has a different purpose in the game, as well as restrictions. The field is a bit longer than a football field, and has several lines. The half field line, the 2 restraining lines (halfway between the halfway line and end of the field), 2 wing lines, and of course the boundaries. There is also a large circle that goes around the goal. This is called the crease. You can NOT go into your opponents crease.In the middle of the halfway line, there is a little circle. This is where the game begins. Here, the referee will set the ball down, and 2 middies will put their sticks on opposite sides of the ball. When the ref blows the whistle, they fight for the ball. The other 2 middies who were behind the wing line waiting for the ref’s whistle, will run in and assist their teammate in getting the ball. The defense and attackers, who must stay behind the restraining line, can move in front of it once one team has possession of the ball. The ref signals them the o.k. by swinging his are around and saying “possession”.

Once one team gets the ball, it is run down the field and then the teams play their different positions depending upon how their coach trained them. The restraining line has 2 purposes. The first is to mark where the attack and defense cannot pass until someone has had possession after the face off, and second, to mark where you must keep the ball once there is 2 minutes left in the game. If you get the ball down the field into your opponents side, past the restraining line, you must keep it there. If it goes outside the box, the opposing team gets possession.

There are 2 parts to a lacrosse stick. The head, and the shaft. The goalie has a much larger head than anyone else, because he has to block shots on goal. The heads can differ, but some are illegal depending on your age group. The “pinch” is the only thing that really differs.

(head with pinch) (head with no pinch)

There are, as i said, 4 positions. One of the most important and active, midfielders. Midfielders can go anywhere but your opponents crease. The midfielders usually have the shortest stick, unless you are playing long pole middie. The middies have to run from 1 side of the field to another, unless they keep possession most of the time. This is why the middies have to do all the running, and why Lacrosse is called the fastest sport on 2 feet. The ball could be on one side, then get cleared to the other side of the field in a second. It is really tiring work.

The second position, Attack. Attackers must stay on the side with the opponents goal, because they are the full time offensive players.They have to help the middies out, and usually 1 goes behind the goal while they use a play. Usually it is passed from the center middie to one of the wing middies, to an attack man on the side of the goal, to the attacker behind the goal, then to the attacker or middie on the crease, who takes a shot.

The 3rd position is the defenders. Defenders usually have a long pole (shaft) because it makes it easier to clear and you can hit harder without fouling. It also helps the defender to poke check (we will get into checking later) and slap check and still keep their distance, so the offender cannot run right past them.

(notice how the long pole is about the same size as the defender)

Finally, the goalie. The goalie gets an extra large head for their lacrosse stick, which makes it easier to make saves. They also have a slightly longer shaft than midfield and attack, but not as long as defense. This makes it easier to clear. Goalies normally wear the same pads as the rest of the team, but they have and extra chest pad for protection. They also have an extra piece of plastic coming off of the bottom of their helmet to protect them from the ball. Goalies do NOT have to wear elbow pads.

Now onto the more agressive parts of lacrosse, checking. There are several legal checks. The poke check, which is when you poke your opponents hand, stick, stomach, or arms. The slap check, which is when you slap your opponents arm (but it becomes illegal when you swing to hard). And the body check, which is when you drive your shoulder or body into someone else. You can also slide your hand together on your shaft, and hit your opponent with your hands. Once you hit someone with your shaft and your hands are not together, it becomes a CROSS check, and it is ilegall.

This is a cross check.

These are the main points you NEED to know before playing Lacrosse. I think it is a very fun sport, but can be dangerous. So play by the rules and everyone will have a better time.

(some very popular brands are STX, Warrior, Brine, and for helmets, cascade)