Lacrosse for Beginners. Useful Information on This Exciting Kind of Sport

For many people, the sport of lacrosse is unknown even despite the fact it has an interesting and long history. The given game includes elements from different sporting games, for example, from football and hockey. The main task of the given game is to deliver the ball in the opponents’ goal using the sticks. The given article is going to present and explain all the details of the given kind of sport.

General Rules

A lacrosse match is a competition between two teams with 6 or 10 players in each. They run across the field with unusual sticks in their hands. These sticks are used to catch and hold the ball in their possession. A team consists of forwards, midfielders, defenders, and a goalkeeper. Similar to football, each lacrosse player is responsible for its own part of the field. It is a midfielder, however, who can appear at any part of the field. In professional clubs, for example, these players are then subdivided into attacking and defensive midfielders. Every lacrosse match is served by three referees, with each being responsible for his own segment.

A victory in lacrosse is given to the team that has managed to score more goals over a particular period of time. A goal is said to be considered only when it is scored outside the circle that surrounds the opponents’ goal. A throw-in is performed after every scored goal and at the beginning of each quarter. When a team has the ball in possession, they should pass it to come closer to the opponents’ goal. With this, attacking players are not allowed to cross the line that surrounds the opponents’ goal.

Nevertheless, some time limitations do exist but they come into effect in particular cases only. As soon as a goalkeeper takes the ball in his possession, he should take it away from the goal area in 4 seconds. If the goalkeeper fails to make it, the ball is given to the opposite team. Defenders are allowed to hold the ball in their possession and on their half of the field for no more than 20 seconds. To explain, they should deliver it on the other half of the field or pass it over this period of time. When the ball appears on the opponent’s half of the field, an attacking team has only 10 seconds to deliver the ball in the attacking zone represented by a big square.

Lacrosse is a unique kind of sport in respect to the way how the ball should be played when it leaves the borders of the field. When it happens, the ball is given to a team that is closer to the outer line of the field. When lacrosse players violate the rules (foot sweep, punch in the body, and so on and so forth), they should be penalized. For instance, a one-minute penalty is a minimum penalty but the time can be higher depending on the severity of a foul.

Lacrosse Teams

Depending on who is playing, there are can be two kinds of lacrosse. To explain, it is as follows:

1. Men’s lacrosse. In this case, the players are allowed to use body checks and scramble with their opponents. That is why protective equipment is obligatory. Such matches consist of four 15-minute periods. Over the whole match, each team is allowed to make nine substitutions. These matches are played on the fields of 100 meters long and 55 meters wide. With this, the distance between the opposing goals is 72 meters. As for a goal itself, it is narrow enough because it is 1.8 meters wide.
2. Women’s lacrosse. The difference between the two is not only in the fact who is playing. The matches last for two 25-minute periods. Even if the number of substitutions, goal size, and field dimensions are the same as those for men’s lacrosse, a distance between the opponents’ goals is 92 meters in women’s lacrosse. In addition, all the body checks are prohibited; each example is punished correspondingly.

These were variations of field lacrosse that is played outdoors. Apart from it, there is also box lacrosse is played by teams of five runners plus a goalie on a hockey rink where the ice has been removed or covered by artificial turf, or in an indoor soccer field. The enclosed playing area is called a box, in contrast to the open playing field of the traditional game.

The goals in box lacrosse are smaller than field lacrosse, traditionally 1.2 meters wide and tall. Also, the goaltender wears much more protective padding, including a massive chest protector and armguard combination known as “uppers”, large shin guards known as leg pads (both of which must follow strict measurement guidelines), and ice hockey-style goalie masks.

Equipment

A stick is the most important part of lacrosse equipment. It is impossible to play this kind of sport without a stick. Although sticks for men’s and women’s lacrosse are a bit different, they generally consist of the following elements:

1. Stick head. It is an upper part of the whole stick and it is made from plastic. This part is crucial for holding and controlling the ball.
2. Shooting string. This is made cotton or synthetic material that is attached to the head. The string helps players to catch, move, and throw the ball.
3. A stick shaft can be made of wood or other strong metal alloys; there are shafts of different weight and strength.

Lacrosse players use a rubber ball. It should be mentioned at once that this ball should meet strict requirements to be certified for official competitions. To explain, the requirements refer to its size (63-65 mm in diameter) and weight (140-147 g). These requirements are obligatory checked prior to the beginning of every official match. In fact, the ball can be of different colors but it is usually white to make it easier for lacrosse players to find it in the green grass. However, it is a rarity when the ball is on the ground in lacrosse; it is usually held in the stick or passed from one player to another. In addition, the lacrosse ball can be used for other purposes that do not relate to the sport itself. For example, it can be useful in Yoga and massage practices.

As for a uniform, there are no strict regulations in this case. The most important is that a lacrosse player should feel comfortable, and it should be neither cold nor hot for players. As it has already been mentioned, goalies should wear the protective equipment. To tell the truth, this equipment is suitable for field players, too. Thus, every field player should wear a helmet, special gloves, and shoulder pads. The choice of boots depends on the fact which kind of lacrosse we are speaking about. In any case, boots should be made from qualitative materials and perfectly fit players’ sizes.

History

Origins of the given sport were created long ago since this game had been played even by American Indians. Its name has come from the French language and it literally means “a stick”. If historians are right, the given kind of sport was used to train warriors and even to settle some disputes arisen between tribes. As for those times, lacrosse teams consisted of hundreds of players, while lacrosse fields could be a few kilometers long. Speaking of professional lacrosse, it appeared and started developing in Canada where the first official lacrosse club was created in 1867.

It was the same year when the first official lacrosse match took place. Over its whole history, lacrosse was twice included in the schedule of the 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games. The medals were taken by Canadian athletes in both times. Nowadays, such competitions can take place at the Olympics only as an exhibition performance. Although the Olympic committee does not consider lacrosse, international competitions have been taking place on a regular basis since 1967.