(source:
U.S. Lacrosse New Start Manual and Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse
Website)
The position
of attack requires the most stick skill of all positions,
with the exception of the goalie. Attackmen should demonstrate
good stick work with either hand and have quick feet to
maneuver around the goal in heavy traffic. Effective attackmen
have good peripheral vision, precision passes, and can effectively
dodge, screen and shoot. The attack are always on the field
as a scoring threat and, given an even match up, should
score often. Typically the attack work behind the net, called
the "X" area, and on the flanks of the crease,
called the "wings". This gives the attackmen the
most room to dodge and cut. Attackmen generally restrict
their play to half of the field. They must work with the
midfield to run an effective offense. An attackman should
be quick, alert, confident in one-on-one situations and
be able to withstand physical punishment by the opposing
defensemen.
The attack
use dodging, picks (just like in basketball), and passing
to generate a good shot. Similar to basketball, the object
is to move the ball around until the defense breaks and
someone is left with an open shot. One way to do this is
by letting an attackman go one-on-one with a defender. The
attackman tries to beat his defender by dodging, causing
another defenseman to slide, creating an unbalanced situation
in which he can either shoot or pass to someone else who
is wide open. The attackman can move in any direction with
any amount of force, as there are no charging rules. The
attackman, however, like all players cannot clamp the ball
in his stick with his thumb, chest, or helmet. He is also
not allowed to push or hit the defenseman's stick with his
arms or hands. This is called warding.
Back
to Top
The midfielder
is considered by many to be the backbone of the lacrosse
team. Good midfielders need speed, stamina, hustle and determination.
They are required to play both defense and offense. However,
the middies are largely responsible for a key aspect of
the game - transition. Transition is by far the most important
part of the game and helped create the nickname, 'The Fastest
Game on Two Feet'. It involves retrieving loose balls, or
clearing saved shots and running and passing the ball up
the length of the field. If a team can get the ball and
have an extra man advantage on the offensive end of the
field, even for a split second, they have a good opportunity
to score. When this advantage occurs in transition it is
called a fast break. A midfielder should be able to shift
quickly from offense to defense. Midfielders do not have
to be proficient scorers, but should be able to "read"
what is about to happen next.
Along
the center of the field is the midfield line. It is this
reference point that determines whether a team is offsides
or not. The rules for offsides are simple: you must have
4 players on your defensive end at all times, and 3 players
on your offensive end at all times. Since it doesn't matter
which players stay on what side, it is up to the midfield
to keep their team onsides, by staying on one side or the
other. Since the position requires so much running, the
midfielders often changes lines on the fly, as in hockey.
Back
to Top
The defenseman’s
responsibility is to defend the goal. Although size aids
the defenseman, more importantly defensemen should be quick,
agile and aggressive. Speed is always a valuable commodity,
but the ability to act and react, to judiciously apply pressure
and to recover are the key ingredients to an effective defenseman.
They must
keep the attack at bay. Their job is to keep the ball away
from the net so the opposing attack doesn't get a good look
at the goal. The job is difficult: A defenseman doesn't
know where the attack are going or what they are going to
do. In his arsenal the defenseman has a long stick (14U
and above). This stick allows a defender to keep the attackmen
at a distance, thus allowing him to throw checks without
being beaten on foot. Good footwork is an extremely important
part of playing good defense ……to be able to apply pressure
and be aggressive, without lunging a foot and body forward
is key, otherwise the offensive player can then easily go
around the overly aggressive defenseman. A defenseman must
be able to think and react quickly, and most importantly
communicate with his fellow defensemen.
Defensemen
are allowed to check the attackmen they are covering. What
this means is a defenseman is allowed to use his stick to
hit the attackman's stick and arms. A defenseman cannot
strike the attackman on the head, and cannot strike the
attackman's body with the stick with any significant force.
This penalty is called a slash. Most slash penalties occur
when a defenseman employs the use of a 'slap' check, which
is when the stick is swung perpendicular to the attackman's
shaft in a slapping motion. The other common check is the
'poke' check, in which the defenseman simply jabs straight
on at an attackman's stick in a motion like that of a pool
cue. When the attackman is close enough, a defenseman can
use his body for defense. Body checking, or hitting, in
lacrosse is very similar to that in hockey. A legal body
check is any hit that is head to head (no hitting from behind).
People who are legal targets are anyone standing within
five yards of a loose ball, or anyone with possession of
the ball. Hitting someone without the ball, while another
player has possession is called interference.
Back
to Top
The position
of goalie in lacrosse is probably one of the most intense
positions of all sports. Essentially, you must play catch
with people at a very high speed. Unfortunately for the
goalie, most people don't throw at his stick. The goalie
wears additional protective equipment: throat guard and
chest protector. A goalie stick is typically of normal length,
40-50 inches, with an extra wide head. Unlike goalies in
hockey, lacrosse goalies must be very mobile. They often
come out of the circular crease that surrounds the 6’x6’
goal. Explosive speed and very quick hands are key ingredients
in making a goalie, as well as a tolerance for pain. When
a goalie comes out of the crease to fetch ground balls or
to clear a saved shot, he becomes a target, much like the
quarterback in football.
A good
goalie leads the defense by reading the situation and directing
the defensemen to react. A goalie also directs the clearing
patterns and provides intangible cohesion that binds a team
together. A good goalie should have excellent hand/eye coordination
and a strong voice. Quickness, agility, confidence, a "thick
skin" by not getting too down when scored on and the
ability to concentrate are also essential.
The goalie
defends a square goal six feet wide by six feet high. Around
the goal is a circular crease. The crease area is limited
to entry by the goalie and defensive players only. Once
the goalie makes a save he has 4 seconds to either pass
the ball or run the ball out of the crease. In these four
seconds no one may touch him. Once the goalie steps outside
the crease he is no longer allowed back into the crease
unless he yields possession of the ball.
Back
to Top
