A Basic Introduction to Lacrosse: All You Need to Know About This Intense Sport

High school Lacrosse players film their practice with GoPRO

Lacrosse is one of the most popular sports in the USA.

People love to watch it and love to play. It’s fast-paced and high-scoring.

Its athletes are some of the fittest and most agile on the planet as this is a sport that requires skill, speed and strength.

Lacrosse in brief

In recent years Lacrosse has been one of the fastest-growing sports across the USA. Participation levels are increasing across the board - for both amateur and professional players.

There are a growing number of players and an also an increase in the number of leagues.

Participation is growing among men, women, and children. Youth participation growth has been particularly impressive.

History of Lacrosse

The history of Lacrosse dates back to the 15th century.

It is documented that early versions of the game were played by Native Americans as an opportunity to solve disputes between tribes. It was also suggested that it could be used to train and prepare for battle.

Early versions of the game of lacrosse did not have a huge number of rules and participation in a game could involve hundreds of players and a field a half a mile long.

The games weren’t played using a strict timeline. Some games were known to last days.

Instead of the goals we know today, players had to hit a target.

Modern Lacrosse

The modern game is a little more organized and has a few more rules than the early versions of the game.

Players move a small solid rubber ball (about the size of a tennis ball) and they carry, pass and catch the ball with their lacrosse sticks upfield.

They then aim to score goals and the team with the most goals wins.

A lacrosse stick has a small net at the top. Players can cradle the ball in the net on their stick or pass it to each other as they move towards their goal.

As the team in possession moves up the field their opponents are trying to gain possession from them.

Gaining possession from their opponents can occur in a number of ways.

They try to intercept passes, they can retrieve ground balls, they can check their opponents or they can block shots on goal.

Lacrosse is now played on a field with boundaries.

When the ball goes out of bounds the team that caused the ball to go out of bounds loses possession.

Possession goes to the opposition and the lacrosse ball is brought back into the field by the opposition player who was closest to where the ball went out.

A referee may call a foul on a lacrosse player for a number of reasons. Stick fouls are the most common fouls.

Checking only allows stick-on-stick contact. You can’t use a lacrosse stick to make body contact.

Body-to-body contact is also illegal. Other reasons for fouls include dangerous shots, illegal field position or illegal equipment

Lacrosse - fast, furious and great to watch

Formats of Lacrosse

There are three common formats of the game played currently - men’s, women’s, and box lacrosse.

Men’s field lacrosse is played on fields the same size as a football field. Men’s teams generally have 10 players.

Women’s lacrosse is not a full-contact sport, unlike the men’s version of the game. Women’s lacrosse teams generally have 12 players.

Box lacrosse is a summer sport. It’s generally a 6 a side game played on an ice rink.

Lacrosse competitions

Lacrosse is popular with everyone. Men play lacrosse. Women play lacrosse. Children play lacrosse.

One of the most popular lacrosse competitions as a viewing sport is NCAA Men’s Lacrosse. There are a number of professional lacrosse leagues for men and women across the USA.

Training & practice

As mentioned earlier in the article, lacrosse athletes are some of the fittest and most agile. They regularly train and practice.

Stick and ball handling are important to ensure that the lacrosse stick feels like an extension of the player's hands. There has been some great training equipment developed to help improve a player’s skills. A great example is the Lacrosse Rebounder from victoremgear.com

Lacrosse takeaways

Lacrosse is a fast-paced, high speed and entertaining game - for those playing and those watching. The history of the game is a long one and it is still growing in popularity today.