The Game
Lacrosse is a carefully regulated contact sport. It is the oldest sport native to North America, dating back centuries with Native Americans playing various forms of the sport. Over the last two decades, lacrosse has been the fastest-growing team sport in the United States (credit USLacrosse.com). Each player has a stick (crosse) with a net on the end that is used for throwing and catching a rubber ball. The object is to advance the ball into your opponent’s end and score a goal.
Teams – All high school and college lacrosse is 10v10 (boys) or 11v11 (girls) as is almost all youth lacrosse at the “travel” and “club” level. US Lacrosse, the national governing body for lacrosse, has changed the rules for youth lacrosse to encourage a “small-sided” game with fewer players. As such, PGYLL will be 7v7 for 3rd-8th Grades and 4v4 for Kindergarten-2nd Grade.
Goal Value – Each goal counts one point.
The Goal – 6 feet x 6 feet, made from pipe, strung with netting. Younger ages play on 4 feet x 4 feet goals.
The Ball – Solid rubber – orange, yellow or white – weighing roughly 5.5 oz.
Lacrosse is a carefully regulated contact sport. It is the oldest sport native to North America, dating back centuries with Native Americans playing various forms of the sport. Over the last two decades, lacrosse has been the fastest-growing team sport in the United States (credit USLacrosse.com). Each player has a stick(crosse) with a net on the end that is used for throwing and catching a rubber ball. The object is to advance the ball into your opponent’s end and score a goal.
Teams – All high school and college lacrosse is 10v10 as is almost all youth lacrosse at the “travel” and “club” level. US Lacrosse, the national governing body for lacrosse, has recently changed the rules for youth lacrosse to encourage a “small-sided” game with fewer players. As such, PGYLL will be 7v7 for 3rd-8th Grades and 4v4 for Kindergarten-2nd Grade.
Goal Value -- Each goal counts one point.
The Goal – 6 feet x 6 feet, made from pipe, strung with netting. Younger ages play on 4 feet x 4 feet goals.
The Ball -- Solid rubber -- orange, yellow or white -- weighing roughly 5.5 oz.
The stick- offensive players typically play with a stick around 36 inches in length. Goalies and defensemen have specialized sized and shaped sticks.
What to Watch For:
Branding
Things to Watch For:
Fouls and Penalties
There are two categories of fouls, personal (which calls for a suspension of one to three minutes) and technical (30 seconds if the opposing team has the ball at the time, or possession of the ball if it's loose or the offending team has it).
The penalties are released when time is up, or if a goal is scored by the team with the extra man.
Personal Fouls
Illegal body checking slashing, cross checking, tripping, unsportsmanlike conduct or fighting.
Technical Fouls
Interference, holding, pushing, playing without a stick, withholding the ball from play, illegal procedure (such as stepping in the crease, checking the goalie's stick when he is in the crease, touching the ball with your hand), and offsides (each team has to have at least four men on each half of the field at all times).
Crease
No attacking player is allowed in the crease. No defensive player, nor the goalie with the ball, once he's left the crease, may enter it. The goalie can receive a pass in the crease.
Ball Out of Play
The ball is given to the team which did not cause it to go out of bounds, unless it went out after being shot at the goal. In that case, the team whose player is closest to the ball when it goes out is given possession.
Face Off
One on one play, where the referee places the ball between the two player's sticks to begin play at start of a period, or after a goal.
Fast Break
Similar to basketball, generally a four offensive player against three defenders situation that's difficult to defend.
Clearing
Term used by the defensive team to move the ball from their half of the field to the attack half -- seven clearing players against six riding players.
Riding
Term used by the attacking team to keep the defensive team from clearing the ball.
Man Up (extra man)
When the attacking team has a man up advantage due to an opponent being in the penalty box. Teams typically use a special offensive group, like ice hockey.
Man Down Defense
When the defensive team is a man short due to a penalty. Man down defenders will play either a shifting or zone defense.
Offensive Stalling
Team in possession of ball must make an effort to move ball towards the goal.
The Positions
The positions resemble those in soccer: goalie, defensemen, midfielders, and attackmen. The game play is more like hockey and basketball. There's non-stop end-to-end action, with whistles blown for out of bounds and penalties. Offensive plays include both fast breaks, and "half-court" setups, using basketball-like picks and cuts. Like hockey, the field is extended beyond the goals, so plays can begin from the back of the goal, as well as out front.
