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1545 Detroit Street Denver, Colorado
80206 720.423.8300
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LACROSSE
101
The
Field
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Lacrosse is
played on a field
approximately the size of a football
field: 110 yards long by 60 yards wide.
The goals are 6 feet square and
are placed in a crease,
which is a circle with a 9-foot radius.
Offensive
players are not allowed in the crease at any time during the
game.
The Game
The fastest
game on two feet ... a combination of the speed of
basketball and the contact of football ...
a game in which a scoring
opportunity
on one end of
the field can be transformed into a goal at
the other end in a matter of seconds ... skill,
power, speed, endurance
and intelligence ...
This Is
Lacrosse.
Originally
called baggataway, lacrosse was played by Native
Americans for a variety of purposes:
religious rituals, training of
warriors, or to settle
inter-tribal disputes. Often the games were
played
without any boundaries and with goals separated by many miles.
It was not unusual
to have players
injured or killed during baggataway
contests. The game acquired its present name because the sticks
originally
resembled the staffs, or
croziers, carried by the French
Jesuit missionaries who first observed
the game.
Thus, we have lacrosse.
The Players
There are 10
players in action at one time on a lacrosse team: a
goalie, three defensemen, three
midfielders, and three attackmen. At all times, a
team must have three men on its offensive half of
the
field and four men on its defensive half.
Goalie: Also called a goalkeeper, the
goalie uses a wider stick and wears a chest protector, as
his job is to
stop the opponents' shots, which
may
come flying at him at over 100
mph. The best
goalies are either brave or crazy ... or a little of
both. After making a save and gaining
possession
of the ball, the
goalie is allowed to stay in the crease for only four seconds. During
that time, no one
is allowed to touch him.
Defensemen: Defensemen use a longer
stick (52-72 inches) and generally stay on the defensive
half of the
field. Their job is to guard
the
opponent's attackmen and take the ball
away from them.
Defensemen need to be quick, aggressive and tough.
Middies us
a short stick
(40-42 inches).
Midfielders: Middies, as they are also
called, play both offense and defense, thus, they must run
the length
of the field. They are usually
substituted frequently in units so as to
keep them fresh.
Speed and endurance are essential for middies. In
recent years coaches have
begun using
"long-stick middies" -- middies
with defense sticks -- as defensive specialists.
Attackmen: Attackmen use the shortest
stick so as to limit the chance of losing the ball. They
generally stay
on the offensive half of the field
and
coordinate the offense. They are
usually the
best stick handlers and must be quick and agile. Attackmen
use a short stick (40-42 inches).
The Equipment
All players
must wear helmets, shoulder pads, gloves and mouthpieces.
Arm pads are usually
worn, especially by middies and attackmen,
and rib
pads have also become popular in more recent times. In addition,
goalies wear a chest
protector and a throat protector. The sticks used
today are generally made of molded plastic with
either a nylon mesh or
a leather and nylon woven pocket, with either an aluminum, titanium or
alloy
handle. The sticks vary in length from 40 to 72 inches, depending
upon the position played. Sticks
can be ruled illegal for either a deep
pocket or an illegal crosse. A deep pocket brings a 1-minute
non-releasable penalty. An illegal crosse brings a 3-minute
non-releasable penalty.
The Terminology
Face-off: The game begins with the ball
placed at the middle of the field between the sticks
of two opposing
midfielders. At the sound of the official's
whistle, the two players
try to clamp
the ball under their sticks and gain control of it.
Face-offs also occur after each goal. Attack
and defensemen
must stay
in their "restraining area" until someone has possession of the ball.
Clearing: Trying to get the ball from
your defensive end of the field to the offensive end.
Riding: Trying to stop an opponent's
effort to clear.
Slide: When a defender moves from his
offensive man to another to help a teammate double-team
an opponent
threatening to score.
Checking: Using your stick to hit the
stick of an opponent in possession of the ball.
Body checking: Using your body to hit an
opponent in possession of the ball or within five
yards of a loose
ball.
EMO:
EMO means extra-man offense. When
the opposing team has a player
in the penalty
box, the offensive team goes to its EMO.
Man-down: When a team has a player in
the penalty box then it is in a man-down situation.
Play
Offensively: On offense, the attacking
team will run set plays and formations just as a
basketball team would,
with cutters, picks (no
moving
picks allowed), and feeders. They
will
usually go one-on-one, or free-lance. Naturally, there are numerous
opportunities for fast breaks,
or unsettled
situations.
Defensively: On defense, teams usually
play man-to-man with a team concept of backups
and slides to assist a
teammate. When a person has the
ball, a defensive player may check
(hit) his stick or his hands in order to try to dislodge the ball. He
may also deliver a body check
to the player from the
front between the
waist and the shoulders. In addition, in a loose-ball
situation, a
player may hit any opponent within 5 yards of the ball
in the same
manner.
Penalties
Penalties are
classified as either technical or personal fouls.
Technical fouls either cause
the offending team to lose possession of
the ball, award the
other team the ball, or place
the offending player
in the "penalty box" for 30 seconds if the opponents had possession
of
the ball at the
time of the infraction. Personal fouls result in a
one-minute penalty.
Severe abuse (fighting, etc.) may result in either
a three-minute penalty or
expulsion from
the game. In the case of a
time penalty, the offending team must play a man short, thus
yielding
the opponents an "extra-man"
opportunity.
Personal Fouls
Slashing: Striking an opponent's body
other than his hand with your stick. (To an extent,
striking the arms
is allowed.) One-minute penalty.
Tripping: Obstructing the opponent below
the knee with your body or stick. One-minute penalty.
Illegal body
checking: Hitting an
opponent from the rear, below the waist, above the
shoulders, or when
the opponent neither has the ball
nor is within
5 yards of a loose
ball. One-minute penalty.
Crosschecking: Hitting the
opponent with
the part of the stick between your hands.
One-minute penalty.
Unsportsmanlike
conduct: Official's
discretion. One-minute penalty.
Technical Fouls
Offside: Failure to have either
three
players on your offensive half of the field or four
players on your
defensive half. The normal position of these
players is not
significant,
only the number is. An offside against your team when you
have the ball brings a change of
possession.
An offside call on your
team when the opponent has the ball brings a 30-second penalty.
Holding: Holding an opponent or his
stick with your body or stick. This does not
eliminate body checks or
holding your position, but
you may not wrap your stick around
an
opponent and thus stop his movement. Holding brings a 30-second penalty.
Pushing: Pushing an opponent from
the
rear, or when he is not within five yards of the
ball. All body contact
must occur with both hands on
your stick. You may not use your
free
hand to push off. A push with possession brings a 30-second penalty.
A
push without possession brings a change of possession.
Interference: Moving picks, preventing
cutters free movement, etc. Also, hitting the
goalie in the crease when
he has possession of the ball. Calls
can
bring change of
possession or
a 30-second penalty, depending upon the circumstance.
There are
also technical fouls from throwing the stick, lying on a
loose ball, illegal
substitutions, playing without a stick, delay of
game, etc.
Timed infractions
Failure
to advance: When a team
gains
possession of the ball in the defensive end,
it has 20 seconds to cross
midfield. Failure to do this results
in a
"failure to advance
" call and
the possession is lost. Once past midfield, the team has 10 seconds to
get the
ball into the "box," meaning
across the restraining line and
inside the rectangle made
up of the endline and the two inner lines
that make up the attack area. Failure
to do
this also results in a
"failure to advance" call and loss of possession. In addition, the
offensive team must never keep the ball out of
the "box" for more than
10 seconds.
If they do, a "failure to advance" call will be made.
Four-second call: When the goalie makes
a save or assumes control of the ball
in any way while in the crease he
may remain in the crease for
only four
seconds.
If he does not vacate
the crease in that time, possession is lost. |
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