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: Lacrosse Basics for Parents

	Lacrosse Basics for Parents
The purpose of this section is to provide parents with some basic information about the game of lacrosse, the lacrosse field, lacrosse rules and brief description of the key positions on a lacrosse team. To move to a specific topic on this page, click on one of the subject links below:
Overview of Lacrosse	Equipment	Game Time and Periods
Lacrosse Field and Location of Players	Checking	Lacrosse Terms
Fouls and Penalties	Referee Signals	NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules (PDF file)

Overview of Lacrosse Men’s lacrosse teams use netted sticks to carry, pass, and shoot a ball along a field in an effort to score goals. A goal counts as one point and is scored when the lacrosse ball completely crosses the opposing goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. The team scoring the greater number of goals in the allotted time wins the game. Return to Top of Page

Equipment Lacrosse stick, solid rubber ball, helmet with face guard and chin strap, lacrosse gloves, shoulder and elbow pads, cleats or sneakers, shorts and team jersey, mouth guard, and athletic supporter with cup. Return to Top of Page

Game Time and Periods Generally, high school games are 48 minutes long with a game divided into four 12 minute quarters. There is a 2 minute break between the first and second quarters and the third and fourth quarters and a 10 minute break at halftime. Each period begins with a face-off at midfield. Teams switch playing sides after each period and are allowed two time-outs per half. If a game ends in a tie, teams may play sudden death overtime periods of 4 minutes in duration; the team to score first wins. Return to Top of Page

Lacrosse Field and Locations of Players Two teams of ten players are on the field at one time. Teams usually line up with one goalkeeper, three defensemen, three midfielders, and three attackers. On face-offs, with the exception of the midfielders who may release upon the referee’s whistle, players must remain in their respective playing zones until one team gains possession of the ball. Also, teams must have at least four players in their defending half and three players in their attacking half of the field at all times of the game. Any player may score a goal and every player must contribute on defense when necessary. Substitutions may take place any time during the game. Midfielders (or Middies). The Midfielder’s responsibility is to cover the entire field playing both offense and defense. They are the main ballcarriers on the team, bringing the ball up the field into the attack zone to set up offensive plays and scoring opportunities with their attackers. Attackers. The Attacker’s responsibility is to score goals. Positioned in the opposing goal area, they are typically excellent stick handlers and usually are the primary goal scorers on the team. Together with the middies, the attackers work the ball offensively to set up scoring opportunities. Defenders. The Defenseman’s primary responsibility is to defend the Goalie and the goal. They play in the defending goal area around their goal crease. These players use longer sticks (shafts up to 72 inches) that enable them to better “poke check” the sticks of opposing ballcarriers. Defenders constantly check attacking players to prevent them from taking shots on their goal. They also work with their goalie to “clear” the ball from their defensive zone up to the midfielders. Goalkeeper (or Goalie). The Goalie’s responsibility is to protect the goal and stop the opposing team from scoring. He plays inside the “goal crease” in front of his team’s goal. He uses a larger headed stick (up to 15 inches wide) to best defend against oncoming shots. He is the only player allowed to touch the ball with his hands, but can only do so when blocking shots inside his goal crease. He may not control the ball with his hands, only with the stick. Return to Top of Page

Checking Body Check - Defensively using the body to hit an opposing ballcarrier or a player within fifteen feet of a loose ball. The body check must always be done above the waist and below the shoulders and from the front or side. Stick Check - In an effort to dislodge the ball from the “crosse”, the defending player strikes his stick against the stick of an opposing ballcarrier. An opponent’s crosse may also be checked if it is within 5 yards of a loose ball or a ball in the air. Poke Check - A defender jabs his stick at the hands of an opposing ballcarrier in an effort to jar the ball loose. If, in the act of going for the ballcarrier’s hands, the defender pokes the body, no foul is called. It is a foul if a player “slashes” his opponent. Return to Top of Page

Lacrosse Terms Clamping - On the face-off, a player pushes the back of his stick down on the ball in the attempt to gain control of it. Clearing - An important defensive maneuver where defending players run or pass the ball out of their goal area. Clearing is best done along the sidelines, away from the front of the goal. Cradling- In order to maintain control of the ball when moving along the field, players turn their wrists and arms to cradle the ball in the stick pocket. Crank Shot - A shot on goal in which a player takes a backswing wind-up and fires the ball underhand or sidearm. Crease - The eighteen-foot diameter circle surrounding each team’s goal. Cutting - An attacking player without the ball darts around a defender toward the goal in order to receive a “feed pass.” Extra Man (or Man Up) - Describes the team at a player advantage in a penalty situation. Opposite of man down. Face-off - Takes place at the start of each quarter, after every goal, and after certain dead balls. Two opposing players crouch down at midfield, hold their sticks flat on the ground and press the backs of their stick pockets together. The ball is then placed between the pockets and, when signaled to start, the players “rake” or clamp on the ball to vie for control. Fast Break - When an offensive team quickly mounts a scoring attack enabling them to gain a man advantage over the opposing defense. Usually a four on three situation. Feed Pass - An offensive play in which one player passes the ball to a cutting teammate for a “quick stick” shot on goal. Ground Balls - Players compete for the control of loose ground balls by stick checking opponents away from the ball while simultaneously trying to scoop it up. Man Down - Describes the team which has lost a player to the penalty box and must play with fewer men on the field. Man-to-man - A defensive setup in which each defending player guards a specific offensive opponent. Out-of-bounds - When a shot goes out of play, the player closest to the sideline where the ball went out gets the ball. Passing - An integral part to quickly moving the ball. Players throw overhand, underhand, or sidearm to each other. Pick - An offensive player without the ball positions himself against the body of a defender to allow a teammate to get open and receive a pass or take a shot. Pocket - The head of the stick in which the ball is held and carried. The pocket is strung with leather and/or mesh netting. Quick Stick - When the ball reaches an offensive player’s stick on a feed pass, he catches it and then shoots it toward the goal in one swift motion. Raking - A face-off move by a player who, in trying to gain possession of the ball, sweeps it away from his opponent. Riding - When an attacking team loses possession of the ball, it must quickly revert to playing defense in order to prevent the ball from being cleared back out. Roll Dodge - An offensive move in which a ballcarrier, using his body as a shield between a defensive player and the cradled ball, spins around the defender. Scooping - The manner in which a player picks up loose ground balls. He bends toward the ground, slides the pocket of his stick underneath the ball, and lifts it into the netting of the stick. Screen - An attacking player without possession of the ball positions himself in front of the opposing goal crease in an effort to block the goalkeeper’s view. Slide- When an offensive player with the ball has gotten past his defender, a defending teammate will shift his position to pick up that advancing player. Zone Defense - When defenders play in specific areas of their defensive zone, rather than covering man-to-man. Return to Top of Page

Fouls and Penalties There are two types of fouls: Technical and Personal. Technical fouls include illegal interference, offside, entering the opposition's crease, and touching the ball with the hand. The penalty is either loss of ball or removal of the offending player from the game, without a substitute, for 30 seconds. Personal fouls include tripping, pushing, slashing, and unnecessary roughness. The penalty time ranges from 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the severity of the foul. A player who has been banished for a technical foul can return to the game when the other team scores a goal, even if time remains on the penalty. A player must serve the entire time for a personal foul, however. Personal Foul - A player may not trip, slash, recklessly charge, or use his stick or body to illegally check an opposing player. An illegal body check is a hit above an opponent’s shoulders, below the waist, or from behind. It is further illegal to use the stick as a means to interfere with an advancing opponent. Depending on the severity of the personal foul, the violating player sits out of play for one to three minutes in the penalty box. Technical Foul - Called against a player who pushes an opponent, holds him or his stick, touches the ball with his hands, or goes “offside” when his team does not possess the ball. Any of these fouls results in a thirty-second penalty. However, if a player commits one of these fouls while his team has the ball, he stays on the field and the opposing team gains ball possession. Expulsion Fouls - Occurs if a player is overly aggressive in striking an opponent or is verbally abusive to an official. The offender is ejected for the duration of play. The removed player may be replaced by a teammate after three minutes. Return to Top of Page

Referee Signals TECHNICAL FOULS A defending player with the ball runs through the crease, or an offensive player steps in his opponent’s crease or checks the goalie’s stick when he has the ball in the crease. It is not legal to hold back the opponent using the stick, to touch the opponent with the free hand, to hold the opponent with the portion of the stick between the hands, to step on the opponent’s crosse, or to pin an opponent’s crosse against their body. Holding from the side or rear of a player with the ball or within 5 yards of a loose ball is legal provided that both hands are on the stick, that only the hand, shoulder, or forearm is used, and that only equal pressure is used: you can stop the player from advancing, but you cannot force the player out of position. It is legal to create a screen for one of your other players if you are stationary. However, if you are in motion while you are creating this screen, it is illegal. Illegal procedure is kind of a “catch-all” category for various rule violations. It includes delay of game (e.g., team not ready within 20 seconds of ball marked ready for play), illegal touching of the ball (no player may hold the ball in his hand; no player but the goalie may touch the ball with his hand, and then only when he is in the crease), illegal timeout requests, illegal substitutions, violation of the rules governing face-offs, and many other situations. It is illegal to block the motion of players who do not have the ball and who are not within 5 yards of a loose ball (except by making a legal screen). It is also illegal to interfere with the goalie while the goalie is in the crease, and it is illegal to step on or kick an opponent’s crosse. Called anytime a team has fewer than four players on its defensive side of the field, or fewer than three players on its attacking side. If the defending team is offside when a goal scores, it counts. If the attacking team scores but is called offside, the goal does not count and the ball is turned over to the other team. Pushing of a player who does not have the ball and is not within 5 yards of a loose ball is illegal. A legal push may never start from behind, but if a player turns his back to the opponent just before the push then there is no foul. An offensive player with the ball may not use his hand or arm to try to direct the crosse of the opponent away from his own crosse. However, it is legal for an offensive player to put his free arm in a blocking position and hold the arm stationary. It is illegal to keep the ball from play by keeping a stick clamped over the ball, standing on the ball, or holding the stick so the ball cannot come out (e.g., by holding it against one’s chest or by holding one’s thumb over the ball). In fact, it is illegal to even hold any portion of the head of the stick (the plastic part) since doing so makes it too easy to thumb the ball. PERSONAL FOULS It is not legal to body check an opponent that does not have the ball and who is not within 5 yards of a loose ball. When a player is checked, it must be done with both hands on the stick and it must be above the waist and blow the neck. A body check that hits the chest and rides up to the neck or head is illegal. The check must be applied with the shoulders or hands. If a player leads with the head, this is called “spearing,” and it results in a nonreleaseable penalty. Body checks must be applied from the front or the side, but if a player turns just before getting hit so that a check that would have been from the front or side ends up being from behind, no foul has been committed. It is illegal to check a player who has any part of the body (other than the feet) touching the ground. Body checking the opponent using the portion of the stick between the hands, whether done by holding the stick extended or thrusting the stick into the opponent, is called cross-checking and is illegal. Unnecessary roughness may be called against a player making a particularly violent hold, push, or body check (even if the body check is otherwise legal). It may also be called on a defensive player who intentionally runs through an offensive screen. Using the stick to hit any part of the opponent’s body except for the gloved hand on the stick is a slash. It must be a “definite blow or strike”; contact itself does not constitute a slash. Swinging the stick in an out-of-control fashion may also be called a slash, whether it hits the stick, the opponent, or neither. Hitting both the stick and the opponent simultaneously may also be called a slash. However, if the offensive player turns at the last moment and causes what would have been a legal stick check to hit the body, no foul has been committed unless the stick strikes the head. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes foul language, berating officials, failure to wear proper protective equipment, using illegal crosses, taunting, and “showboating,” These penalties are nonreleaseable. Unsportsmanlike conduct can also be called for repeatedly committing the same technical foul or for deliberately violating substitution rules; in these cases, the penalties are releasable. PROCEDURAL REFEREE SIGNALS Referee indicates direction of play and which team’s offense gets ball. A team has scored a goal. Play to commence and clock to start. Indicates which team will have possession of the ball. Once the defense gains possession of the ball in the crease, they have four seconds to run or pass the ball out of the crease. If the defense has the ball outside of the crease, they may pass the ball into the crease, but it is illegal to reenter the crease with the ball by stepping back into it. Time out called by referees or one of the teams. The clock stops.

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NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rulesbook may be opened as a pdf file (file size = 794k) and saved by clicking on the following link: NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules.. Return to Top of Page

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