How to Play Lacrosse: A Beginner's Guide

Grab a Lacrosse Stick. If you're new to the game, visit your nearest sporting goods store to pick up a basic stick for around $30. If you have a friend who owns an extra stick they’re willing to lend, that’s even better. Keep in mind that the equipment for men’s and women’s lacrosse differs quite a bit, especially when it comes to the design of the sticks.

• There are two main parts of the stick:
  • The head: Typically made of plastic, this is the part of the stick where you control the ball.
  • The shaft: Traditionally crafted from wood, today’s shafts are made from durable metal alloys that vary in weight and strength.

Hold your lacrosse stick the right way. If you're right-handed, place your left hand about 1 to 2 inches (3 to 5 cm) from the bottom of the shaft, and your right hand near the top, around 4 inches (10 cm) from the bottom of the head. If you're left-handed, just swap the positions of your hands.

Master cradling the ball. Cradling is to lacrosse what dribbling is to basketball. You do this move when running with the ball to keep opponents from knocking it out of your stick. It involves using a circular motion with your wrist to swing the ball back and forth.

1. Start practicing in front of a mirror. Place the ball in the pocket of your stick's head, so the ball is secured in the mesh. Keep your dominant hand a few inches below the head and hold the stick across your body.
2. Face the mirror and move the head of the stick across your body while curling your dominant wrist inward.
3. Once your wrist is curled as far as it can go, reverse the motion and return your wrist and arm to their starting position.
4. If you keep the ball in the pocket throughout, you’ve successfully cradled. Keep practicing until it feels natural. If you're struggling, don't worry—it takes time. Watching videos of lacrosse players might help you too.

Learn how to pass the ball. Passing is a key skill in lacrosse. It's essential for moving the ball downfield, catching the opponent off guard for a teammate's assist, or relieving pressure. To pass the ball:

1. Place your dominant hand just above the center of the shaft, while your non-dominant hand should rest near the bottom.
2. Twist your shoulders toward your dominant side and bring the shaft back. Don't let the stick swing around your neck.
3. Keep the stick head close to your ear. With a straight motion, flick your top hand's wrist while pulling your bottom hand towards your body.
4. Complete the pass with a follow-through. The shaft should move directly over the bottom of the shaft in a straight line.

• Note: As you become more comfortable with your stick, you’ll adjust the way you throw for better accuracy.
• Note: A great way to improve your passing is by practicing "wall ball." Stand a few feet from a wall, throw the ball against it, and work on catching the rebound.

Learn the art of catching. This requires solid hand-eye coordination. Keep your dominant hand near the bottom of the head of the stick (for righties, place the right hand on top and the left on the bottom; for lefties, it's the opposite). Focus on the ball as it comes through the air and into the pocket of your stick. As the ball enters, don't cradle. Instead, relax your grip on the top hand and let the ball's momentum push the stick slightly backward. Practicing with wall ball will be helpful here too.

Hone your ground ball skills. Ground balls are crucial to winning games. When approaching the ball, take the proper step with the foot closest to it. For right-handed players, step with the right foot, and for left-handed players, use the left foot. Bend your hips and position the head of your stick parallel to the ground. Keep the butt of the stick low. Scoop through the ball and bring the head of your stick to your face. Then, immediately look for a teammate to pass to.

Master shooting the ball. Scoring is essential in lacrosse, and shooting is how you do it. Move your dominant hand lower than you would for passing, and perform the same motion, but with more power. Lacrosse offers many types of shots—3/4, sidearm, and underhand—but for now, focus on the overhand shot.

• Focus your shots on the corners of the goal. Goalie's have a harder time with shots aimed away from them, so try targeting the top right, top left, bottom right, and bottom left. Another effective target is the goalie’s weak-side hip. If the goalie is right-handed, aim for the left hip. This is difficult for goalies because it demands fast reflexes and flexibility to move their stick across their body, whether upwards or downwards.
• Try bounce shots, where the ball hits the ground before reaching the goal. These shots are particularly tough for goalies to block, so make them part of your arsenal.

Learn to play with both hands. Coaches are always impressed by players who are proficient with both hands! Mastering your off-hand takes time and persistence. Once you get comfortable using both hands in games, your overall performance will skyrocket.

• A great way to improve your off-hand skills is to mirror the motions of your dominant hand. Try to replicate the way you pass using your weaker hand.
• Next, challenge yourself by dedicating an entire week to practicing exclusively with your non-dominant hand. Whether it’s during line drills, 6v6 scrimmages, or fast breaks, only use your off-hand. It will be frustrating at first, but stick with it.

Learn the fundamentals of defense. There’s no single way to defend, but the goal remains the same: prevent the other team from scoring while trying to regain possession of the ball. You can achieve this through checking, maintaining proper stick positioning, and intercepting passes.

1. Boys Checking
   1. Poke-checking: Gently hitting your opponent’s stick with yours to dislodge the ball.
   2. Body-checking: Using your body to legally hit the opponent and force the ball out of their possession.
2. Girls Checking
   1. Modified check: A quick tap (hit and release) on the head of an opponent’s stick when her stick is below her shoulder.
   2. Full (Varsity) check: A tap (hit and release) on the head of an opponent’s stick, which can be done any time the stick is outside her "bubble" (around her head).

• Intercepting passes: Anticipate where the ball is going, then catch it mid-flight or bat it down before it reaches its target.

Learn how to read the field and move off the ball. As you gain more experience in lacrosse, observe how your more experienced teammates move without the ball. Even when not in possession, players contribute significantly to the play. You need to know when to make a cut, create space for passes or shots, and help draw defenders away from the player with the ball. Additionally, understanding how and when to set picks for your teammates is essential.

Recognize the differences between the men’s and women’s game. While both games share the same fundamental principles, there are significant differences between men's and women's lacrosse. This article will focus primarily on the rules of the men's game.

Know the objective of the game. The goal of lacrosse is simple: score more points than your opponents by the end of four 15-minute quarters. A point is earned by shooting the ball across the opponent’s goal line.

Understand the different positions in lacrosse. A lacrosse team consists of 10 players: 3 attackmen, 3 midfielders, 3 defenders, and 1 goalie. Each position has specific roles:

• Attackmen: Typically stay in the opponent’s half and focus on creating fast breaks, moving the ball, and scoring goals.
• Midfielders: Cover the entire field, assist in both attacking and defending, and are responsible for face-offs.
• Defenders: Stay primarily in their half, working to prevent the opposition from attacking. They usually, but not always, use longer sticks than other players.
• Goalie: Protects the team’s goal, preventing the other team from scoring. Goalies have a stick with a larger-than-normal head to aid in defending the goal.

Begin with a faceoff after every goal or at the start of each quarter. A lacrosse faceoff is similar to a hockey faceoff, but with the players kneeling on the ground. They position their sticks parallel to one another and battle for control of the ball when the referee blows the whistle.

Understand the basic flow of the game. After the faceoff, the team that gains possession will pass the ball around, aiming to get close enough to the opponent's goal to take a shot. Meanwhile, the defending team works to prevent the offense from scoring. When the ball passes the goalie and crosses the goal line, the attacking team scores one point. After a goal, the ball is reset at midfield for another faceoff.

Offensive players cannot enter the crease around the opponent’s goal. The crease is a clearly marked large circle. If an offensive player steps into the crease, they forfeit possession to the opposing team.

• There is no set amount of time a team must possess the ball before scoring. Quick goals can happen.
• There’s no requirement for a certain number of passes before a player can shoot. In theory, a player could run down the field alone without passing and still score.

Know the timing rules of the game. Timing rules are designed to keep the ball moving forward.

1. Once the goalie has possession of the ball, they must pass or clear it out of the crease within 4 seconds. Failing to do so results in a turnover to the opposing team.
2. When the defense gains possession in their own half, they must pass or carry the ball over midfield within 20 seconds.
3. After crossing midfield, they have 10 seconds to get the ball into the attack area, which is clearly defined by a large box.

Understand other unique gameplay rules. These rules involve possession of the ball:

1. If a player shoots the ball and it goes out of bounds, the team whose player is closest to the end line gains possession. In this case, a player's stick counts as an extension of their body.
2. In the final two minutes of the game, the leading team must remain inside their attack area. If they don't, it is considered delay of game, and possession is forfeited.

Understand possession and offsides. During a faceoff, the attacking players must remain behind the offensive restraining line, while the defending players must stay behind the defensive restraining line. Once possession is secured by either team, both the attacking and defending players may advance toward midfield, but both teams must have three players above midfield and four defenders behind it.

• Offsides. A defensive offsides penalty occurs when a team has fewer than four players behind their midfield line, while an offensive offsides penalty occurs when a team has fewer than three players above their midfield line.
  • Defenders can cross midfield, and attackmen can move behind midfield as long as another player remains in their place. This allows a defender to carry the ball past midfield if a midfielder stays behind to take on a defensive role.

Assess penalties. Penalties in lacrosse usually result in a player being sent to the "penalty box," where they must sit out for a period. There are two types of fouls:

• Personal fouls: These include slashing, tripping, illegal cross-checking, and checking from behind. The usual penalty is 1 minute, but in severe cases, it can extend to 2 or 3 minutes or even result in ejection.
• Technical fouls: These typically don’t result in a time penalty, but rather a loss of possession. Examples include offsides, crease violations, pushing from behind, thumbing, and warding off.

• Lacrosse stick
• Ball
• Cleats
• Helmet
• Protective gear, including a mouthpiece and, for males, a jockstrap with a cup.
• A coach (optional for lessons. You can start with a local player or even practice alone unless you want to pursue the sport competitively, in which case a coach may help).
• A team (Once you're familiar with the basics, local teams can offer opportunities to join, so check for available teams around you).
• Gloves
• A field or open space to practice, ideally with lacrosse goals or a designated lacrosse area.