Lacrosse is a game that tests an athlete's overall athletic ability, along with strength, agility and determination. The game involves bursts of explosive running and is played on a field that is 110 yards long by 60 yards wide. Cardiovascular conditioning is crucial, and as a player is running to get free, he must also think of the next move he will make to help advance the ball or play defense.
Athletic Ability
A lacrosse player needs to be a good enough athlete to run with speed and explosiveness all over the field. Defensive players can go on the defensive side of the field only while attacking players are on the offensive side. However, midfielders run all over the field. All players need to accelerate quickly to top speed to get open. Couple the running ability with strength. After catching a ball or while trying to establish position, a player needs great strength to hold off opponents. He also needs good leaping ability to go above the crowd and catch the ball in the mesh area of his lacrosse stick.
Hand-Eye Coordination
The skill of catching and throwing the hard-rubber lacrosse ball takes a lot of time to develop. It is far more difficult than throwing or catching a baseball. Instead of using your hand or a glove, you have to use a stick that is at least 40 inches long to accomplish both. It takes significant hand-eye coordination to do this consistently. You will have to practice this skill for hours to learn the nuances of catching and throwing in lacrosse.
Agility
Although throwing and catching the ball are essential, a player must develop his agility so he can make plays and elude defenders . It's not enough simply to run fast-- it's about changing direction quickly and getting open to make plays. Once a player has the ball in the attack zone, the usual path of attack is to run toward the goal to get off a shot. However, a quick jab step in one direction or another while maintaining control of the ball can help lose a defender and get the player open. One of the top drills to increase agility is the shuttle run, which demands quick, explosive movements.
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