The sport of lacrosse dates back more than four centuries to the times of the Native Americans. But today's lacrosse game has evolved and is much different than games back then. Men's lacrosse games consist of 10 players on each side. In addition to that, physical contact is present and largely encouraged. Women's lacrosse games are made up of 12 players on each team. Contact is used, but much less than in the men's game. Lacrosse involves moving a ball around the field with a stick, which has a net at the top to catch and release the ball. In order to play the game, there are numerous rules regarding attacking the opposing team's net.
Stick
A lacrosse defender's stick has different regulations than an attacking player's stick. An attacker's stick is 40 to 42 inches, while a defender's lacrosse stick has a maximum length of 72 inches. But the head of the stick is the same for every nongoalie, regardless of what position they play on the field. This size is 6 1/2 to 10 inches wide.
Player Positioning
In a men's lacrosse game, there are 10 players on the field: one goalie, three defenders, three midfielders and three attackers. Defenders must stay on their half of the field, attackers must stay on their half of the field and midfielders can roam wherever they want. This helps create strategy techniques, ensuring that teams cannot overload certain parts of the field. For the women's game, there is a line placed 30 yards in front of each goal. In this zone, each team is allowed to have only seven players, not including the goaltender for the defending team.
Goal Area
The goal area is an area in front of the goal marked by a half circle. Attacking players may reach into the goal area with their sticks, but no attacking players are allowed to put any part of their body in the circle at any time. This area, also known as the crease, is the space of the field reserved for the goaltender. In the women's game, no piece of an attacker's body or equipment is allowed in the goal area at any time.
Defending Defenders
When in the attacking zone, a player is not allowed to hold off defending players with a free arm. If a player does this, a foul is called. This applies to any offensive player, whether the player has possession of the ball or not. If a player is being pressured by a defender, he must try to play through the check or get rid of the ball.
Stalling the Game
In order to keep the game flowing and moving, regulations entitled "Stalling Rules" are put in place to ensure teams do not attempt to run out the clock. In the men's game, an attacking team has 10 seconds to move the ball from the center line to the attacking area, a length of about 20 yards. In the women's game, a shot clock is used, in which a team has 45 seconds from the time they cross the center line to get rid of the ball or take a shot on goal. These rules help give the game its fast and exciting pace for the duration of the match.
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