Lacrosse has origins in North America dating back to the 1400s, making it the oldest sport played on the continent. It was originally played by Native American tribes as a way to toughen braves for battle or settle differences between tribes. The game was later formalized by French settlers. Today, one of the most popular indoor leagues is the National Lacrosse League, or NLL, which has both Canadian and American teams.
Face-Off and Possession
Lacrosse is divided into 15-minute quarters by the NLL. At the beginning of each quarter, there is a face-off between the teams at center field. One player from each team stands perpendicular to the center line on their side of the field with both hands and feet on the ground. Each player's stick is parallel to the centerline, and the players cannot touch the netting or hoop of the stick. The ball is placed in a dotted circle between the players.
When the referee blows his whistle, the players contest the ball by attempting to hit it to one of the other nine players on their team. Once a player picks up the ball in the netting of his stick, his team has possession.
Ball Movement
In the NLL, the ball can be moved forward by running or passing the ball to a teammate with the stick. A team that gains possession of the ball in their defensive area has 10 seconds to move the ball to the center line or possession is given to the opposing team. After gaining possession of the ball, a team has 30 seconds to take a shot on goal. Any player on a team may move the ball forward, including goalies, as long as there are always four players on the defensive end of the court and three on the offensive end.
Out of Bounds
According to Rule 50 of the NLL 2010 Rulebook, if the ball is thrown out of bounds, possession of the ball goes to the non-offending team at the point where the ball left the field of play. If the ball goes out of bounds on an offensive shot on goal after deflecting off of the goal post, the offensive team regains possession of the ball.
Penalties
Players shall receive a penalty if they are offsides while moving the ball forward, touch the ball with their hand if they are not a goalie or set picks to stop the movement of defenders. Similar to ice hockey, players are also penalized for checking an opponent above the neckline, checking an opponent from behind, hooking or stabbing at another player with their stick, or checking an opponent in the crease. Punishment can range from loss of possession to expulsion from the game, and even suspension from the league.
Scoring
A goal is scored any time the ball passes over the plane of the goal line into a team's net, regardless of which team initiated the movement of the ball. A goal does not count if it is made after an official's whistle or the execution of a penalty by either team.
Winning the Game
The team with the most goals at the end of the game's four quarters is declared the winner. If the score is tied at the end of regulation play, sudden-death overtime is played. In overtime, periods are 15 minutes long and the first team to score is declared the winner.
Member Comments