The origins of lacrosse can be dated back to early Native American times. The game was played with one or two sticks, one for each hand, depending on the tribe. The Cherokees called the sport "the little brother of war" and the Iroquois called the sport "baggataway." It wasn't until later when French settlers came to America that the sport got its current name of lacrosse. The French named it so because they thought the stick resembled a bishop's crozier.
Cherokee Lacrosse
The Cherokee played lacrosse because they considered it to be a form of military training. The average team consisted of hundreds of players, which pretty much meant the whole entire tribe was a team member. The goals were set up miles apart from each other and the game lasted as long as three days. Most players couldn't get close to the ball so they concentrated on injuring the opponents with sticks.
Iroquois Lacrosse
The Six Tribes of the Iroquois were located in northern territories of the U.S. in what is now Southern Ontario and Upstate New York. Their version of lacrosse was much more organized than the Cherokee. The Iroquois version consisted of 12 to 15 players per team with the goals being only 120 feet apart instead of several miles apart.
Equipment
The current equipment that is used by lacrosse players was first used by the Iroquoian and New England tribes. The first lacrosse stick was as least 3 feet long with a shaft that ended in a crook with a large triangular surface of webbing that extended to about two-thirds the length of the stick. The pocket of the stick was formed where the outermost string met the shaft. The ball was made of leather.
Rules
Lacrosse is played in four periods with 20-minute running time periods. Exceptions to the running time periods include whistles during the last three minutes of the fourth period, delay in retrieving an out of bounds ball and sudden victory overtime periods. During face-offs sticks should be close to the ball but not touching it and gloves and the crosse can touch the centerline. Penalties begin when whistle is blow to start play, timeouts are allowed when ball is on the field and substitutions are done through the scorer's table on the fly. Only six long sticks are allowed on the field and stick dimensions consists of a 6-inch head width. Hanging strings and leathers can be no longer than two inches. Coaches can call for a stick check and players in violation serve a penalty. The palm of the players' gloves can be cut out. Arm pads, mouth pieces and shoulder pads are optional. Field dimensions are to be 53 to 60 yards with lines on the sides of the attack areas.
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