What Are The Types Of Defense In Lacrosse?

In lacrosse, playing defense requires teamwork, communication and strategy. Teams typically employ either a man-to-man defensive scheme or some form of zone concept in an effort to deny the opposition scoring chances. While all defenses stem from the same two basic strategies, countless variations exist on the common themes.

Pressure Defense

An aggressive approach to man-to-man defense, a pressure defense presses the ball at every chance. Each defender locks on to his respective man and follows him all over the field, contesting every pass, catch or shot. Similar to a full-court press in basketball, a lacrosse pressure defense disrupts an offense as much as possible. Playing this style of defense demands superb conditioning and a dedication to sound one-on-one techniques.

3-3

Perhaps the most common form of zone defense, the 3-3 employs three midfielders up front and three defenders along the back. Each player covers his designated area of the field, passing attackers off to teammates once they leave his specified zone. Playing a 3-3 zone demands excellent communication between teammates to ensure no attackers run free.

Hero Zone

A unique twist on a traditional zone defense, the hero zone relies on one player -- the designated hero -- to perform all the sliding to support teammates. The other five players form a basic box shape, with two midfielders at the top and three defenders down low guarding the crease. Defenders don't pressure the ball but merely force it to the outside and sag down to protect the crease. This scheme is similar to a standard backer zone, except a backer zone tends to apply more pressure on the ball.

Five-Man Rotation

When playing a man down, teams need special defensive strategies to compensate for the manpower disadvantage. A five-man rotation scheme sees all five players guarding the crease and then rotating out to pressure the perimeter as necessary. In a strict five-man zone, one player takes sole responsibility for protecting the crease while the other four rotate around him. To run an effective rotation, players must be aggressive and well conditioned.

One-Man Shut-Off

Another special man-down defense, the one-man shut-off attempts to eliminate the opposition's best scorer. While the other four defenders form a basic box structure and attempt to force the ball to the outside, a single defender locks on to the one targeted scorer, sticking with him in a one-on-one matchup and effectively shutting him off. This technique works well when the opposing team has an elite, dominant scorer who must be contained.