Lacrosse | Lax

Most popular in North America, lacrosse is Canada's official national summer sport and the fastest growing sport in the United States .

In its modern form, men's lacrosse is played on a field of grass, artificial turf, or field turf. Each team is composed of 10 players on the field at a time: three attackmen, three midfielders, three defenders and one goaltender. In men's lacrosse, players wear protective equipment on their heads, shoulders, arms, and hands, as body-checking is an integral part of the game, and stick checks to the arms and hands are considered legal. Women's lacrosse is played in a similar manner except with two additional midfielders per team. Players of women's lacrosse need only wear protective eyewear (except for the goaltender, who wears additional padding, usually consisting of a helmet, shin guards, and chest pad, and most goalies do not wear arm pads), as contact is not permitted apart from minor stick-checks.

The sport was invented by Native North Americans. Its name was dehuntshigwa'es in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), da-nah-wah'uwsdi in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), Tewaarathon in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), and baggattawag in Ojibwe ("they bump hips").

The game was named lacrosse by early French observers. It is widely and inaccurately believed that the name stems from the French term "crosse", for the shepherd's crooklike crosier carried by bishops as a symbol of office. Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix noted the resemblance between the crosier and the shape of the racket stick in 1719. Nevertheless, the notion that the name lacrosse derives from this reference is a myth, albeit a remarkably persistent one. In fact, the term crosse was a general word in French for any type of bat or stick used in a ball game. The term crosse was applied to the Native playing stick by the Jesuit fathers nearly a century before. The name lacrosse is simply a reflection of this term, and perhaps a shorthand for a phrase such as "le jeu de la crosse" (the game of the stick)."

Since there was only one ball, early players concentrated on first injuring their opponents with their sticks, and then moving easily to the goal. Games could be played on a pitch over a mile wide and sometimes lasted for days. Often players were gravely injured or even killed. Early balls were made out of the heads of the enemy, deerskin, clay, stone, and sometimes wood. Lacrosse has played a significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for many years. Early lacrosse was characterized by deep spiritual involvement, befitting the spirit of combat in which it was undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory and honor to themselves and their tribes, and as a religious ritual. The game was said to be played "for the pleasure of the Creator."

Evolution of the game

Lacrosse has witnessed great modifications since its origins in the 1400s, but many aspects of the sport remain the same. In the Native North American version, each team consisted of about 100 to 1,000 men on a field that stretched from about 500 to 800 yards with some fields being a couple of miles long. Players would hold two sticks and would play the game on horseback. Rather than having traditional goals where the ball has to pass through goal posts, many of the Native teams used a large rock or tree as their goal. They would hit the deerskin ball against the goal to earn points. If the ball was somehow destroyed during gameplay, the lowest-ranking member of the tribe would be sacrificed and his head was used as the ball. The medicine-men acted as umpires, and the women urged on the men by beating them with switches. These lacrosse games lasted from sun up to sun down for two to three days. These games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes and also used to toughen young braves in preparation for future combat.

The game became known to Westerners when a French Jesuit Missionary, Jean de Brébeuf, saw the Iroquois Natives play it in 1636. In 1763, after Canada had become British, the game was used by the Natives to carry out an ingenious military deception. On the 4th of June, when the garrison of Fort Michilimackinac (now Mackinac) was celebrating the king's birthday, it was invited by the Ottawas, under their chief Pontiac, to witness a game of "baggataway" (lacrosse). The players gradually worked their way close to the gates, when, throwing aside their crosses and seizing their tomahawks which the women suddenly produced from under their blankets, they rushed into the fort and massacred all the inmates, lest a few Frenchmen.

By the 1800s, lacrosse evolved to become less violent and more of a sport as French pioneers began competing. In 1856 W. George Beers, a Canadian dentist, founded Montreal Lacrosse Club and in 1867 he codified the game, shortening the length of each game and reducing the number of players to ten per team. The first game played under Beers' rules was at Upper Canada College in 1867, with Upper Canada College losing to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3–1. By the 1900s, high schools, colleges, and universities began playing the game, and lacrosse was contested as a medal sport in the 1904 and 1908 Olympics.

In the 1930s, an indoor version of the game, box lacrosse (see below), was introduced in Canada. It quickly became, and remains, the dominant form of the sport in that country. A later version of box lacrosse, indoor lacrosse, is played professionally in both Canada and the United States.

A "pee wee" game in progress

In the United States, the sport is popular in Maryland (where it became the official team sport in 2004), New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England and other areas along the east coast. In addition, its popularity has started spreading to the west coast spurred by the sport's increasing visibility in the media as well as the growth of college and high school programs and "pee wee" leagues throughout the country. This explosion has been facilitated by the introduction of plastic heads invented by Baltimore-based stick maker STX in the 1970s. This innovation reduced the weight and cost of the stick, and allowed for faster passes and gameplay. The plastic head is now universally used, and while wooden sticks remain legal, they are far outclassed.

A Division I game in progress

At the collegiate level, there are currently 57 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams, 35 Division II men's lacrosse teams, and 130 Division III men's lacrosse teams. There are also currently 82 Division I women's lacrosse teams, 35 Division II women's lacrosse Teams, and 154 Division III women's lacrosse Teams. US Lacrosse also recognizes over 200 collegiate lacrosse teams at the USLIA level, including most major universities in the United States.

At the professional level, there are 13 National Lacrosse League (indoor) teams; 10 in the United States and 3 in Canada. In Major League Lacrosse, there are 10 teams, all of which are based in the United States, and 2 more expansion teams are set to play in the 2008 season. The Australian Lacrosse League has 3 teams; 1 for each of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

The highest level of box lacrosse (Senior A) has two leagues in Canada: the Western Lacrosse Association for British Columbia, and Major Series Lacrosse (sanctioned by the OLA) for Ontario; both with 7 teams each.

Field lacrosse

Diagram of a men's lacrosse field.

Outdoor men's lacrosse involves two teams of 10 players each competing to project a small ball of solid rubber into the opposing team's goal. The field of play is 110 yards (100 m) long and 60 yards (54 m) wide. The goals are 5 feet (1.8 m) by 6 feet and contain a mesh netting similar to an ice hockey goal. The goal sits inside a circular "crease", measuring 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter.

Players line up with 3 offensive players called "attackmen"(The players who shoot on the opposing team's net), 3 "midfielders" or "middies"(The players who shoot on the opposing team's net and also defend their own net), 3 "defensemen"(The players who guard their own team's net), and 1 designated goaltender, or "goalie"(The player that stands inside the "crease" and blocks shots from coming in, like in hockey). Each player carries a stick (the French settlers, upon seeing the Native Americans using the stick, called it la cross (the crosier); hence the cool name "Lacrosse"). Lacrosse sticks may measure between 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) and 42 inches (106.68 centimeters) long (a "short crosse"), or 52 inches (132.08 centimeters) to 72 (182.88 centimeters) long (a "long crosse"). The designated goalkeeper is allowed to have a stick from 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) to 72 inches (182.88 centimeters) long. The head of the crosse on both long and short crosses must be larger than 6 inches at its widest point and it must also be 2.5 inches wide or wider at its narrowest point. The head of a goaltender's crosse may measure up to 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) wide. Although most of the time attackmen and midfielders use short crosses, defensemen, along with one midfielder when his team is on defense, carry long crosses, some teams choose to distribute their sticks differently; this is not uncommon because a team may only have 4 long crosses on the field during live play, excluding the benches and penalty boxes. Most modern sticks have a metal shaft, made usually of aluminum or titanium, while the head is made of hard plastic. Metal shafts must have a plastic or a more popular rubber cap or ("butt") at the end, and it must be adequately taped to avoid injury although some butts are capable of staying on without tape. The heads are strung with string and leather or mesh. This forms a net of whatever material was used in stringing the stick called the "pocket".

Goaltender's sticks vary in length but are typically between 42 inches (1.27 m) and 60 inches (1.52 m) long, and their heads are significantly larger than field players' heads to help in blocking shots. Goalies at the youth levels commonly use short crosses because they are not capable of handling the true goalie crosse.

Players scoop the ball off the ground and pass the ball in the air to other players. Players are allowed to run carrying the ball with their stick although during this, the stick must be in motion so many players use a technique called cradling to keep the ball in their stick rather than just running without moving the stick. Unlike in women's lacrosse, players may kick the ball, as well as covering it with their sticks, provided they do not withhold it from play. Play is typically quite fast. Players are permitted to hit or "check" each others sticks and gloved hands, and deliver body checks, although rules govern the manner in which this may be done. For NCAA play, games consist of four fifteen minute periods, while at the youth and high school levels games are typically shorter. Considerably more goals are scored than in soccer or hockey, with typical games totaling ten to twenty goals.

Penalties

In men's lacrosse, players can be awarded penalties of two types by the referee for rule infractions. Personal fouls always result in the player serving time in the penalty box, located at the side of the field between the opposing teams' interchange benches. These penalties can last one, two, or three minutes at the referee's discretion. Two and three minute penalties are usually reserved for the most serious slashing or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. Technical fouls are less severe and result in 30 seconds being served only if the foul was committed while the opposing team was in possession of the ball. If there was a loose ball situation or the player's team was in possession at the time of the foul, they only result in a turnover. Technical fouls are "releasable," meaning that a player may return to the game without spending the entire duration of his penalty in the box if the opposing team scores during the penalty. Fouls form an important part of men's lacrosse as while a player is serving time, his team is 'man down'. At this time his defence must play a 'zone' while they wait for the penalty to expire while the attacking team has its best opportunity to score. A list of the fouls in men's lacrosse is as follows:

Personal Fouls

• Slashing: Occurs when a player's stick viciously contacts an opponent in any area other than the stick or gloved hand on the stick.
• Tripping: Occurs when a player obstructs his opponent at or below the waist with the crosse, hands, arms, feet or legs.
• Cross Checking: Occurs when a player uses the handle of his crosse between his hands to make contact with an opponent.
• Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Occurs when any player or coach commits an act which is considered unsportsmanlike by an official, including taunting, arguing, or obscene language or gestures.
• Unnecessary Roughness: Occurs when a player strikes an opponent with his stick or body using excessive or violent force.
• Illegal Crosse: Occurs when a player uses a crosse that does not conform to required specifications. A crosse may be found illegal if the pocket is too deep or if any other part of the crosse was altered to gain an advantage.
• Illegal Body Checking: Occurs when any of the following actions takes place:
  • a. body checking an opponent who is not in possession of the ball or within five yards of a loose ball.
  • b. avoidable body check of an opponent after he has passed or shot the ball.
  • c. body checking an opponent from the rear or at or below the waist.
  • d. body checking an opponent above the shoulders. A body check must be below the shoulders and above the waist, and both hands of the player applying the body check must remain in contact with his crosse.
• Other Illegal equipment: not having a mouthgaurd, or not having it in the mouth, no shoulder pads, no arm pads (in most leagues, goalies do not have to wear arm pads so they can move their arms faster to block shots.)
• Illegal Gloves: Occurs when a player uses gloves that do not conform to required specifications. A glove will be found illegal if the fingers and palms are cut out of the gloves, or if the glove has been altered in a way that compromises its protective features.

Technical Fouls

• Holding: Occurs when a player impedes the movement of an opponent or an opponent's crosse, or a player has his crosse in between the arm pads and the players body.
• Interference: Occurs when a player interferes in any manner with the free movement of an opponent, except when that opponent has possession of the ball, the ball is in flight and within five yards of the player, or both players are within five yards of a loose ball.
• Offsides: Occurs when a team does not have at least four players on its defensive side of the midfield line or at least three players on its offensive side of the midfield line.
• Pushing: Occurs when a player thrusts or shoves a player from behind.
• Moving Pick: Occurs when an offensive player moves into and makes contact with a defensive player with the purpose of blocking him from the man he is defending, as opposed to a legal pick, standing next to a defensive player, blocking him from the player he is covering.
• Stalling: Occurs when a team intentionally holds the ball, without conducting normal offensive play, with the intent of running time off the clock. This is called if no attempt is made to get in the box.
• Warding Off: Occurs when a player in possession of the ball uses his free hand or arm to hold, push or control the direction of an opponent this includes pushing him off.

Box lacrosse

Canadians most commonly play box lacrosse, an indoor version of the game played by teams of six on ice hockey rinks where the ice has been removed or covered by turf; the enclosed playing area is called the box, in contrast to the open playing field of the traditional game. This version of the game was introduced in the 1930s to promote business for hockey arenas, and within a few years had almost entirely supplanted field lacrosse in Canada.

In box lacrosse the goal is smaller (4' X 4') than in outdoor lacrosse, and the goaltender is usually bigger, with considerably more padding. The attacking team must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds of gaining possession of the ball, and play is rougher than in the field game (see below).

National Lacrosse League game

Indoor lacrosse is a version of box lacrosse with slight rule changes — the games are played during the winter, not only in regions where summer lacrosse is popular but also in regions where lacrosse is rarely played in summer. This version of the game was intended to be less violent than box lacrosse, although changes in box lacrosse rules have reduced some of its violent play and a change in indoor lacrosse rules to permit crosschecking (hitting another player with the stick with one's hands apart on the shaft) have made it more violent. The chief differences between the two forms of the indoor game now are that indoor lacrosse games consist of 4 x 15 minute quarters compared with 3 x 20 minute periods in box lacrosse, and that indoor lacrosse players may use only sticks with hollow shafts, while box lacrosse permits solid wooden sticks. Indoor lacrosse is always played on a carpet, while box lacrosse is usually played on bare concrete. Comparably, field lacrosse is played on a standard size field.

Women's lacrosse

The rules of women's lacrosse differ significantly from men's lacrosse and are specifically designed to allow less physical contact between players. As a result of the lack of contact, the only protective equipment required is eyewear and a mouthguard. Although these are the only protective equipment, there are still many injuries due to accidental checks to the head. The pockets of women's sticks are shallower than those of the men, making the ball harder to catch and more difficult to shoot at high speed. Women play with three attackers (or "homes"), five midfielders (or "middies"), three defenders (starting from the back, called "point", "cover point", and "third man"), and one goalie. Seven players play attack at one time and seven defenders are present. There is a restraining line that keeps the other four players (plus the goalie) from going into the attack. If those players cross the line, they are considered offsides.

A woman's stick has three main parts, the butt, the shaft, and the head. The butt of a stick is the bottom, where a rubber cap is usally located. The shaft is the part of a stick where you put your hands and grip the stick tight. Lastly the head of a stick is where the netting and catching area is located. this is the only part of the woman's stick where your may use and hit when checking.

In women's lacross, checking is much different than in men's. One way it is different is that women may only check if the stick is below the ball carrier's head. Also, women may only check using the side of their stick. If caught by one of the referees using a the flat of the head, it will be called as a hell check and the opposing team will get the ball.

There are two types of fowls in woman's lacrosse, major and minor. When a minor fowl is commited anywhere on the field, the player who fowled is set four meters to which ever side she was garding the person she obstructed. If a major fowl occurs outside of the 12 meter fan or eight meter arc, the fowler must stand four meters behind the player she fowled.

There are two different surroundings around the goal on both sides of the field. The eight meter arc and the 12 meter fan. When commiting a major fowl inside either of these areas, all players that were previously inside the surrounding must take the most direct root out. The player who was fowled now moves to the nearest hash mark that is located around the edges of the arc or fan and either takes position to shoot or to pass (although, most often to shoot). When the wistle is blown, the player with the ball may move up and try for a goal.

The most important rule in women's lacrosse is shooting space, this is a violation of the rules. It occurs when a defender moves in at a bad angle on the offender while shooting in the 8 meter ark. This is a dangerous play made by the defender.

Women's games are played in two 25-minute halves. These 25 minutes are running time, except for the last two minutes, during which time stops when the whistle is blown (This can differ when playing high or middle school games). While the whistle is blown, players are not allowed to move. In women's lacrosse, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their body or cover the ball with their stick in order to scoop it into their stick or protect the ball from picked up by an opponent.

The women's lacrosse game has been modified significantly over the past ten years. Modifications include limiting the amount of players allowed between the two restraining lines on the draw to five players per team. Stick modifications have lead to offset heads, which allow the women's game to move faster and makes stick moves and tricks easier. In 2002, goggles became mandatory equipment in the United States (but not a requirement in international rules). In 2006, hard boundaries were adopted.

Penalties for women's lacrosse are assessed with the following cards:

• The green card, given to the team captain, is for a delay of game.
• The yellow card is for a first-time penalty and results in the player being removed from the field for five minutes (three minutes in high school competition).
• The red card is the result either of two yellow cards or one unsportsmanlike behavior ruling, and causes the player to be ejected from the game. If the red card is for unsportsmanlike behavior, the player is also not permitted to play in the following game.

The University of Maryland, College Park has traditionally dominated the women's intercollegiate play, producing innumerable head coaches across the country and many U.S. national team players. The Lady Terps won seven consecutive NCAA championships, from 1995 through 2001. Princeton University's women's teams have made it to the final game seven times since 1993 and have won three NCAA titles, in '93, 2002, and 2003. The game is also commonly played in British girls' independent schools, and while only a minor sport in Australia, it is played to a very high standard at the elite level, where its national squad won the 2005 World Cup.

Women's intercollegiate lacrosse stars have included University of Maryland, College Park standouts Kelly Amonte-Hiller, coach of the 2005, 2006 national championship team from Northwestern University, and all-time scoring leader Australian Jen Adams.

International lacrosse

While modern lacrosse has been around for well over a century, until about 20 years ago it had only been played for the most part in Canada and the United States, with small but dedicated lacrosse communities in Great Britain and Australia. Since then however, lacrosse has flourished at an international level with the sport establishing itself in many new and far-reaching countries, particularly in Europe and east Asia.

With lacrosse not having been an official Olympic sport since 1908, the pinnacle of international lacrosse competition consists of the four quadrennial World Championships. Currently, there are world championships for lacrosse at senior men, senior women, under 19 men and under 19 women level. Until 1986, lacrosse world championships had only been contested by the United States, Canada, England and Australia, with Scotland and Wales also competing in the women's edition. The expansion of the game internationally has seen the 2004 Women's World Championships competed for by ten nations, and the 2006 Men's World Championships was contested by 21 countries.

The next largest international field lacrosse competition would most likely be the European Lacrosse Championships. Held for both men and women, the European Lacrosse Federation (ELF) has been running the European Championships since 1995. Before 2001 though, they Championships were an annual event, but in 2001 the ELF changed the format to every four years between the World Championship. Before 2004, only 7 nations had ever participated, but in 2004 there was a record number of participating countries, with 12 men's and 6 women's, which made it the largest international lacrosse event of 2004.

The World Lacrosse Championships have been dominated by the United States, particularly in the men's game, where the only world championship game losses at either level was in the 1978 final to Canada and 2006 final to Canada. The USA has won 8 of the 10 senior men's and all five under 19 men's tournaments to date. In the women's game, Australia have provided stiffer competition, even holding a winning record against the USA of 6 wins to 5 at senior world championships, plus one draw. Despite this, the USA has won 5 of the 7 senior women's and 2 of the 3 under 19 women's tournaments to date, with the other world championships won by Australia, including the 2005 senior women's trophy.

Despite overall North American success, the highest scoring teams in international competition are not from the United States or Canada. In the women's game, a collaboration of Great Britain and Ireland defeated a team from Long Island, N.Y. by a score of 40-0 in 1967. For the men, the highest scoring team was Scotland over Germany, 34-3 in 1994.

The Iroquois Nationals are a team consisting of members of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The team was admitted to the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) in 1990. It is the only Native American team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally. The Nationals placed fourth in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Lacrosse Championships. In 2006, the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Program signed a partnership with Nike, Inc.

Governing bodies of lacrosse

• World - International Lacrosse Federation / International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations
  • Argentina - Lacrosse Argentina (Spanish)
  • Australia - Lacrosse Australia
    • South Australia - Lacrosse South Australia
    • Victoria - Lacrosse Victoria
    • West Australia - Western Australian Lacrosse Association
  • Canada - Canadian Lacrosse Association
    • Alberta - Alberta Lacrosse Association
    • British Columbia - British Columbia Lacrosse Association
    • Iroquois - Iroquois Lacrosse Association
    • Manitoba - Manitoba Lacrosse Association
    • New Brunswick - Lacrosse New Brunswick
    • Nova Scotia - Lacrosse Nova Scotia
    • Nunavut - Nunavut Lacrosse Association
    • Ontario - Ontario Lacrosse Association
    • Prince Edward Island - Prince Edward Island Lacrosse Association
    • Quebec - Fédération de crosse du Québec (French)
    • Saskatchewan - Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association
  • Europe - European Lacrosse Federation
    • Austria - Austrian Lacrosse Association (German)
    • Czech Republic - Czech Lacrosse Union (Czech)
    • Denmark - Danish Lacrosse Federation
    • England - English Lacrosse Association
    • Finland - Finnish Lacrosse Association (Finnish)
    • Germany - German Lacrosse Association (German)
    • Ireland - Irish Lacrosse Foundation
    • Italy - Italian Federation of Lacrosse
    • Latvia - Latvian Lacrosse Federation
    • Netherlands - Dutch Lacrosse Association
    • Scotland - Lacrosse Scotland
    • Slovakia - Slovakian Lacrosse Association (Slovak)
    • Slovenia - Slovenian Lacrosse Association
    • Sweden - Swedish Lacrosse Association (Swedish)
    • Wales - Welsh Lacrosse Association
  • Hong Kong - Hong Kong Lacrosse Association
  • Japan - Japanese Lacrosse Association (Japanese)
  • Korea - Korean Lacrosse Association (Korean)
  • New Zealand - Lacrosse New Zealand
  • Pakistan - Lacrosse Federation of Pakistan
  • Singapore - Singapore Lacrosse Association
  • Tonga - Tongan National Lacrosse Association
  • United States - US Lacrosse
    • U.S. states - There are 54 regional chapters of US Lacrosse throughout the United States; some states have a single chapter, some states have several, and some do not have any chapter