rules to play lacrosse

Rules to play Lacrosse

1. Get your hands on a stick
If youre just learning how to play, go to your local sporting goods store, and you can find a basic stick for around 30 dollars. If you know someone that has an old stick they wouldnt mind letting you borrow his or hers, even better. Understand that the mens and womens games differ significantly, meaning that the male stick is much different than the female stick.There are three main components of a stick The head. This is the (usually plastic) piece at the top of the stick that the ball is controlled with.The mesh. This is the rope inlay inside the head, known also as the stringing. Mesh helps you field, catch, and throw balls.The shaft. Traditionally made out of wood, shafts nowadays are made of strong metal alloys and have varying weights and strength.
2. Hold the stick in the proper way
If your dominant hand is your right, put your left hand on the bottom of the shaft and your right hand closer to the top, a couple inches from the bottom of the head. Switch the hands around if your dominant hand is your left.
3. Learn how to cradle
Cradling is the lacrosse equivalent of dribbling in basketball. You usually cradle when you run with the ball so that an opponent cant knock the ball out of your stick. Cradling is basically using a curling motion with your wrist to swing the ball back and forth while you run.Cradling is best learned in front of a mirror. Place the ball in the pocket of your head, so that the ball sits in the mesh, holding your dominant hand a few inches below the head. Hold the stick across your body comfortably.Begin with the head facing the mirror so you can see the ball. Now bring the head across your face while curling your dominant wrist in towards your body. When your dominant wrist is curled as far as it can go inward, start bringing your wrist back out and your arm back down to its starting position. If you managed to keep the ball in the pocket while you completed that movement, you successfully cradled. Keep practicing until you get the hang of it. If you need help (dont worry, its hard) try watching some videos of people playing lacrosse.
4. Learn to pass
Passing is critical in Lacrosse. Its used to move the ball up field, catch your opponent out of position while hitting a teammate for an assist, or just getting yourself out of pressure. In order to pass the ball Lower your dominant hand down to just above the center of the shaft. Keep your non dominant hand close to the bottom of the shaft. Bring the shaft of your stick back by twisting your shoulders toward your dominant side. Dont let it hook around your neck.Keeping the head next to your ear, and using a straight motion, flick the wrist of your top hand while pulling your bottom hand towards you. Make sure to follow through with the motion. A proper motion will see the top of the shaft move directly over the bottom of the shaft in a straight line.
5. Learn how to catch
This is all about hand eye coordination. With your dominant hand up near the bottom of your head, watch the ball travel through the air and into your pocket. Make sure you dont cradle as the ball enters your stick. Instead of cradling, simply loosen your grip on your top hand; as the ball enters the stick, let the momentum of the ball push the whole stick back a little bit. Again, wall ball will really help here.
6. Practice your ground balls
Know that games are won and lost on ground balls. While approaching the ball, step to it using the proper foot if your stick is in your right hand, position your right foot close to the ball, and vice versa. Sink your hips and put the head of your stick parallel to the ground. The butt of your stick should get down low as well. Scoop through and bring the head to your face. Immediately look for the outlet to a teammate.
7. Learn how to shoot
Shooting the bass is necessary in order to score goals. Move your dominant hand down a little lower than you would to pass. Perform the same basic movement as passing, except this time, put more force behind it. There are plenty of different kinds of shots in lacrosse 3 4, sidearm, underhand but for now, focus on overhand shots.Try to direct the shots on the corners of the goal. The goalie has a harder time against shots that arent directed right at him, so aim for top right, top left, bottom right, and bottom left. Try bounce shots. Bounce shots are where you bounce the ball on the ground before it gets to the goal. Bounce shots are hard for a goalie to defend, so use them.
8. Cradle and shoot with both hands
Nothing impresses a coach more than being ambidextrous! Learning to use both hands requires patience, because it will not happen overnight. Using your off hand in games will seriously improve your play.A good way to learn your off hand skills is to look at what your dominate hand is doing. Mirror the way you are passing. Go through the same motions. After you do this, spend a week of practice using nothing but your non dominant hand. During line drills, 6v6, fast break, anything. Only use your off hand. This will be very frustrating, but keep at it.
9. Learn how to defend
Theres no one way to defend, but your object on defense is to recover the ball without the other team scoring. You can do this by Poke checking hitting the other persons stick legally with your own, causing the ball to come out.Body checking hitting the other person legally with your own body, causing the ball to come out.Intercepting a pass. Anticipate where a pass is going and catch it mid air or bat it down.
10. Learn to read the field and know when to move off the ball
As you play in more lacrosse games, its important to watch more experienced team members move without the ball. Even players who dont have the ball play a very important role in a possession. You must know when to cut, and make space for passing, and shooting, and to draw defenders away from the person with the ball. You also should learn how and when to set picks for your teammates.