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Who We Are | Wisconsin Youth Lacrosse League Rules | The Game
The Game
Men's lacrosse is a contact game played by 10 players: 1 goalie, 3
defensemen, 3 midfielders, and 3 attackmen. The object of the game is to
shoot the ball into the opponent's goal. The team scoring the most goals
wins.
Each team must keep at least 4 players, including the goalie, in its
defensive half of the field and 3 players in the offensive half. The 3
midfielders may roam the entire field.
Each team's players take their positions with 4 players in the defensive
clearing area, 1 player at the center, 1 player in each wing area, and 3
players in their attack clearing area.
The game begins with a face off. The ball is placed between the sticks of
the 2 face-off men at the center of the field. The official blows the
whistle to start play. Each face-off player tries to control the ball. The
players in the wing areas can move; the other players can maneuver around in
their respective areas, but must wait until one player has gained possession
of the ball or the ball crosses into either goal area. Generally, face offs
are used after a goal and at the start of each quarter. They always take
place at the center line.
Players can run with the ball in their crosse [stick] for as long as they
want, or they can pass the ball to a teammate.
A player may gain possession of the ball by dislodging it from the
opponent's stick with a stick check, which includes the controlled poking
and slapping of the stick and gloved hands of the player in possession of
the ball.
Body checking is permitted if the opponent has the ball or is within 5 yards
of the ball. However, all contact must occur from the front or side, above
the waist and below the shoulders. An opponent's stick may also be stick
checked if it is within 5 yards of a loose ball or a ball in the air.
Unlike any other sport, after an unsuccessful shot, if the ball goes out of
bounds, the ball is awarded to the player closest to the ball when and where
the ball goes out of bounds.
Attacking players may not enter the crease [circle] around the goal, but can
reach in with their sticks to scoop the ball.
Penalties
There are personal and technical fouls in lacrosse. The penalty for a
personal foul is a one to three minute suspension from play and possession
to the team that was fouled. Players with five personal fouls are ejected
from the game. The penalty for a technical foul is a thirty second
suspension if the team is in possession of the ball when the foul is
committed, or possession of the ball going to the team that was fouled if
there was no possession when the foul was committed.
Goalie Position
The position of goalie in lacrosse is probably one of the most intense
positions of all sports. Essentially, you must play catch with people at 100
mph. Unfortunately for the goalie, most people don't throw at his stick. A
typical goalie wears a helmet with throat guard, a chest protector, and a
pair of gloves. Some goalies wear long pants or long socks to help reduce
the pain when a shot "twists" off their skin. A goalie does not wear any
protection on the legs and relies on his stick ability to keep him safe. A
goalie stick is typically of normal length, 40-50 inches, with an extra wide
head. Unlike goalies in hockey, lacrosse goalies must be very mobile. They
often come out of the circular crease that surrounds the 6X6 goal. Explosive
speed and very quick hands are key ingredients in making a goalie, as well
as a tolerance for pain. When a goalie comes out of the crease to fetch
ground balls or to clear a saved shot, he becomes a target, much like the
quarterback in football.
The goalie defends a square goal six feet wide by six feet high. Around the
goal is a circular crease. The crease area is limited to entry by the goalie
and defensive players only. Once the goalie makes a save he has 4 seconds to
either pass the ball or run the ball out of the crease. In these four
seconds no one may touch him. Once the goalie steps outside the crease he is
no longer allowed back into the crease unless he yields possession of the
ball.
Attack Position
The position of attack requires the most stick skill of all positions, with
the exception of the goalie. The attack are always on the field as a scoring
threat and, given an even match up, should always score. More so than any
other position, the attack must practice timing pics, shots, passes, and
dodges. Typically the attack work behind the net, called "x-behind", and on
the flanks of the crease, called the "wings". This gives the attackmen the
most room to dodge and cut. They must work with the midfield to run an
effective offense.
The attack use dodging, pics (just like in basketball), and passing to
generate a good shot. Just as in any other sport, the object is to move the
ball around until the defense breaks and someone is left with an open shot.
One way to do this is by letting an attackman go one-on-one with a defender.
The attackman tries to beat his defender by dodging, causing another
defenseman to slide, creating an unbalanced situation in which he can either
shoot or pass to someone else who is wide open. The attackman can move in
any direction with any amount of force, as there are no charging rules. The
attackman, however, like all players cannot clamp the ball in his stick with
his thumb, chest, or helmet. He is also not allowed to push or hit the
defenseman's stick with his arms or hands. This is called warding.
Defenseman Position
Defensemen have the most under glorified position in lacrosse. They must
keep the attack at bay. Their job is too keep the ball away from the net so
the opposing attack doesn't get a good look at the goal. The job is
difficult: A defenseman doesn't know where the attack are going or what they
are going to do. In his arsenal the defenseman has a a six-foot-long stick.
This stick allows a defender to keep the attackmen at a distance, thus
allowing him to throw checks without being beaten on foot. A defenseman must
be able to think and react quickly, and most importantly communicate with
his fellow defensemen.
Defensemen are allowed to check the attackmen they are covering. What this
means is a defenseman is allowed to use his stick to hit the attackman's
stick and arms. A defenseman cannot strike the attackman on the head, and
cannot strike the attackman's body with the stick with any significant
force. This penalty is called a slash. Most slash penalties occur when a
defenseman employs the use of a 'slap' check, which is when the stick is
swung perpendicular to the attackman's shaft in a slapping motion. The other
common check is the 'poke' check, in which the defenseman simply jabs
straight on at an attackman's stick in a motion like that of a pool cue.
Once the attackman is close enough, a defenseman can use his body for
defense. Body checking, or hitting, in lacrosse is very similar to that in
hockey. A legal body check is any hit that is head to head (no hitting from
behind). People who are legal targets are anyone standing within five yards
of a loose ball, or anyone with possession of the ball. Hitting someone
without the ball, while another player has possession is called
interference.
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