Field lacrosse
Highest governing body | World Lacrosse |
---|---|
Nicknames | Lax, The Medicine Game |
First played | As early as the 12th century C.E., North America Codified in 1867 |
Characteristics | |
Contact | Full contact (men's) |
Team members | 10 per team, including goaltender |
Equipment | Ball, stick, helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads |
Presence | |
Olympic | Summer Olympics in 1904 and 1908. Demonstrated in 1928, 1932, and 1948 Will be featured in the 2028 Summer Olympics (sixes format) |
Field lacrosse is a
The object of the game is to use a lacrosse stick, or crosse, to catch, carry, and pass a solid rubber ball in an effort to score by shooting the ball into the opponent's goal. The triangular head of the lacrosse stick has a loose net strung into it that allows the player to hold the lacrosse ball. In addition to the lacrosse stick, players are required to wear a certain amount of protective equipment. Defensively the object is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact. The rules limit the number of players in each part of the field. It is sometimes referred to as the "fastest sport on two feet".
Lacrosse is governed internationally by the 62-member
History
Lacrosse is a traditional Native American game.[2][3] According to Native American beliefs, playing lacrosse is a spiritual act used for healing and giving thanks to the "Creator". Another reason to play the game is to resolve minor conflicts between tribes that were not worth going to war for, thus the name "little brother of war".[4] These games could last several days and as many as 100 to 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes played on open plains, between goals ranging from 500 yards (460 m) to several miles apart.[5][6]
The first Europeans to observe it were
In 1867,
Rules
The rules presented below are for the men's game, which differs significantly from
The game has undergone significant changes since Beers' original codification. In the 1930s, the number of players on the field per team was reduced from twelve to ten, rules about protective equipment were established, and the field was shortened.[13][14]
Playing area
A standard lacrosse field is 110 yards (100 m) in length from each endline, and 60 yards (55 m) in width from the sidelines.[15][16]
Field lacrosse goals are centered between each sideline, positioned 15 yards (14 m) from each endline and 80 yards (73 m) apart from one another. Positioning the goals well within the endlines allows play to occur behind them. The goal is 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, with nets attached in a pyramid shape. Surrounding each goal is a circular area known as the "crease," measuring 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter.[16]
If a player enters the "crease" while shooting toward the goal, the referee will call a foul and the ball gets turned over to the other team.
A pair of lines, 20 yards (18 m) from both the midfield line and each goal line, divides the field into three sections. From each team's point of view, the one nearest its own goal is its defensive area, then the midfield area, followed by the attack or offensive area. These trisecting lines are called "restraining lines." A right angle line is marked 10 yards (9.1 m) from each sideline connecting each endline to the nearer restraining line, creating the "restraining box."[16][17] If an official deems that a team is "stalling," that is not moving with offensive purpose while controlling the ball, the possessing team must keep the ball within the offensive restraining box to avoid a loss-of-possession penalty.[18]
Field markings dictate player positioning during a
The rules also require that substitution areas, a penalty box, coaches area, and team bench areas be designated on the field.[16]
Equipment
A field lacrosse player's equipment includes a
However, field players in the PLL are not required to wear shoulder pads.Each player carries a lacrosse stick measuring 40 to 42 inches (1.0–1.1 m) long (a "short crosse"), or 52 to 72 inches (1.3–1.8 m) long (a "long crosse"). In most modern circles the word crosse has been replaced by "stick" and the terms "short stick" and "long stick" or "pole" are used. On each team up to four players at a time may use a long crosse: the three defensemen and one midfielder. The crosse is made up of the head and the shaft (or handle). The head is roughly triangular in shape and is loosely strung with mesh or leathers and nylon strings to form a "pocket" that allows the ball to be caught, carried, and thrown. In field lacrosse, the pocket of the crosse is illegal if the top of the ball, when placed in the head of the stick, is below the bottom of the stick's sidewall.
The maximum width of the head at its widest point must be between 6 and 10 inches (15–25 cm).[15][16] From 1.25 inches up from the bottom of the head, the distance between the sidewalls of the crosse must be at least 3 inches. Most modern sticks have a tubular metal shaft, usually made of aluminum, titanium, or alloys, while the head is made of hard plastic. Metal shafts must have a plastic or rubber cap at the end.
The sport's growth has been hindered by the cost of a player's equipment: a uniform, helmet, shoulder pads, hand protection, and lacrosse sticks. Many players have at least two lacrosse sticks prepared for use in any contest.[19] Traditionally players used sticks made by Native American craftsman. These were expensive and, at times, difficult to find.[20][21] The introduction of the plastic heads in the 1970s gave players an alternative to the wooden stick,[5] and their mass production has led to greater accessibility and expansion of the sport.[22]
Players
Goalkeeper
The goalkeeper's responsibility is to prevent the opposition from scoring by directly defending the 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) by 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) goal.[16] A goalkeeper needs to stop shots that are capable of reaching over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), and is responsible for directing the team's defense.[23][24]
Goalkeepers have special privileges when they are in the crease, a circular area surrounding each goal with a radius of 9 feet (2.7 m). Offensive players may not play the ball or make contact with the goalkeeper while he is in the crease. Once a goalkeeper leaves the crease, he loses these privileges.[25]
A goalkeeper's equipment differs from other players'. Instead of shoulder pads and elbow pads, the goalkeeper wears a chest protector. He also wears special "goalie gloves" that have extra padding on the thumb to protect from shots. The head of a goalkeeper's crosse may measure up to 15 inches (38 cm) wide, significantly larger than field players'.[16]
Defensemen
A defenseman is a player position whose responsibility is to assist the goalkeeper in preventing the opposing team from scoring. Each team fields three defensemen. These players generally remain on the defensive half of the field.[26] Unless a defenseman gets the ball and chooses to run up the field and try to score or pass, by doing this they will need to cross the midfield line and signal one midfielder to stay back. A defenseman carries a long crosse which provides an advantage in reach for intercepting passes and checking.[27][28]
Tactics used by defensemen include body positioning and checking. Checking is attempting to dispossess the opposition of the ball through body or stick contact. A check may include a "poke check", where a defenseman thrusts his crosse at the top hand or crosse of the opponent in possession of the ball (similar to a
Midfielders
Over time, the midfield position has developed into a position of specialties. During play, teams may substitute players in and out freely, a practice known as "on the fly" substitution. The rules state that substitution must occur within the designated exchange area in front of the players' bench.[12] Teams frequently rotate the midfielder specialists off and on the field depending on the ball possession. Some teams have a designated face-off midfielder, referred to as a "fogo" midfielder (an acronym for "face-off and get-off"), who takes the majority of face-offs and is quickly substituted after the face-off.[33] Some teams also designate midfielders as "offensive midfielders" or "defensive midfielders" depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
Attackmen
Each team fields three attackmen at a time, and these players generally remain on the offensive half of the field.[26] An attackman uses a short crosse.[12]
Duration and tie-breaking methods
Duration of games depends upon the level of play. In international competition,
Ball movement and out of play
Teams must advance the ball or be subjected to loss of possession. Once a team gains possession of the ball in their defensive area, they must move the ball over the midfield line within 20 seconds. If the goalkeeper has possession of the ball in the crease he must pass the ball or vacate the area within four seconds. Failure by the goalkeeper to leave the crease will result in the opposite team being given possession just outside the restraining box.[12] Once the ball crosses the midfield line, a team has 10 seconds to move the ball into the offensive area designated by the restraining box or forfeit possession to their opponents.[25] The term used to define moving the ball from the defensive to offensive area is to "clear" the ball. Offensive players are responsible for "riding" opponents, in other words attempting to deny the opposition a free "clear" of the ball over the midfield line.[12]
If a ball travels outside of the playing area, play is restarted by possession being awarded to the opponents of the team which last touched the ball, unless the ball goes out of bounds due to a shot or a deflected shot. In that case, possession is awarded to the player that is closest to the ball when it leaves the playing area.[12][15]
Penalties
For most fouls, the offending player is sent to the
Personal fouls
Personal fouls (PF) include slashing, tripping, illegal body checking, cross checking, unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessary roughness, and equipment violations. While a stick-check (where a player makes contact with the opposition player's stick in order to knock the ball loose) is legal, a slashing violation is called when a player viciously makes contact with an opposing player or his stick. An illegal body check penalty is called for any contact where the ball is further than 5 yards (4.6 m) for high school and 3 yards (2.7 m)[37] for youth from the contact, the check is from behind, above the shoulders or below the knees, or was avoidable after the player has released the ball. Cross checking, where a player uses the shaft of his stick to push the opposition player off balance, is illegal in field lacrosse. Both unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness are subject to the officiating crew's discretion, while equipment violations are governed strictly by regulations.[30] Any deliberate intent to injure opponents risks immediate disqualification. For penalties resulting in a player being suspended from the game, a substitute player must serve the offender's penalty time.
Technical fouls
Technical fouls include holding, interference, pushing, illegal offensive screening (usually referred to as a "moving pick"), "warding off", stalling, and off-sides. A screen, as employed in basketball strategy, is a blocking move by an offensive player, by standing beside or behind a defender, to free a teammate to shoot, or receive a pass; as in basketball players must remain stationary when screening. Warding off occurs when an offensive player uses his free hand to control the stick of an opposing player.
Offside has a unique implementation in field lacrosse.[38] Instituted with rule changes in 1921, it limits the number of players that are allowed on either side of the midfield line.[14] Offside occurs when there are fewer than three players on the offensive side of the midfield line or when there are fewer than four players on the defensive half of the midfield line (note: if players are exiting through the special-substitution area, it is not to be determined an offside violation).[25]
A technical foul requires that the defenseman who fouled a player on the opposing team be placed in the penalty box for 30 seconds. As with a personal foul, until the penalty time expires, no replacement for the player is allowed and the team must play one man short. The player (or a replacement) is allowed to reenter the game once the time in the penalty box is over and the team is thus once again at full strength.
Domestic competition
Lacrosse was first witnessed in England, Scotland, Ireland and France in 1867 when a team of Native Americans and Canadians traveled to Europe to showcase the sport. The year after, the
In 1985, the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) was established, with twelve universities in the Ontario and Quebec provinces competing in the intercollegiate league. The league plays its season during the autumn. Unlike the NCAA, the CUFLA allows players that are professional box lacrosse players in the National Lacrosse League to participate, stating that "although stick skills are identical, the game play and rules are different".[50]
In 2005, a second Canadian University field lacrosse league, the Maritime University Field Lacrosse League (MUFLL) was founded, with six universities in the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia provinces.
Professional field lacrosse made its first appearance in 1988 with the formation of the
International competition
Olympic Games
In the
There have been obstacles to reestablishing lacrosse as an
World Lacrosse Championships
The
Other regional international competitions are played including the European Lacrosse Championships, sponsored by the twenty-one member European Lacrosse Federation, and the eight team Asian Pacific Lacrosse Tournament.[49][80]
World Games
Men's field lacrosse was played at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama using the "Sixes" ruleset. Qualification for the tournament was based on the nations placement at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship.[81] Initially, the Iroquois Nationals were not included in the qualified teams, however, they were determined to be eligible for the tournament, and Ireland voluntarily withdrew from the tournament to allow them to participate.[82] Canada won gold, the U.S. took silver, and Japan defeated Great Britain for the bronze medal.[83]
Attendance records
Lacrosse attendance has grown with the sport's popularity.
At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, over 145,000 spectators watched the three-game series between the United States and Canada, including 75,000 people who witnessed the first game of the series while in attendance to watch the final of the marathon.[66][67][68]
References
Footnotes
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- ^ a b Vennum, p. 9
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- ^ Vennum, p. 183
- ^ a b c d e Pietramala, pp. 8-10
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- ^ a b c d e f g h NCAA Rulebook, Rule 1
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- ^ a b NCAA Rulebook, Rule 6
- ^ Fisher, p. 163
- ^ Fisher, p. 258
- ^ Vennum, p. 286
- ^ Fisher, p. 262
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- ^ a b c NCAA Rulebook, Rule 4
- ^ a b c NCAA Rulebook, Rule 2
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- ^ a b c NCAA Rulebook, Rule 5
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Bibliography
- Fisher, Donald M. (2002). Lacrosse: A History of the Game. JHU Press. ISBN 0-8018-6938-2. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- Liss, Howard (1970). Lacrosse. Funk & Wagnalls.
- Morris, Michael (2005). The Confident Coach's Guide to Teaching Lacrosse. Globe Pequot. ISBN 1-59228-588-0. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- "Men's Lacrosse 2017 and 2018 Rules" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- Pietramala, David G.; Grauer, Neil A.; Scott, Bob; Van Rensselaer, James T. (2006). Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition. JHU Press. ISBN 0-8018-8410-1. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- Vennum, Thomas; Vennum, Thomas Jr (2008). American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8764-2. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
External links
Works related to Lacrosse: The National Game of Canada at Wikisource
- This is Lacrosse - video presented by US Lacrosse