Rules of Girl's Lacrosse
Equipment Needs
Here is a list of necessary lacrosse equipment. Players are expected to bring all of these items to each practice, scrimmages and games.
- Approved eyewear (lacrosse goggles)
- A regulation woman's lacrosse stick
- A mouth guard
- Cleats or Turf Shoes - Rubber sole or Soccer cleats are acceptable footwear.
Girls should not wear boys lacrosse gloves.
Field Positions
ATTACK
- First Home - The first home's responsibility is to score. She starts play in front of the goal and continually positions herself for a shot or to create a shot for a teammate.
- Second Home - Second home is an offensive playmaker. She must be able to make shots as well as to feed the ball to her teammates for shots.
- Third Home - Third home helps to transition the ball from the defense to the attack. She must be able to feed the ball to her first and second home players as well as to shoot and cover other attack positions as they drive to the goal.
- Attack Wings - The attack wings are also crucial to the transition from defense to offense. They must have speed and stamina to make the transitions quickly before the opponent can react.
DEFENSE
- Point - The point is primarily responsible for defending against the opposing first home. She must be an aggressive in stick checking and looking to intercept passes.
- Coverpoint - The coverpoint defends against second home and must be able to quickly clear the ball.
- Third Man - The third man covers the opponents third home. She must look to intercept passes and clear the ball to the offensive side of the field.
- Center - The center takes the draw to start play. She must have speed and stamina to play both on the offensive and defensive sides of the field.
- Defense Wings - The defense wings cover the attack wings. They must be quick to bring the ball into the offensive end of the field.
GOALKEEPER
- The goalie defends the goal and prevents the opposing team from scoring. A good goalie directs her teammates in defense because she can see the field with the play unfolding in front of her.
Personal Fouls
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.
- SLASHING: Occurs when a player's stick contacts an opponent in any area other than the stick or gloved hand on the stick.
- TRlPPlNG: 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 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. obscene language or gestures. and arguing.
- 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 the crosse was altered to gain an advantage.
- ILLEGAL BODY CHECKING: Occurs when any of the following actions take place: (a) body checking of 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 alter he has passed or shot the ball; (c) body checking of an opponent from the rear or at or below the waist; (d) body checking of an opponent by a player in which contact is made above the shoulders of the opponent. A body check must be below the neck, and both hands of the player applying the body check must remain in contact with his crosse.
- 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
The penalty for a technical foul is a thirty second suspension if a team is in possession of the ball when the foul is committed. or possession of the ball to the team that was fouled if there was no possession when the foul was committed.
- HOLDING: Occurs when a player impedes the movement of an opponent or an opponent's crosse.
- 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 players, or both players are within five yards of a loose ball.
- OFF SIDES: 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.
- SCREENING: Occurs illegally 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.
- STALLING: Occurs when a team intentionally holds the ball. without conducting normal offensive play, with the intent of running times off the clock.
- 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's stick check.
Rules of Play
- A game begins when the two centers from each team "draw" at the center of the field: a ball is placed between their two sticks pressed together back-to-back. When the umpire calls "draw," the centers attempt to control the ball when they push the ball up and out of the circle — the area around the face-off. (Think of the tip-off in basketball.)
- Then, the players around the circle — usually the attack wings, defense wings, 3rd Homes and 3rd Men from both teams — sprint for the descending ball. Once control is attained by a team, it works pretty much like some other sports: players run and pass the ball to push it down field toward the goal.
- Cradling is the method by which a player holds the ball in the stick's pocket. Unlike men's lacrosse, women's sticks may not have a deep pocket in which to hold the ball securely; a player "cradles" the ball to keep it in the pocket. Cradling uses centripetal force — the force generated by moving something in a circle — to press the ball into the back of the pocket. (You can feel centripetal force at the amusement park when a ride spins and pushes you out from the axis around which you're turning.)
- To learn to cradle, hold a pen or pencil with your right fist around the top, and the left hand around the bottom (for lefties, reverse it — left hand on top.) Now bring both fists and the pen to your right shoulder, keeping the pen vertical. Then bring it to your left shoulder, keeping the pen vertical. Although you won't be able to see the centripetal force at work using this example, very basically, this is cradling.
- When a player has an opening to the goal, she shoots the ball by pushing the head of the stick forward, and pulling the the shaft back. The shots can be extremely accurate and fast.
- Passing is the fastest way to get the ball down field, but it can also be one of the hardest things to do. Releasing the ball with speed and accuracy can take LOTS of practice to make it effective.
- Passing is done in the same manner as shooting, but catching the pass is often the hardest part. Not only does the ball have to land in your stick, but you must also learn to put the catch immediately into a cradle to gain control of the ball and prevent yourself from being checked.
- Checking is the technique in which a series of short, sharp, controlled strikes to an opponent's stick is used to force a player carrying the ball to drop it.
- A player can check the head or shaft of the stick, or body check.
- Body checking sounds like a player would strike an opponent's body, but it's actually accomplished when a defender sticks close to her opponent in an effort to intimidate the player into dropping the ball, or changing the opponent's path towards the goal.
- There are 12 players on each team, including the goalie.
- Attack positions are: Center, Right Attack Wing, Left Attack Wing, 3rd Home, 2nd Home, 1st Home.
- Defense positions are: Right Defense Wing, Left Defense Wing, 3rd Man, Cover Point, Point, Goalie.
- Player Equipment: Stick, Cleats, Mouthguard, Numbered shirt and kilt or shorts, and Padded Gloves (optional).
- Goalie Equipment: Helmet with face-mask and throat protector, Padded Gloves, Arm Pads, Chest Pad, Leg Pads, and goalie stick.
- Before the game begins, the umpire checks every stick (except the goalie's) for legality. The most common illegality in a stick is that its pocket is too deep. The strings at the bottom of the stick's head can be pulled to tighten the pocket.
- If a player commits a foul, the umpire blows the whistle and play stops. The player fouled wins or retains the ball, while the player who fouled her is moved several yards behind or to the side of the player she fouled.
- If a major foul is committed in the arc by the defense, the umpire blows the whistle, and a "free shot" on goal is taken by the player fouled. All of the defense players are required to clear the arc to the border closest to which they were standing when the whistle blew.
- The attack player who was fouled takes her place at the hash mark closest to which she was standing when she was fouled. The defense must move away at least four meters from the fouled player. When the umpire blows the whistle again, the player can take a shot on goal or pass while the defense moves in.
- There are no boundaries to the field, but if a ball enters an area that is dangerous, unplayable or not clearly visible to the umpire, the player who retains it or is closest to it (if the ball has been grounded), at the umpire's whistle wins it. The player then waits for the second whistle to begin play again, either by running with or passing the ball.
- When the umpire blows the whistle because a foul has occurred, or the ball has gone "out of bounds" all players must stop and check all forward movement. Play resumes and the players can move when the umpire blows the whistle again. >
- Checking — the method by which a player knocks the ball from another's stick — is prohibited when it is: directed toward the face.
The Field
There are four types of demarcation lines around the goal: the circle, the arc, the fan, and hash marks. The circle envelopes the goal cage and no one but the goalie is allowed in the circle. The goal is guarded by a single goalie and measures about 6 feet by 6 feet. The field has no boundaries, but is usually enclosed by existing borders, such a trees, a track or fences.
