Men's Field Lacrosse

Men's field lacrosse is a form of Lacrosse that is played by the NCAA and the Major League Lacrosse. The game originated from Native Americans and has grown into a very popular sport across North America. It is the oldest sport in north america and continues to rise in popularity. There are 10 players on each team. There is four positions on a lacrosse team attacker, midfield, defensemen, and goaltender.

History

        Lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America. The roots of lacrosse can be traced back to the Native Americans. The games roots trace back all the way to the first millennium. It was often used for religious purposes and to make crucial decisions in the tribe. Native Americans also used the game of lacrosse to train their men to be more athletic and healthy. Even Native Americans today continue to play this game and it is often referred to as the creator’s game. In some of the games among the tribes the players would have a stick in each hand. Often women were allowed their own version of the game. In New York and Canada this game was extremely popular and well organized among the Six Iroquois tribes. They played with twelve and fifteen players on the field.  There were games where there would be up to five hundred men on the field at one time. The goals would be placed one hundred and twenty feet apart. Sometimes however the field would be miles wide and take many days to finish. The early lacrosse balls were made of deerskin, rocks, wood or even clay. 

        Lacrosse was first introduced to the western culture in 1636 when the French missionary Jean de Brebeuf. He wrote down what he saw and gave it the name lacrosse. Brebeuf most likely got the name for lacrosse from the French name for field hockey.

        Lacrosse really started to gain popularity in the mid 1800’s when George Beers standardized the game. He came up with rules for lacrosse such as limiting the number of players on the field and coming up with field dimensions.

        In 1876 New York University is the first college to establish a men’s field lacrosse team. Then five years later the first intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in which Harvard defeated Princeton. The next year even high schools began to have lacrosse teams.

        By 1904 lacrosse became an Olympic sport. Canada won gold against the United States. Then in 1908 lacrosse was invited back and Canada won the gold again this time against Great Britain. That was the last time that lacrosse has been in the Olympics as an official game. Since then lacrosse’s popularity has spread from the Northeast to the Midwest and West Coast.

History Timeline

1636- The Jesuit Missionary Jean de Brebeuf is the first to record the game of Lacrosse.

1794-The rules of field lacrosse are created during a match between the Seneca and the Mohawks.

1834-A Montreal newspaper writes an article about lacrosse and gains interest of the white citizens.

1844- Montreal’s Olympic Club created a lacrosse team to play against the Native Americans.

1867-The Canadian dentist George Beers designed the field dimensions and limited the number of players on the field. He also came up with basic rules that helped standardize the game.

1876- New York University is the first college to establish a men’s field lacrosse team.

1881- The first ever intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in which Harvard defeated Princeton.

1882- Philips Academy, Philips Exeter Academy, and the Lawrenceville School were the United States first high school teams.

1904- Men’s field lacrosse is played for the first time at the Olympics at St Louis. Canada becomes the first country to win a gold medal.

1908-Men’s field lacrosse is played for the last time in the summer Olympics. Canada takes the gold for the second time in a row.

1947- Men’s field lacrosse positions change names to the ones they are now.

1932- 80,000 people watched Johns Hopkins University play the Canadian team in an exhibition match.

1971- The NCAA created the NCAA lacrosse championship.

1991- The National Collegiate Lacrosse League was founded.

1999- Major League Lacrosse is formed.

2001- The MLL played its first season.

Rules

The game is played between ten players on each team: three defensemen, three attackers, three midfielders and one goalie. A Men’s lacrosse field is one hundred and ten yards by sixty yards. Men’s field lacrosse begins with a faceoff between two players from opposing teams. The faceoff begins with the ball being placed in the middle of the two squatting players. The official then blows the whistle and both players then fight for possession of the ball. Games in College and the MLL are sixty minutes long with fifteen minuet quarters. The half time of the game is ten minutes in length plus two minute breaks between the quarters. During the halves of the game each team is allowed to use two timeouts. The game begins with a coin toss by the official. The winner of the coin toss decides which side of the field they want to defend. Similar to the face-offs at the beginning of the match there are face-offs after each goal that is scored and to start every quarter. During the game the goal tender is the only player that may use his hands to touch the ball. The field players must use their sticks to pass catch and block the ball. To gain possession of the ball players may stick check, slap, or poke other players sticks to dislodge the ball from the head of the Crosse. Players may also body check if there is a loose ball within give yards of the players. All body checks must be from the front or side and below the head and above the waist to help prevent injury from occurring. When the ball goes out of play the team that did not cause it to go out of play is awarded possession. However if the ball goes out of play due to a missed shot the player closest to the ball where it went out of bounds is awarded the ball. When an attacking player is near the goal the may not enter the crease, the circle around the goal which measures nine feet in diameter, but they may reach in if they are attempting to scoop a loose ball.

Positions

Attacker- There are three attackers on each team. The objective of these players is to provide goals. The attackers generally demonstrate excellent stick skills with both hands. The better attackers are usually very quick and maneuverable. On the playing field the attackers tend to stay on the offensive side of the field. In Major League Lacrosse six of the last eight MVP winners have been attackers. The top attackers are Ryan Powell of the San Francisco Dragons, John Grant Jr. of the Rochester Rattlers, Mike Powell of the Boston Cannons and Casey Powell.

Midfield- The midfield plays both offense and defense and can cover the entire field of play. Each team has three midfielders. The midfielders’ main role is to move the ball from the defense to the offense. Midfielders tend to demonstrate good stick skill which includes catching and scooping the ball and throwing. These players are often known as some of the toughest players on the field due to their high amount of stamina and versatility. One famous midfielder is Jay Jalbert of the Long Island Lizards.

Defenseman- The general responsibility is to prevent the opposing team’s midfield and attackers from scoring goals. Defensemen stay on the defensive end of the field. A defenseman’s stick skill does not have to be as good as the other positions. In Major League Lacrosse Brodie Merrill of the Rochester Rattlers and Nicky Polanco are the two most predominant defensemen.

Goaltender- The responsibility of the goaltender is to prevent the opposition from scoring. Goaltenders are the captains of the defense and conduct the defensive strategy on the field. Goalies have excellent stick work, agility and awareness. Each team has one goaltender on the field. Goaltenders Greg Cattrano and Brian Dougherty are the elite goalies in the MLL.

Equipment

The Crosse- The Crosse is the lacrosse stick. It is often made of wood or synthetic metals. Attacker’s sticks are between forty and forty-two inches in length. Midfielders and defenseman have crosses between fifty-two and seventy-two inches. The head of the Crosse on attackers, midfielders and defensemen measures between six and ten inches. The head of the goaltenders sticks is between ten and twelve inches.

The Ball- The ball is made of solid rubber and weighs around 5 ounces. It has a circumference of eight inches.

The Helmet- The helmet has a protective face mask that must be worn by all players.

Protective Equipment- The equipment includes shoulder pads and gloves. The goaltender must also wear a throat and chest protector.

Terms

Slap Check- A slap check is when a player hits the head of his stick against the opponents stick to dislodge the ball and gain possession.

Cradling- Cradling is the rotating the stick while running to help keep the ball in the head of the stick.

Cutting- This occurs when an offensive player advances to the goal without the ball expecting to be feed the ball and shoot.

Feeding- This is a passing the ball to a teammate in scoring position.

Screening- Screening is when an offensive player stands near the crease to block the goaltender’s view to increase the chance of scoring a goal.

Box- The box is the area where players serve penalties.

Clamp- This is a stick move during face-off’s in which the back of the head of the stick is quickly put on top of the ball to hold on to possession.

Clearing- Clearing is passing the ball from the defensive side of the field to the goal area.

Defensive Clearing Area- This is the area twenty yards away from the face of the goal. Once the defense gains possession of the ball in this area they have ten seconds to move it across the middle of the field.

Fast-Break- This occurs when a there is a transition in scoring and the offense has the advantage.

Ground Ball- A ground ball is when the ball is on the ground and in neither team’s possession.

On the Fly substitution- This occurs when a substitution is made during a play.

Pick- Picks occur when an offensive player purposely blocks a defenseman who is defending another offensive player.

Rake- This is taking the stick and pushing the ball away.

Fouls and Punishments

Personal Fouls- The punishment for a personal foul is a one to three minute suspension from the game and the opposing team is awarded possession.

Tripping- Tripping is when one players blocks an opponent below the waist.

Cross Checking- Cross checking is when a player uses the handle of the Crosse and makes contact with an opposing player.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct- This type of foul occurs in many different sports, unsportsmanlike conduct occurs when a player or coach does an act that seems unsportsmanlike during the game.

Unnecessary Roughness- Occurs when a player hits an opponent with an unnecessary amount of force.

Illegal Body Checking- This occurs if a body check happens to a player who is not in possession of the ball or not within five yards of a loose ball, a player is checked and it was avoidable, or if a body check occurs above the shoulders or below the waist and from behind.

Technical Fouls- The punishment for committing a technical foul is a thirty second suspension from the game or possession is awarded to the opposing team.

Holding- Occurs when a player limits the movement of the opposing player or their Crosse.

Interference- This occurs when one player obstructs another player’s free movement except when the player is in possession of the ball or there is a loose ball within five yards.

Offside- Occurs when there are not at least four players on the defensive end of the field or when there are not at least three players on the offensive side.

Pushing- Pushing occurs when a player thrusts or pushes a player in the back.

Screening- Occurs when an offensive player blocks a defensive player preventing him from defending the goal.

Stalling- Stalling occurs when a team purposely holds onto possession of the ball with the intention of running out the clock.

Warding Off- Occurs when an offensive player uses his arm to prevent the defender’s stick check from making contact with their own stick.

References

• Fogelson, Raymond. "The Cherokee Ball Game: A Study in Southeastern Ethnology." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1962.
• Culin, Stewart. "Games of the North American Indians." In Twenty-fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1902-1903, pp. 1-840. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1907.
• http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/Introducing-the-Players-of-Field-Lacrosse.id-3164.html
• http://www.uslacrosse.org/the_sport/mens_rules.phtml