How to play lacrosse for beginners: How to Play Lacrosse (with Pictures)

A 101 Guide to Lacrosse Fundamentals

Learning how to play lacrosse means understanding the game’s key fundamentals. And before you even hit the field, you need the essential equipment, like lacrosse sticks and lacrosse balls to practice with. 

From passing and catching to cradling and shooting, our guide covers all the basic lacrosse fundamentals for lacrosse beginners to get you playing in no time. 

So grab your stick, and let’s learn how to play lacrosse.

How do you play lacrosse? In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know:

• Passing/Throwing
• Catching
• Cradling
• Shooting
• Ground Balls
• FAQs

In terms of lacrosse basics, knowing proper technique when passing or throwing the ball is critical to becoming an advanced-level player. Catching a lacrosse ball can be mastered quickly, but it requires accuracy, power, and speed to be successful.  

The first step in learning how to pass in lacrosse is learning about your grip.  

1. Place your top hand near the head of the stick and your bottom one in the middle, ensuring both hands are evenly spaced apart for optimum control. 
2. Bring back your arms as if you were winding up for a pitch in baseball – this gives more power behind each pass or throw since all your muscles are engaged at once when releasing the ball.
3. Keep both arms straight throughout this process, until just before releasing them forward.
4. Bend only one arm slightly at its elbow joint as if punching through something with force — this will add even more velocity behind each pass or throw.
5. Finally, snap both wrists together upon release to add extra spin on the ball, helping to keep it on track.

A huge part of playing lacrosse depends on knowing how to catch the ball. This requires practice and dedication, but using our tips below, you can perfect your lacrosse ball catch. 

The first step in catching a lacrosse ball is getting into position.  

1. Position your feet shoulder-width apart, slightly bent at the knees.
2. Make sure your stick is parallel to the ground and angled slightly up, so it’s easier to scoop up passes or shots from below eye level.
3. Use both hands to ensure control over the stick and provide extra cushioning against potential deflections off of other players’ sticks or bodies nearby. 
4. Try not to reach too far back – lean forward while keeping your body low so gravity helps pull down incoming balls more easily into your stick pocket without having them bounce away out of reach.  

Practice regularly until these techniques become second nature.

Cradling the ball is an essential skill to master when playing lacrosse. It’s a fundamental part of controlling the ball, keeping possession during play, and protecting it from opponents when in close quarters. 

The basic technique involves using your stick like a cradle – moving your top hand up and down the shaft while holding it with your bottom hand at chest height. This creates an arc that keeps the ball secure within its pocket.

1. Start by practicing stationary cradles, keeping your wrists loose and maintaining consistent contact between the head of the stick and the ball.
2. Once you’ve mastered this, try adding some movement into it – use small steps or side-to-side motions to keep control of the ball without losing momentum or speed.
3. Keep one eye on other players to protect yourself from potential checks or interceptions while maintaining control over the ball.
4. When running towards a goal, focus on taking short strides rather than long ones, which can tire you out quickly.
5. Stay balanced by keeping one foot planted firmly on the ground.
6. Bound forward in smaller steps with both feet alternating in unison every few seconds if possible.
7. Don’t forget about shielding yourself – if someone gets too close, use your body position (shoulder/hips) combined with powerful arm movements (push/pull) to fend off defenders from getting close enough to successfully intercept.

Knowing how to shoot the ball is also an integral part of the game. To shoot a lacrosse ball correctly, you must first have a good grip on your stick with both hands. 

1. Ensure that your elbows are bent to generate more force.
2. Once you’ve established a good grip and stance for shooting, use your dominant arm to pull back the stick and move it forward swiftly toward the goal line – this creates enough force for the ball to reach its target.
3. Hold the stick close to your body, aiming towards the goal line with your dominant arm bent at the elbow.
4. Your non-dominant arm should remain straight from your shoulder to stabilize when shooting.
5. Hold onto the handle of your stick tightly — but not too tight – you want just enough pressure to control where you want the ball to go without losing speed or accuracy when releasing it from your stick head.
6. As you draw back on your stick, keep both arms extended while rotating them around each other for more power behind each shot attempt.
7. When ready, snap wrists quickly while pushing off with both feet into a full extension towards the target area (goal).

Great lacrosse players must be able to quickly collect a loose ball from the ground and move it away from opponents. Ground balling requires nimbleness, velocity, hand-eye coordination, and snappy reflexes.  

1. Identify the spot on the pitch where the ball is situated.
2. Once positioned between the opponent and the ball, get low, knees bent and arms outstretched.
3. Keep your gaze fixed on the ball.
4. As soon as possible, use both hands together to cradle or “cup” around the ball tightly before lifting it off the ground into your stick pocket or body for protection against any opposing players trying to take possession.

What are the 5 basic skills in lacrosse?

The 5 fundamental lacrosse skills include cradling, passing and catching, shooting, ground balls, and dodging.

What do you need to play lacrosse?

You need proper equipment when playing lacrosse, including a stick, helmet with face mask, shoulder pads, and gloves. Two squads of six players confront one another across the field to begin the game.

What is the most important skill in lacrosse?

The most important skill when thinking about how is lacrosse played is arguably hand-eye coordination. You also need speed, strength, and a good understanding of the fundamentals of the game.

What are the 4 main positions in lacrosse?

The 4 main lacrosse positions on the field are midfield, attack, defense, and of course, goalie.

8 Lacrosse Drills for Beginners

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There are various lacrosse fundamentals that are important for every beginner to learn. Here are 8 lacrosse drills for beginners. Good lacrosse drills are vital to everyone who plans to learn how to properly play lacrosse. Whether this is through youth lacrosse drills or adult lacrosse drills. It is important to practice the sport to improve the quality of your performance. This article will go through some fun lacrosse drills for beginners that everyone new to the sport should be practicing on and off the field, as well as some lacrosse practice equipment that Trigon Sports provides to make your learning experience simpler.

WHY BEGINNER LACROSSE DRILLS ARE IMPORTANT

There are numerous lacrosse drills for beginners that are essential to practice. Lacrosse doesn’t start and end with passing and catching.  Once you have your lacrosse gear, there are many aspects of the game that should be learned. Taking lacrosse lessons for beginners can hugely improve your skills in the sport. By learning some of these drills, you can better prepare yourself to play the sport the right way. If you are teaching lacrosse to beginners, you’ll want to instill some basic skills in your athletes. These skills will help them once they become more experienced in the game. These are some lacrosse beginner drills that will help you whether you are a new player or a coach.

LACROSSE CATCHING DRILLS

There are many different types of lacrosse catching drills that you should be practicing daily. Aside from basic catching and passing with a stationary partner, practice these simple skills.  There are simple practices, like tossing and catching while running parallel to a partner down the field. Using a practice lacrosse goal, work on acting as a goalie. This will also help you develop your catching skills.

Another catching drill that can be practiced involves misguided passes, which are passes that are typically out of reach and more difficult to catch. Practicing these can prepare you for any erratic tossing patterns a teammate may have. The same goes for bad-pass drills, which involve your partner throwing the ball intentionally to make it more difficult to catch.

You can also practice cross-handed catching drills by moving the stick right to throw and left to catch without switching hands. A final catching drill that is important to practice is wall-bound and rebounder drills, which allows you to practice at home by yourself. Using a pitchback rebounder or bounce back target is perfect for this practice.

LACROSSE DEFENSIVE DRILLS

Learning defense drills is integral to becoming a skilled lacrosse player. One type of defense drill and footwork drill is known as zigzag 1-on-1, in which cones are set up in a zigzag pattern. You can then navigate your way through the cones while keeping your stick in line with the way you are moving. This drill helps you learn how to navigate through opponents during a game.

It is also important to practice different types of checks to take the ball from your opponent. Practice getting rid of the ball quickly by passing it to other teammates to prevent the ball from being stolen from you. A “monkey in the middle” lacrosse drill can also be helpful when practicing defense. Fundamental defense methods require good footing and body positioning by the players in front of the goalie.

LACROSSE PASSING DRILLS

Catching drills can help improve your skills in passing. However, there are some additional things you should be working on when you’re practicing your passing. Passing drills emphasize the importance of moving your feet while you are passing. You can also practice triangle passing drills, where three players stand in a triangle and pass the ball between each other.

LACROSSE CRADLING DRILLS

Understanding how to cradle the ball is important in lacrosse, as it allows you to run past players and get into a shooting position. You should start by practicing with a side-to-side cradling motion while standing in front of the mirror so that you can observe your form and make adjustments where it is necessary. Practice two-handed cradling down the field before you switch to one-handed. Have someone lightly pressure you on the field while you are practicing cradling once you have practiced on your own enough.

LACROSSE SHOOTING DRILLS

Begin shooting drills by standing 10 yards away from the goal and practicing shots in a stationary position with both hands. As you get better at this, add motion to your practices by running toward the goal, shooting toward the opposite corner of the goal, etc. To make shooting drills more difficult, you can add targets such as cones to improve the shooting accuracy. You can also use a goal target for this drill.

LACROSSE DODGING DRILLS

Dodging drills are important for strengthening your lacrosse skills. Similar to a defense drill, a dodging drill can be performed by stationing cones and performing a different dodge at each cone. Practice against a defender by using different dodging skills such as split dodge, face dodge and roll dodge.

Combine dodging drills with shooting drills to achieve the best results. This will help you learn to dodge a defender while you are still shooting on the goal as you would need to in a real game.

LACROSSE GROUND BALL DRILLS

One ground ball drill can be performed by rolling a ball out and having two players run to see who can catch it first. Practice scooping ground balls from various different angles. You can also drop the ball directly between two players to see who can catch it fastest. It is important to practice “box out” drills in which a player uses their hips, rear, etc. to push their opponent away from the ball.

LACROSSE CLEARING DRILLS

Goalie drills can improve your performance in various aspects of the game. Typical clearing drills involve having defenders and middies in line near a goalie. One player at a time will run to the right side while the goalie passes them the ball, while the second player runs to the middle and is passed a ball and the third player runs to the left and is passed a ball. The drill repeats itself after this. Crossfield passes should also be practiced along with clearing drills in the event that the ball needs to be cleared by passing it to a teammate on the far side of the field.

To see the original post, click here. And for more on iSport360 and how we help make players better lacrosse players, click here. 

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March 19, 2022

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Festival of non-Olympic sports at VDNKh

Air, Editor’s Choice, Indoor Sports, Health, Crossminton, Amateurs, Events, Competitions, Federations / Tape

This Saturday, July 30, 2022, the Festival of Non-Olympic Sports will be held in Moscow on the territory of the Main Exhibition of the country for lovers of an active lifestyle.

VDNKh guests will see demonstration performances on scooters, wakeboards and roller skates, a capoeira show program, frisbee and lacrosse matches, and will also be able to take part in master classes and a crossminton tournament.

The purpose of the holiday is to acquaint residents and guests of the capital with a variety of sports available to everyone!

8 interesting events await visitors at 5 sites of the Main Exhibition of the country.

Festival program

Frisbee

Ultimate tournament, a team game sport with a flying Frisbee disc, as well as demonstration programs can be watched from 12:00 to 16:30 at the stadium in Ostankino Park. The games will be held with the participation of Alexander Shebunyaev, European champion in sand sand 2019of the year and the champion of Russia in the ultimate of different years.

Not only athletes, but also guests will be able to take part in the games.

Lacrosse

From 16:30 to 20:00 at the stadium in Ostankino Park there will be an exhibition match and lacrosse demonstration performances. It is a competitive sport in which two teams hit a small rubber ball into the opposing team’s goal with a stick-like equipment called a cross. The competition will be held with the participation of the coach, player of the Russian national team, participant of the European and world championships Artur Wenzel.

Master classes will also be held for beginners and all comers.

Wakeboarding

On the Second Kamensky Pond in the DROP PARK VDNH wake park from 12:00 to 20:00, extreme wakeboarding races and stunt shows will be held. Performing complex maneuvers, athletes will demonstrate different elements of slalom, acrobatics and jumps. Spectators are waiting for demonstration performances by Roman Ovodov, a multiple winner of competitions and champion of Russia in the category of cable wakeboarding, and Nikolay Volokhov, champion of Russia in wakeboarding in 2020-2021.

Guests can try their hand at wakeboarding and train with a professional pro rider for free. Pre-registration is required to participate.

Scooters

Extreme scooter shows performed by professional and novice athletes can be seen from 10:00 to 20:00 at Industry Square, in front of pavilion No. 57. The program will be held with the participation of Alexander Shevchenko, winner of international and Russian competitions, and his team.

Visitors are waiting for master classes, lectures about skating, where they will tell and show how a rider should do slides and jumps.

Roller skates

The extreme program on roller skates will take place from 12:00 to 20:00 at Industry Square near Pavilion No. 57. The basis of aggressive skating elements is sliding on different parts of a roller skate, which can be supplemented by performing acrobatic tricks in the air. Competitions will be held in three categories: children’s, women’s and men’s classifications. At 19:30 there will be a dance show with elements of figure skating. Alexander Sukhorukov, champion and winner of roller sports competitions, will take part in the program.

Visitors have also prepared master classes where they can learn aggressive roller skating.

Capoeira

Visitors will be able to learn about capoeira, the national martial art that arose on the basis of dance and acrobatics, game and music and has Afro-Brazilian roots, during an exciting show program on Industry Square, in front of Pavilion No. 57. It will take place from 13:00 to 19:30 with the participation of Anastasia Kim and Stepan Novikov – certified capoeira coaches.

Several master classes will be held here, where they will talk about the basics of martial art.

Yoga

It will be possible to take part in yoga classes on the open area near the helipad next to the Michurinsky garden. Together with Alexander Lazukov, a trainer with 13 years of experience trained in India, VDNKh guests will learn the basic asanas. Classes will be held from 14:00 to 15:30 and from 18:00 to 19:thirty.

You must register and bring your own mat.

Crossminton

Guests of VDNKh will be able to watch the dynamic game of crossminton on the crossminton court in front of Building No. 574. This exciting game combines elements of badminton, squash and tennis. Demonstration performances will be held with the participation of the President of the Crossminton Federation Anna Osipova.

In addition, everyone can join the game and participate in master classes:

13.30 – training in the game of crossminton with the participation of the coach of the Russian national team;
14:00-16:00 – tournament with the participation of visitors;
16:30-17:00 — master classes for visitors;
17:30-18:30 — demonstration performances of the players of the Russian national team in crossminton;
18:30-19:00 — master classes for visitors;
19:00-20:00 – tournament with the participation of visitors.

All events can be attended free of charge. Hurry up to register for the Festival!

International lacrosse tournament took place in Ventspils

08/17/2017, 09:00 / Photo: Juris Presņikovs

The Latvian men’s lacrosse team is holding a training camp in Ventspils from August 12 to 16, after which an international tournament will take place on August 19 and 20 in lacrosse Ventspils Lacrosse Open 2017 with the participation of the national teams of Latvia, Norway and Holland.

This will be the first lacrosse tournament of its kind in Ventspils, and fans will be able to see exciting and fast-paced lacrosse. It should be noted that this is the second time these three teams meet, last year friendly matches were held in Oslo.

On August 19, on the first day of the tournament, the opening ceremony will take place at 11:00 am, and at 11:30 am the first match against the Netherlands will be played. On the same day, the Latvian national team will play one more game against the Norwegian team. The match starts at 17:00.

On August 20, the last game of the tournament between the national teams of Norway and Holland will take place. The match starts at 9:30.

The Latvian national team arrived in Ventspils on August 12, when the training camp began. This time in Ventspils there is a selection camp for candidates for the Latvian lacrosse team for the 2018 World Championship, which will be held in Netanya, Israel. The best lacrosse players in Latvia train at the football stadium on Katolu Street. It will be a special camp, because for the first time the new head coach Max Silberlicht is at the helm of the Latvian national team. The American specialist is assisted by Latvian coaches Krisjanis Wolf and Kristaps Lacis, as well as physiotherapist Edgars Dzerve.

In total, 41 candidates participate in the camp. 36 players represent Latvian clubs – Druvas Dynamite, Archer Lacrosse, LK Mītava and Rīga Griffins, and 5 players from the USA. 22 candidates will compete for the opportunity to represent the colors of their national teams for the first time on a World Cup scale, but 2 players Gatis Zeps (Druvas Dynamite) and Miks Stabulnieks (Archer Lacrosse) will compete for the opportunity to represent the Latvian team in the World Cup for the 5th time in a row. For the first time, both players took a place in the Latvian national team at the 2006 World Championships.

At the 2014 World Championship, the Latvian men’s team took 19th place, and at the 2016 European Championship – 9th place.