Required reading for new lax fans

While lacrosse has virtually taken over the East Coast, it remains somewhat obscure for the Westerners among us. Hopkins may have one of the best teams in the nation, but you won't be able to enjoy a game unless you know the basics of the sport.

The Basics

In short, players score goals by using their sticks to put the ball in the opposing team's net. Men's lacrosse is a contact sport, and requires more padding and equipment -- including a helmet, face mask, gloves, arm guards and shoulder pads -- than women's lacrosse. The stick, or 'crosse,' consists of a shaft and netted head and is used to catch, throw and cradle the ball. While the men have a 'pocket' to allow greater control while cradling, the netting on the women's sticks must be stretched taught to the frame of the head. As a result of these differences, men's lacrosse is more focused on ball movement and 'checking,' which involves legal stick or body contact, while women's lacrosse places more emphasis on stick skills and speed.

In men's lacrosse, there are 10 players on the field at any one time: three attackmen, three midfielders, three defensemen and a goalie. Midfielders play the roles of both attacks and defensemen, transitioning the ball up the field or running back to play defense; as a result, midfielders tend to be some of the fastest players on the team. Attacks do the scoring, and thus have some of the best stick skills. The three defenders have longer sticks, which allow them to keep the opposing team's attackmen at a greater distance, and help them strike down passes. Sometimes coaches replace a midfielder with a fourth defender, called a long stick midfielder, or 'long stick middie.'

In women's lacrosse, there are 12 players per team; on defense, there is the 'point,' the defender closest to the crease, a 'coverpoint' in front of her, a 'third man,' the defender playing in front of the coverpoint, and two defensive wings. On offense, there is a center, two offensive wings, and the 'first home' (closest to the goal), 'second home' (the middleman for the offense) and 'third home' (closest to the center and marked by the defending team's third man).

In men's lacrosse, the game begins with the face-off; a player from each team squats in the middle of the field, and the ball is placed between the heads of their sticks. At the whistle, each face-off player tries to control the ball. Once a player gains possession, play begins. Face-offs also begin each 15-minute quarter, and are used to restart play after a goal is scored. Face-off skills can make or break a game. Usually, a face-off player will slam his stick downward on top of the ball, called a 'clamp,' and 'rake' it between his legs or off to the side, where a wing man teammate can pick it up. The women's face-off is called a 'draw,' and involves two players pressing their sticks together in the air; the ball is placed between, and at the whistle, it is thrown into the air whileteams try to gain possession.

Rules and Penalties

In men's lacrosse, both teams must have at least three players on the offensive half of the field and four on the defensive half. A violation of this rule is called "offsides," and results in a loss of possession. Thus, if a defender crosses over the midfield line while carrying the ball upfield, another player has to hang behind the midfield line in his place. Loss of possession can also occur if an offensive player steps inside the opposing team's 'crease,' the circle surrounding the goal; this is called a 'crease violation.' A player can, however, reach in with his stick to scoop up a loose ball.

There is also a 'box' at each end of the field. If a team gains possession in their own box, they only have 10 seconds to get it over midfield; if they gain possession between midfield and the opposing team's box, they have 10 seconds to advance the ball into the box. Because of these time limitations, play moves very quickly across midfield.

Unlike other sports, lacrosse does not have strict playing field boundaries; the sport is played by 'natural boundaries,' and a ball that goes into an unplayable area is simply given to the player closest to the ball. When a ball is shot on goal, the referee will signal the shooter's intent; if the ball misses the goal and goes out of bounds, the referee will give possession to the player that was closest to the ball when it went out of bounds.

In women's lacrosse, there aren't restrictions on the players' movement, but crease violations are still penalized.

In men's lacrosse, penalties are classified as either personal or technical. Personal fouls are more serious, and are punished by a one-minute suspension from the game. Technical fouls are enforced differently depending on who has possession; if the ball is loose or the offending team has the ball, the penalty is a loss of possession to the opposing team. If the fouled team has possession, a member of the offending team will be penalized with a 30-second suspension. Technical fouls include offsides, holding, pushing, interference, illegal action with the stick, illegal procedure and stalling. Personal fouls include slashing, tripping, illegal body checking, cross-checking and unsportsmanlike contact. If a defender fouls an attacking player with possession in the attack half of the field, the referee will drop a flag and allow the play to continue. If a goal is scored, a technical foul will be erased; a personal foul, however, will still be enforced, and the offending player will stay in the penalty box for the face-off.

Time-serving penalties can be pivotal in a lacrosse game, as one team will be playing with a distinct advantage, or 'man up,' and the other team will be playing 'man down.' When a team is 'man up,' they will usually substitute in their best attackmen to try and score. In women's lacrosse, fouls are either major or minor, and the penalty is a 'free position.' For a major foul, the offending player must stand four meters behind the fouled player taking the free position, and for a minor foul, the offending player is placed four meters off in the direction she was approaching the player before committing the foul. Women are not allowed to body check, and cannot check an opponents stick unless the ball is inside it.

Checking

Checking is arguably the most entertaining part of men's lacrosse. 'Body checks,' which involve using the body to hit a ballcarrier or a player within 15 feet of a loose ball, must be above the waist and from either the front or side. 'Stick checks' are okay, but 'cross checks,' which involve hitting or pushing a player with the portion of the stick that is between your hands, is considered a personal foul. In a 'poke check,' the defender pokes his stick at the hands of the ballcarrier in order to dislodge the ball; the similar 'slap check' involves a defender slapping his stick against the opponent's hands. If he 'slashes' the player, or recklessly stick checks the player's body, it's considered a personal foul. 'Wrap checks,' in which the defender swings his stick over the head or around the body of the ballcarrier, are fair game (as long as he avoids slashing). Women are only allowed to execute legal stick checks, which must be directed away from a seven-inch 'bubble' around the player's head.

Enjoying the Game

With these basics, you should be ready to cheer on your classmates at a Hopkins lacrosse game. If you're still a bit confused, try bringing a lacrosse-savvy friend to clue you in during the game. Keep your eye on the ball; if you watch enough games, you'll get the hang of it.