Have you ever played Lacrosse? Do you know about the skills needed to play this sport? Consider if your youth athlete would like to try this sport and learn the skills. Maybe your youth athlete has already been playing this sport and would like to gain higher-level skills to compete in more challenging games. Whatever your child’s skill level is from beginner to intermediate to advanced skills, CAL Sports Academy can meet your child’s personal goals in this sport. This blog will provide information about the sport of Lacrosse that may help determine if this sport is of interest to your child.
Background Information of Lacrosse
Native Americans were the first people to invent lacrosse, formerly known as stickball.1 The lacrosse balls were created from wood and animals’ skin, while they are now made of rubber.1 The netting on the lacrosse stick was typically made up of deer tendons or ligaments.1 Instead of wearing uniforms, the Native Americans painted their bodies and faces as decoration.1 Lacrosse was played for many reasons including religion, recreation, and to show strength.1 Bets were generally placed on these games.1 During these times, only men played the sport until 50 years later, when women created their own league.1
Main Positions for Lacrosse
- Attackmen: These are offensive members of a team in charge of scoring goals.2, 3 This position entails being able to use both hands at a high skill level with the stick.2, 3 There are 3 for each team.2, 3
- Midfielders: Midfielders do the most running of the entire team.2, 3 They play offense and defense, so they must have a lot of endurance to keep up. There are 3 for each team.
- Defenseman: The main goal of the defenseman is to protect their goal, stopping the other team from scoring.2, 3 They have slightly longer sticks than the other players, being six feet in length, to help them achieve this.2, 3 Communicating among the other defenseman, as well as the rest of the team, is especially important for these players.2, 3 Good footwork is also important because it can be used to block the other team.2, 3 There are 3 for each team.2, 3
- Goalie: The goalies are a last line of defense.2, 3 They have to protect the goal while having good hand eye coordination and good body positioning.2, 3
Specialized Positions
- Face Off Get Off (FOGO): These people have the main goal of winning the face offs.2, 3 This occurs at the beginning of each quarter and after each goal.2, 3 Immediately after the face off, the FOGOs get off the field.2, 3
- Long Stick Midfielders (LSM): This is a defensive player that uses a stick longer than the rest of the players.2, 3 This extra-long pole gives them an advantage and there is always one LSM on the field for the team on defense.2, 3
- Short Stick Defensive Midfielders (SSDM): SSDMs only player defense.2, 3
Summary
If your youth athlete has endurance, good hand eye coordination, and good foot work, then lacrosse might be a fun sport for your child to try. They should be prepared for activities such as running and participating in many drills to help them improve their endurance and skills. Your child will need to learn how to work as a team with other youth athletes to be successful at this sport. Not only will this teamwork help your child on the field, but also off the field! Lifelong friendships will be created over the love for the sport of Lacrosse and all of the bonding time with teammates through practices, games, and tournaments will teach them skills of working with others on a common goal. Your child will have a fun time playing Lacrosse!
References:
- Claydon, Jane. (n.d.). Origin & History. World Lacrosse [website]. Retrieved from: https://worldlacrosse.sport/about-world-lacrosse/origin%20history/
- Brooklyn Lacrosse. (n.d.). Positions. Brooklynlacrosse.org. Retrieved from: https://www.brooklynlacrosse.org/positions
- jakenathan. (2020, June 19th). Every Lacrosse Position Explained (2020 Update). Lax Weekly [website]. Retrieved from: https://laxweekly.com/lacrosse-positions/