Here is the basic idea:
Each lacrosse ten consists of ten players: one goalie,
three defenders, three midfielders--called middies--and three attackmen.
The main object of the game is to shoot the ball into the opponent's goal.
The team with the most goals wins.
Each team has to keep four players--including a
goalie if one is playing--in its own defensive half of the field. It also
must keep three attackers in the offensive half of the field. The three
midfielders have the ability to go up and down the entire field. High School
games are comprised of four 12 minute quarters, with a short break of 10
minutes at half time.
Lacrosse starts with a face-off, which is like a
rugby scrim with two players each with a stick. One wing player for each
team also lines up on (opposite sides of) the midfield line and can charge
the ball once play begins, but other players must remain in their places
until possession is established or the ball crosses into a goal area. Face-offs
start play after each goal.
Most startling for new spectators is the fact that
lacrosse players can use the stick check against each other. This basically
means that players can hit each other with "controlled poking and slapping"
of the stick and gloved hands of a player who has possession (or quasi
possession) of the ball. Body checks are also permitted, with all contact
proscribed to be from the front or side, above the waist and below the
shoulders. Both hands must be together and on the stick for a check to
be legal. Aggressive body checking is discouraged and penalized.
Body checking is permitted if the opponent has the
ball or is within five yards of a loose ball. All body contact must occur
from the front or side, above the waist and below the shoulders, and with
both hands on the stick. An opponent's crosse may also be stick checked
if it is within five yards of a loose ball or ball in the air. Aggressive
body checking is discouraged.
Penalties typically result from tripping or illegal
or aggressive checking, and can be for 30 seconds or for longer. A penalty
may result in a player being sent off the field to a penalty box for the
duration of the penalty, during which time his team functions with one
less player. Many goals are scored in these "man-down" situations.
All games are refereed by at least two, and typically
two officials, but sometimes three and four officials can be on the field
at a time usually in the play offs more than two officials are used.
These basic rules listed are not the entire rules. For a more detailed version of the rules please visit US Lacrosse.