Lacrosse For Dummies E-Book

Jim Hinkson

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 536

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

The ultimate guide for fans and players of this rapidly growing sport! Lacrosse For Dummies is the ultimate guide for fans and players of this rapidly growing sport alike. The book offers everything the beginning player needs to know, from the necessary equipment to the basic rules of the game, with explanations of the women's game and the indoor game, too. It also offers a wealth of information for the experienced player, including winning offensive and defensive strategies, along with skill-building exercises and drills. Finally, there's information on how armchair lacrosse players can get their fix of the sport on television, online, on in print.

Leseprobe

Lacrosse for Dummies®2nd Edition

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Getting Started

Part II: Playing Lacrosse

Part III: Coaching Lacrosse

Part IV: Following Lacrosse: The Fan’s Point of View

Part V: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started

Chapter 1: Lacrosse and You

Understanding the Game of Lacrosse

The two forms of lacrosse: Field and box

Mars and Venus: How the men’s and women’s games differ

Lacrosse: A Player’s Game

Playing offense: Stick skills and shooting

Defending: The do’s and don’ts

The goalie’s goal: Keeping the ball out of the net

Possession is nine-tenths of the (lacrosse) law

Using specialty teams to your advantage

Getting physical

Coaches’ Corner

From a Fan’s Perspective

Chapter 2: Suiting Up: Buying the Right Equipment

The Tools of the Trade: The Ball and the Stick

The ball

The stick

From Head to Toe: Putting on the Equipment

Gloves

Shoulder pads, arm guards, and elbow pads

Rib or kidney pads

Helmets

Mouth guards

Running shoes

Supporting Your Kid’s Body

Chapter 3: Meeting the Team

Introducing the Field Lacrosse Players

Putting the ball in the net: The attackmen

Playing offense and defense: The midfielders

The first line of defense: Close defensemen

Saving the day and keeping the ball in play: Goaltenders

Introducing the Box Lacrosse Players

Hanging out with the goalie: The creasemen

Cutting corners: The cornermen

Directing floor activity: The pointman

Defending the net: The goaltender

Defending the floor: The defensive players

Carrying the Offense: Keys for the Offensive Player

Practicing efficient stick handling

Moving — with and without the ball

Knowing where the ball is at all times

Focusing on Defense: Keys for the Defensive Player

Establishing your position

Using (or not using) the stick

Defending the Goal: Keys for the Goaltender

Taking your optimum goal position

Building up your save repertoire

Starting the offense

Chapter 4: Laying Down the (Lacrosse) Law

Field of Dreams: Playing Field Lacrosse

Examining the field

Keeping the field game moving

Substituting players

Unraveling penalties and physical play

Box of Dreams? Inside the Boards in a Lacrosse Arena

Understanding the Game’s Participants and Their Roles

Introducing tonight’s players

Leading the team: The coach’s role

Officials: The men in black

Starting and Stopping Play and Everything in Between

Officiating Lacrosse

Knowing what it takes to be a good official

Looking at the different types of officials

Managing the games within the game

The Fine Print: All the Rules You Need to Know

Playing the game

Losing possession on game violations

Paying for penalties

Part II: Playing Lacrosse

Chapter 5: Getting the Ball into the Goal: Developing Of fensive Skills

Grasping Basic Stick-Handling Skills

Getting a grip

Cradling the ball

Beyond Handling: Catching the Ball

How to position your body for the catch

Give and you shall receive the catch

What’s the Catch? Building Your Passing Skills

Positioning your body for the pass

Gripping the stick for the pass

Moving the stick forward with the pass

Remembering the keys to good passing

Working on Passing and Catching Drills

Individual passing drills

Partner passing drills

Team passing drills

Beating the Defender: Moving with the Ball

Protecting the ball in the stick

Taking a check

Dodging

Cutting: Moving without the Ball

Practicing Individual Offensive Drills

Individual cradling drills

Stick-handling drills with a partner

Protecting-the-ball-in-the-stick drills

Taking-a-check drills

Beating-a-defender drills

Taking shots after beating a defender

Chapter 6: Putting the Ball in the Goal: Shooting Fundamentals

Becoming a Great Shooter

Acquiring a shooter’s stick

Getting the ball past the goalie

Focusing on form

Resolving shooting problems

Shooting from a Long Distance

Knowing the two best areas to shoot long

Nailing the overhand shot

Shooting Closer to the Goal

Developing a great fake

Becoming a good close-in shooter

Practicing Shooting Drills

Focusing on long-ball shooting drills

Working on close-in shooting drills

Chapter 7: Keeping the Ball out of the Goal: Developing Defensive Skills

Stopping the Ball: Taking On the Stick Handler

Communicating with your teammates

Playing with your feet

Playing with your head

Establishing effective defensive positioning

Playing hard and with heart

Defending the field of play

Stopping the Player: Defending Offensive Players without the Ball

Off-ball-side defending

Ball-side defending

Moving before the ball

Drills to Build Your Defensive Skills

Developing defensive agility

Drills for defending the stick handler

Drills for defending other offensive players

Chapter 8: Goaltending

Recognizing What It Takes to Play in Goal

Focus

Desire

Stick-to-itiveness

Communication

The Basics of Goaltending

Where it all starts: The ready stance

Staying centered

Following the ball

Challenging the shooter

Communicating with the defense

Anticipating what’s going to happen next

Making the Reflex Save

The Goalie on Offense

Chapter 9: The Possession Game

The Art of the Faceoff

X marks the spot

Techniques of the trade

Faceoff fundamentals

Ground-Ball Wars

When ground balls happen

How to make a ground ball yours

What to do after you gain possession

Riding High

Why rides matter

The most effective ride techniques

Clearing Things Up

Understanding why clears are crucial

Starting with the goalie

Chapter 10: Practicing Team Offense and Defense

How the Players Fit In: Roles and Positions in Team Offenses and Defenses

The attackman’s role

The midfielder’s role

Practicing a Team Offensive Philosophy

Keep it simple

Balance freedom and structure

Attack! Attack!

Focus on good shot selection

Building the Team Offense through Drills

Zero passing

Quarterback drill

Ball perimeter work

X shooting drill

Practicing a Team Defensive Philosophy

Communicating on the field

Pressuring the stick handler

Forcing the ball

Defending picks: To switch or not to switch

Defending screens on the ball side: To switch or not to switch, part 2

Building the Team Defense through Drills

2-on-1 defending the pick-and-roll on the ball

4-on-4 shell drill to practice defensive positioning

3-on-2 help-side defense

Chapter 11: Calling on the Special Forces: Specialty Teams

Operating When You Have a Player Advantage

Practicing patience on the man-up/power play

Aligning your players on the man-up/power play

Singling out good man-up/power-play players

Running set plays in the man-up/power-play offense

Playing defense on the man-up/power play

Defending at a Disadvantage: The Man-Down/Man-Short Defense

Building your man-down/man-short defense

Playing offense on the man-down/man-short

Running man-down/man-short drills

Chapter 12: Becoming a Better Lacrosse Player — Physically and Mentally

Understanding the Benefits of Being in Condition

Stretching to Be Your Best

How to stretch

Stretching exercises for lacrosse

Running for Top Physical Conditioning

Off-season and pre-season conditioning

In-season conditioning

Improving Your Quickness and Agility

Offensive drills

Defensive drills

Getting into Shape with Weights

Mentally Preparing for Lacrosse

Setting goals

Practicing relaxation

Visualizing your way to success

Paying attention to self-talk

Controlling your emotions

Focusing on the game

Energizing yourself going into a game

Part III: Coaching Lacrosse

Chapter 13: Fundamentals of Coaching Lacrosse

Determining Your Team’s Style of Play

Building Your Team

Developing a Game Plan

Understanding your opponent

Concentrating on defense

Focusing on offense

Coaching Lacrosse to Kids: What You Need to Succeed

Being a good teacher

Instilling confidence

Practicing patience

Fostering commitment

Building Team Unity: All for One, and One for All

Recognizing What Gives Your Team the Edge

Chapter 14: Developing Your Coaching Philosophy for the Of fense

Understanding the General Principles of Lacrosse Playing Systems

Looking at offensive playing systems

Keeping the system simple

Setting Up the Offense

Playing to your strengths on offense

Establishing your offensive formation

Executing your offensive system

Attacking the Zone Defense with a Zone Offense

Understanding why teams play zone defense

Recognizing the weaknesses of zone defenses

Grasping zone-offense principles

Running a Penetration Man-to-Man Offense

Knowing when to go one-on-one

Opening up penetration with outside shots

Running set plays for a penetration offense

Mastering the Motion Man-to-Man Offense

Passing to keep the offense (and defense) in motion

Moving without the ball

Running the give-and-go play

Running the pick-and-roll play

Running Set Plays in Your Man-to-Man Offense

Breaking Out on the Quick: The Fast-Break Offense

Offensive Principles for the Women’s Game

Chapter 15: Coaching Defensively

Choosing Your Defensive Playing System

Going Head to Head: Playing a Man-to-Man Defense

Recognizing the types of man-to-man defenses

Playing both ways in the man-to-man defense

Applying pressure in the man-to-man defense

Forcing defensive action to get an offensive reaction

Concentrating on getting the job done

Helping: Slides and rotations

Using the man-to-man defense in game situations

Defending the Zone

Understanding the zone defense philosophy

Containing the stick handler with a double-team

Defense in the Women’s Game

Emphasizing body positioning and footwork

Everyone’s a defender

Part IV: Following Lacrosse: The Fan’s Point of View

Chapter 16: How to Watch Lacrosse

It All Looks a Little Familiar . . .

Recognizing the game’s similarities to hockey

Recognizing the game’s similarities to basketball

Knowing What to Watch For

Watching the offense

Watching the defense

Watching the goalie

Watching the game action

Closing out the game

Following Lacrosse on Television

Professional lacrosse

NCAA lacrosse

High school lacrosse

Chapter 17: Get ting in the Game

High School Highlights

College Corner

Introducing Minor-Level Box Lacrosse in Canada

Chapter 18: Keeping Up with the Pros

Everything You Need to Know about Major League Lacrosse

League basics

The top players

Everything You Need to Know about the National Lacrosse League

League basics

The top players

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten of the Greatest Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Players

Jen Adams

Kelly Amonte Hiller

Jim Brown

Roy Colsey

Gary Gait

Paul Gait

Tom Marechek

Dave Pietramala

Casey Powell

Mikey Powell

More Lacrosse Greats

Chapter 20: Ten Reasons to Get Excited about Lacrosse

Lacrosse Is a Magical Game to Watch

Lacrosse Is Simple to Play but Hard to Learn

Lacrosse Is Fast Paced

Lacrosse Is High Scoring

Lacrosse Has a Great Feel — Literally

Lacrosse Is a Fair-Weather Friend

Lacrosse Is a Community Game

Lacrosse Welcomes New Players

Lacrosse Breeds Respect

Lacrosse Creates Atmosphere

Chapter 21: Ten Interesting Facts about Lacrosse

Lacrosse Is the Oldest Team Sport in North America

“The Father of Lacrosse” Was a Dentist

The First Women to Play Lacrosse Were Scottish

New York University Fielded the First College Lacrosse Team

Lacrosse Made Its Olympic Debut in 1904

Body Contact Wasn’t Allowed in Men’s Lacrosse until the 1930s

The Mann Cup Was Originally Awarded to Field Lacrosse Teams

Lacrosse Didn’t Go Pro until the 1980s

A Super Bowl Coach Has Roots in Lacrosse

Lacrosse Is a Hit in Movies and on TV

Appendix: Resources

by Jim Hinkson and Joe Lombardi

Lacrosse For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.6045 Freemont Blvd.Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3www.wiley.com

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Hinkson, Jim

Lacrosse for dummies / Jim Hinkson. - - 2nd ed.

ISBN 978-0-470-67740-7

1. Lacrosse. I. Title.

GV989.H55 2010 796.34’7 C2010-900179-6

Printed in the United States

1 2 3 4 5 RRD 14 13 12 11 10

About the Authors

Jim Hinkson: Jim has been involved in the game of lacrosse since he was 19. He played lacrosse for 11 years and was a member of six Canadian national minor championship teams. He has coached at every level of lacrosse, from house league to professional, participating in two Canadian junior championships, and winning one. He also coached teams in Toronto, Whitby, and St. Catharines, Ontario, as well as the New York Saints and New Jersey Storms, who competed in the National Lacrosse League. Hinkson, who grew up on a farm in Oshawa, Ontario, has authored five books on lacrosse and coaching. Hinkson was the primary author of the first edition of Lacrosse For Dummies, which focused mainly on box lacrosse.

Joe Lombardi: Joe is one of the most established, respected, and versatile multimedia journalists in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area. He has worked as an editor and reporter for daily and weekly newspapers; as a writer for national magazines; as a host, announcer, and analyst on television and radio; and as associate publisher and contributor for several sports-related Web sites, including Rivals.com, CBS MaxPreps (www.maxpreps.com), and LaxLessons.com.

One constant throughout Joe’s career has been his work on the lacrosse scene. He was a fixture on the scene during the sport’s rapid growth. A New York City native, Joe grew up in historic Irvington in New York’s Hudson Valley region. In 2008, he was named Man of the Year by the Lacrosse Coaches Association of Section 1 (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York). A graduate of the University of Dayton in Ohio, Joe is the primary author of Lacrosse For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

Dedication

For Chuck Howard, a sports broadcasting pioneer, who taught me about lacrosse and broadcasting, and who would’ve loved to have seen the popularity the sport he loved now enjoys.

—Joe Lombardi

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Jim Hinkson: Thanks to my former teammates, players, and friends in lacrosse who have touched my life as I journeyed along my whirlwind lacrosse path. From Oshawa to Brooklin to Detroit to Peterborough to Windsor to Philadelphia to Rexdale to Whitby to St. Catharines to New York to Toronto to New Jersey, it has been a great ride with lots of ups and downs.

Joe Lombardi: I’ve watched and covered hundreds of men’s and women’s lacrosse games, but writing this book allowed me to enjoy a true first: I became a student of the game. Many thanks to the countless coaches and players for all their invaluable insights and for their eagerness and openness to help. I am especially grateful to Joe Alberici, Ric Beardsley, Kristen Carano Bulkley, Paul Carcaterra, Roy Colsey, Tom Interlicchio, and Brian Logue for going above and beyond in sharing their knowledge with me. Special thanks to two former Loyola University (Maryland) standouts, Jordan and Ryan Rabidou, for allowing me access to the valuable drills, practice plans, and plays that are now on display at LaxLessons.com. And finally, I’m indebted to my friend and colleague, Jim Stout, of CBS MaxPreps for generously providing photographs (taken by Stout and Ray Nelson) that are published in this new edition of Lacrosse For Dummies.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Foreword

My first memory of lacrosse is from when I was an 11-year-old boy. My father and I walked down to the local high school to practice pitching on the baseball diamond. Before long, my attention wandered to the football field, where a game I had never seen before was being played. At first, I had trouble following the game. But soon I began to appreciate how the ball was passed from player to player with great speed and accuracy. Over and over, this same process was repeated until, finally, a player was close enough to the goal to take a shot.

That is the game of lacrosse, my father told me. Well, needless to say, baseball practice was over for me — not for the day, not for the summer, but forever. I had to play this game. And so it began — my love affair with North America’s greatest and fastest game. I was hooked by the speed, the contact, the strategy. And I’m sure that a million lacrosse players the world over have experienced something similar. To see this game is to love it.

With its unique style, rules, and following, lacrosse is a truly amazing sport. It’s a combination of many sports: You can see bits and pieces of football, hockey, soccer, and basketball in a lacrosse game — hard, physical contact; shooting on goal; running up and down the field at high speed; and offensive and defensive strategy.

Lacrosse is an amazing combination of some of the greatest team games in the world, and, as such, it has quickly become one of the fastest growing sports around. When I started playing, a handful of lacrosse hotbeds existed in the United States: Maryland, upstate New York, and New York’s Hudson Valley, where I’m from. Those hotbeds were where the game was played at its highest level among high school and youth teams. Today, lacrosse has exploded into a national phenomenon. Teams from Texas, Florida, California, and Colorado are among the many competing at the high school and youth level. Colleges are adding both men’s and women’s teams. Why has lacrosse grown so quickly? Watch one game, my friend — just watch one game. You’ll be hooked, too.

Roy Colsey

Three-time first-team All-American and Division I Midfielder of the Year and member of two national championship teams at Syracuse University; four-time Major League Lacrosse All-Star, National Lacrosse League All-Star

Introduction

Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in North America, with the record number of players and fans in field lacrosse now spearheading that growth. In this book, we explore the reasons for this surge in participation and fan interest, but if you’ve ever been to a game — or better yet, if you play or coach lacrosse — you already know the reasons.

In a nutshell, lacrosse features the physicality of football, the speed and quickness of hockey, and the passing and transitions of basketball. Anyone can play this sport — from shorter people with speed and quickness to bigger people with strength and power. And after you start, it’s very tough to stop. Lacrosse is habit forming.

About This Book

The first edition of Lacrosse For Dummies emphasized box lacrosse. In this edition, we shift the focus to field lacrosse, but we still offer plenty of information and insights on box as well. Both editions have one important thing in common: Like the first edition, this book is for players, coaches, and fans at all levels of lacrosse.

The beauty of For Dummies books is that you can use them to find what you need to know, without having to wade through a bunch of stuff you don’t care about. Just pick up the book and start reading anywhere you want. Sure, you can read it from front to back, but you don’t have to — you can read each chapter on its own, without feeling like you’re in the dark.

Conventions Used in This Book

We don’t use many special conventions in this book, but be aware of the following:

When we introduce a new term, we put it in italics and define it shortly thereafter (often in parentheses).

When we give you a list of steps to take in a particular order, we put the actionable part of the step in bold so you can easily find what you’re supposed to do.

When we mention Web addresses and e-mail addresses, we put those in monofont so they stand out from the surrounding text.

When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that we haven’t put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist.

Throughout the book, when we refer to box lacrosse, we’re talking about the version of the game that is most popular in Canada and that is played exclusively indoors — with fewer players per team and a reduced playing surface. Field lacrosse can be played either outdoors or indoors, so, for that reason, we don’t use the terms indoor lacrosse or outdoor lacrosse.

Finally, despite the male-oriented names of positions — such as attackman and defenseman — most of the information found in this book applies to all lacrosse players, male and female. When distinct differences exist between men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse, we make sure to note them.

What You’re Not to Read

If you’re short on time, you’ll be glad to know that you don’t have to read everything to get the information you need. You can safely skip sidebars (text in gray boxes); they’re interesting, but not essential to your understanding of the topic at hand. You can also skip anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon (see “Icons Used in This Book,” later, for more information).

Foolish Assumptions

When we wrote this book, we made a few assumptions about who you are. You probably fall into one of the following categories:

You know nothing about lacrosse, but you saw it being played somewhere and it piqued your interest. You want to know more.

You already play lacrosse, but you want to improve. You’re looking for techniques and strategies you can use to up your game.

You’re a parent whose son or daughter has started playing lacrosse. You want to know what to expect from your kid’s coach, and what exactly those kids are doing when they’re out on the field.

You’re a coach who wants to read about drills that other coaches run to improve their teams.

How This Book Is Organized

Lacrosse For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is presented in five parts, starting with the basics of the game — such as the ball and stick, the number of players, the equipment used, and the way the game is played. The rest of the book moves through how to watch the game, how to become a player, how to coach lacrosse, and how to follow the game. So this book can be whatever you want it to be — simple and basic or in depth.

Part I: Getting Started

This part gives you a good idea of what the basic game of lacrosse is all about, breaking the game down into simple terms and discussing the different player roles and positions, as well as some particulars about how the game is played. This part also discusses lacrosse equipment and how to get dressed so that you’re well protected — a necessity in this sport. Finally, it gives you an overview of officiating, so you know what those guys in black-and-white stripes mean when they wave their arms around.

Part II: Playing Lacrosse

How do you score goals and prevent them from being scored? Those are the two most simple, yet most critical, aspects of lacrosse. In this part, we take an in-depth look at both — providing information that helps you develop offensive and defensive skills. We also take an up-close-and-personal look at what it takes to play goalie. We break down all the key components of two of the most important parts of lacrosse — the possession game and specialty teams. Finally, we tell you what you need to know to become a better player — both mentally and physically.

Part III: Coaching Lacrosse

Here, you discover the fundamentals of coaching lacrosse, including building a team and preparing for games and practices. We also tell you how a coach game coaches, from setting up an offensive system to establishing a defensive system and then applying these systems to certain situations in a game. We also look at specific offensive formations, as well as specific defensive sets.

Part IV: Following Lacrosse: The Fan’s Point of View

Are you new to the game? In this part, we tell you what you should look for when watching lacrosse — offense, defense, you name it. We also cover how and where you can follow all levels of lacrosse on TV. Then we take an in-depth look at “the surge,” which in this case, refers to the continuing growth in the popularity of the game. At many colleges and high schools, lacrosse’s popularity is hardly a new phenomenon, so we fill you in on the most tradition-rich high school and college programs. Finally, we tell you everything you need to know about the two pro leagues — Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League.

Part V: The Part of Tens

This essential part of every For Dummies book is fun because it includes our list of the top lacrosse players of all time. Now, considering the fact that this list includes men and women, field lacrosse players and box lacrosse players, you can look at this chapter as the starting point of discussions — and arguments. We also give you ten reasons to get excited about lacrosse (as if you needed them!), as well as ten interesting facts about the game.

In the back of this book, we include a couple of resources to share some of the nuts and bolts of lacrosse with you. To understand the game, you have to understand the language of lacrosse, so we include a glossary of lacrosse vocabulary. And the appendix offers some resources for more information on lacrosse, including magazines, Web sites, and organizations.

Icons Used in This Book

Every For Dummies book has icons in the margins, to draw attention to important tidbits and valuable advice. Lacrosse For Dummies uses the following icons:

The Tip icon points you to what some of the best players and coaches have to say about the game and how they play and coach it. Anytime you see this icon, you’re sure to find suggestions that will help improve your play.

The Remember icon points out important information that you want to remember.

The Warning icon offers some cautionary words about potential safety concerns and other dangers that you may face when playing or coaching lacrosse.

Need to know why something happens the way it does in lacrosse? The Technical Stuff icon alerts you to information that you can choose to read or skip. It’s not necessary to your understanding of the material, but it sure is interesting!

Whenever we give you information specific to the women’s game, we flag it with this icon.

Plenty of differences exist between the game of box lacrosse (which is played indoors) and the game of field lacrosse (which is typically played outdoors, but can also be played inside). This icon helps you sort out the details.

Where to Go from Here

If you’re a beginner or a fan, you may want to turn to the glossary of lacrosse terms and their definitions at the back of this book. Or start with Chapters 3 and 4, where we cover the fundamentals of the game. If you’re a parent and new to the sport, turn to Chapter 13 and read about youth lacrosse and coaching. If you’re a spectator, Chapter 16 is a great introduction to watching lacrosse. No matter who you are, Chapter 4 can help you understand the rules of the game. If you’re a coach, you may want to start with Part III. Or if you’ve already played for a few years and want to pick up some new tips, start with Part II. Finally, the Part of Tens appeals to just about everybody. Use the index and table of contents to find the information you’re looking for, or dive right in with Chapter 1!

Part I

Getting Started

In this part . . .

Every lacrosse game starts with a faceoff — or, in the women’s game, a draw. This part begins this book’s play for you. Here, you discover the basics of the game — everything you need to get a head start in understanding how the game is played. You find out the game’s most fundamental elements, including the roles of each player on the field or on the floor and the rules of play.