North American Indians were the first people to play Lacrosse, as early as the 1400s. The game originally used a ball and wooden stick. It began as play, but in time the Indians realized that it was a great vehicle for training warriors in the fighting arts.

These days the stick is made from titanium, and the ball is rubber. In its early years, no less than 100 men played Lacrosse, and sometimes even 1,000 joined the game. They would begin at sunrise, end at sunset, with perhaps three days in between. Rocks and trees were the goals, and they were spaced from 500 yards to a half mile apart.

French Jesuit missionaries knew the game by the 17th century and in time the rest of the world learned of it. is still enjoyed in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, and Scotland among other nations. It’s a rough game involving both thinking and physical stamina. This article offers a few tips for playing the game well.

You must become extremely familiar with your stick, even taking it with you running or walking. The more you hold it, the more it will feel like part of you. It’s important to become ambidextrous with it. If you’re left-handed, practice a lot with your right and vice versa. Practice with the cradle as well by varying the speed and switching direction.

Lacrosse experts will recommend doing sprints to help build up your endurance and your legs. These same experts also believe wooden sticks to be superior over their titanium



counterparts. Two reasons are that the metal is cold and causes the hands to stiffen, and the plastic heads break and wear out more quickly. The main reason however, is that the wooden sticks are more absorbent upon impact.

For attackmen, keep moving all the time so your defenseman must keep his attention on you and not helping other defensemen. Then, when moving the ball around the goal, make sure your passes are short and sharp, keeping them to the outside away from the defenseman. For the passes, they should be hard and when you have the ball, NEVER stand still. In Lacrosse, it is important that you keep moving, even if it means running forward or backward.

When you have possession of the ball in Lacrosse, you need to fake passes and keep your defenseman’s stick moving all the time. Additionally, make the defenseman play your stick while watching his stick. Finally, make sure you never make a pass to a man that is covered as a means of getting rid of the ball. With Lacrosse, you will have so much fun while enjoying a good, challenging game that requires physical and mental alertness at all times.

Copyright 2006, Tate Palumb, All Rights Reserved. This article may be published on web sites or in newsletters provided this notice and the resource box is included without ammendment.