Back-Brain Check

[MileHighLax]

I don't no why its bothering me so much but i don't no if its better to throw this check one handed or with 2. It seems like i have more power 2 handed but not as much reach when i throw it one handed. Can anyone tell me what they think?

[Lax4life528]

yea, i've never heard of this check either

[sammyduelist]

Sounds illegal. Brain check? Going for the helmet is a no-no.
Do you mean a wrap check on the person's back hoping to get their stick while they hang it back?

[Laxattack05]

yeah, back-check to the brain, probably not a good idea... parents might not dig watching that happen to their kids...

[MileHighLax]

there are a few different names for this check. But you just time your check and wait for them to expose it behind their body then throw your check.

[Zach]

That's definitely illegal.

[HyltonLax88]

isn't that just a simple one-handed wrap check? So you wait for them to pull their stick behind them and you just throw your check at the head right? If this is what you're talking about, I've always done it one handed and it's worked well.

[MileHighLax]

Wrap Check [Variations]::

2 Handed Wrap: Running side by side you **** your stick back and swing it at your man with alot of force and essentially cross your bottom hand under your top hand so that the stick may WRAP around your man and hit his stick in his hand farthest from you.

Top Handed Wrap (standard one-handed wrap): Also used side by side or even if your man is backing into you, **** your stick back and swing it hard and release your bottom hand so that it wraps around the front of your man to hit his stick.

Back-Handed Wrap: Usually used when you are side by side running with your man, you **** your stick back and swing it with a large amout of force while releasing your top hand so that the stick pivots on the hand closest to your man and wraps around to the other side of his body.

Back Wrap (Back-Brain Check): Also used side by side but it is especially effective if your man is changing directions and switching hands. Essentially throw a Standard One-Handed Wrap Check only this time it will wrap around his back to hit the stick in his far hand.

Watch Carefully: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVAakaej7c

Do you guys now understand what check im talking about?

[HyltonLax88]

yea that's what I said in my post lol

[MileHighLax]

ya sorry i didnt read yours i thought yours was another "that is illegal don't do that" post. So one handed works better than 2 for you?

[HyltonLax88]

yea, one works better for me. I use the other hand to release it but it's one handed from there. One handed allows for slightly more wrap. Two-hands seems alot slower also IMO.

[navylax161]

its really preference. theres no better way so just try both and make a decision. personally if i throw that check with one hand im going to hit the guy in the helmet nine times out of ten, so i go with both hands. ive got pretty long arms though, allowing me to reach back far, so with you it could be different.

[MileHighLax]

ya i got pretty long arms to im 6'2"

[Laxattack05]

yeah.. i always use one when wrapping... and also make sure that you snap your wrist up at the end... it'll give you a little sting with the check

[MileHighLax]

alright thanks

[AusD]

dont worry about theese sort of checks they only show one thing
lack of fundamentals.. the only time you throw this check is when your are more than 100% sure that you are going to take the ball away from someone or as a complete last resort when you are getting beaten and cant make up on ground..if you watch the video or when someone throws this check their stick is downfield of where the player is running to meaning the D-stick is behind the actual player, so if the attacker knows its coming he can just hold it out front and burn you and your only option is a massive over the head or up high check that is asking for a penalty..
stick to slap, poke and only try the fancy stuff up on the wings or near midfield where you have more chance of chasing and catching up to the person you are defending on

just my two cents

[3rdPersonPlural]

AusD is correct. When I played defense, I hated to have my back to my guy when he had the ball and only one hand on the stick. The check is a shot in the dark.

It's a great opportunity to turn getting beat into a goal and a minute down. Bad policy.

[AusD]

thanks 3rdPersonPlural...theese checks that everyone is trying is just a means of getting noticed, no doubt they look awesome but they give up body position and thats why when they dont work you get burnt quick smart..learn to poke, slap and body and youll be dominant on the feild

[stegmakk]

I agree with 3PP and AusD...
(side note I remember these as back brain slaps)...
no need to do this check as there are other checks more effective and less risky...

[Startsy]

Well,

I'm gonna do something really crazy and disagree with the past 4 posts.
Sure you CAN get beat off of throwing this check horribly wrong but then again you can get beat off of a lunging poke or a missed slap.

As with any check you have to develop an eye for the check. I believe the only proper time to throw this is if your man is running from Above GLE to X behind the goal. In a right handed vs. right handed scenario your stick is upfield and the threat of getting beat is minimal.

sooo bottom line is just use common sense and caution when your throwing it. You can see some really great ones being thrown in College Lax and even some High School.

I'm just kinda being the Devil's Advocate and making sure all things are considered here. I myself greatly value the simple poke, slap, lift combo.

[tomtom]

My favorite alternative to this is actually a simple lift. It mainly works on attackmen who hang their stick diagonally to the ground, leaving a big, juicy butt end behind them. Disrupt them a little on the front side with some pokes, maybe a slap or two, then when they start hanging back a little just pull it over to the back side and lift or slap down. I used to lift a bit more, but since I switched to a significantly heavier shaft Ive found the slap down more effective.

Important thing though: Keep your feet.

[MileHighLax]

Well,

I'm gonna do something really crazy and disagree with the past 4 posts.
Sure you CAN get beat off of throwing this check horribly wrong but then again you can get beat off of a lunging poke or a missed slap.

As with any check you have to develop an eye for the check. I believe the only proper time to throw this is if your man is running from Above GLE to X behind the goal. In a right handed vs. right handed scenario your stick is upfield and the threat of getting beat is minimal.

sooo bottom line is just use common sense and caution when your throwing it. You can see some really great ones being thrown in College Lax and even some High School.

I'm just kinda being the Devil's Advocate and making sure all things are considered here. I myself greatly value the simple poke, slap, lift combo.

I'm going to have to agree with you hear. Any check can throw you out of position its just a matter of some make the recovery harder

[3rdPersonPlural]

Well,

I'm gonna do something really crazy and disagree with the past 4 posts.

Not crazy, but risky:drool:

Sure you CAN get beat off of throwing this check horribly wrong but then again you can get beat off of a lunging poke or a missed slap.

The issue is degrees of risk. A solid poke or lift delivered with balance works well and it is a rare exception when it costs a goal AND draws a penalty. The same cannot be said for the back brain.

As with any check you have to develop an eye for the check. I believe the only proper time to throw this is if your man is running from Above GLE to X behind the goal. In a right handed vs. right handed scenario your stick is upfield and the threat of getting beat is minimal.

This is true. However, you risk a slash penalty when your man is already neutralized as a threat to score.

sooo bottom line is just use common sense and caution when your throwing it. You can see some really great ones being thrown in College Lax and even some High School.

I'm just kinda being the Devil's Advocate and making sure all things are considered here. I myself greatly value the simple poke, slap, lift combo.

Over in the coach's forum, someone pointed out that new players should be kept off the d because a mistake there costs a goal, and an attack error only costs possession. By the same logic. a defender who experiments with low probability, high risk checks is going to cost goals. A defender needs to think like an offensive lineman in football. Steady, fundamentally sound, smart, and quick footed. A guy committed to chaos and solo theatrics corrupts the whole unit, which corrupts the whole team, and lacrosse is above all a team sport.

I KNOW you know this Startsy, as I've read other posts of yours.

[CardinalPuff]

play defense with your feet....as a matter fact, in my previous life as a coach i would have my defense practice sometimes without their crosses...

to paraphrase the great Miyagi: "Lesson not just lacrosse only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better. Understand?"

[tomtom]

play defense with your feet....as a matter fact, years ago as coach i would have my defense practice without their crosses...
Understand?

I did this last night all practice.We used little stub sticks about 18 inches long. It really is a great training technique, imho, and for the first bit when the defense is getting used to not having their sticks, it gets pretty comical watching them try to go for ground balls with...chopsticks.

[Startsy]

In Regards to 3rdPersonPlural,

First thanks for recognizing that I'm commited to playing good defense over sloppy D.

But Knitpicking aside I'm not advocating sbad Defense and you also bring up the factor of the Referee which is a considerable concern when throwing the Back-Brain Slap/Wrap. However I'm just gonna stress once again that if you do Practice this check enough [throw it during practice, again, develop an eye for it] I have many, many times seen it result in a helicopter yardsale which makes it pretty hard to call a slash I'd say because you'd pretty much HAVE to hit stick to acheive that result. Anyway I know plenty of YouTube videos showing this result if you'd like me to post them. However as always I'm recommending the classic check combo.

On a Side Note: I resent the Offensive Linemen comment being the only defender in our teams Starting Defense that is not one. I guess it is pretty funny though seeing a small defender [5'9" 160lbs] as the Captain of the D over 2 much much bigger ones [6' 190lbs and 6'2" 185lbs]. Sorry bro the size issue is sensitive with me.

[rynolax]

We're not allowed to check with one hand in my league. If you do, they call it a slash, so matter what check you perform. I don't play D, but I watched my horrible D play enough to know that the more you play with your stick and the less with your feet, the easier you get beat. I'mnot saying not to use your stick, but in general, the more you stay in front of your guy, the better off you are.