Stick Check

[wintercf]

Can someone explain to me how a ref checks a stick in girls lacrosse. I was told they press done on the ball when its in the pocket. They cant do that in boys lacrosse.

[laxfolife24]

yeah thats how its done. the refs hold the stick up and across their body and put a ball in the pcket and the ball has to be over the sidewall or it's illegal.

[ques]

Yes they do push down on it but then release it and then look to see that part of the ball is above the sidewall.

[RockStar]

Wow! them pockets are pretty lean! How close can actually you get to the sidewall before they crack down?

(Bear in mind this is alien to me. My pocket has an inch of mesh between the top of the ball and the bottom of the sidewall!)

[Laxordie24]

It really depends on the ref on how much they will take. I've had some that don't push the ball down at all, some that have to see the top of the ball over the sidewall, and some that don't have to see the top of the ball. I guess it's just the refs preference, but to be legal your supposed to be able to see the ball over the sidewall.

[laxfolife24]

yeah laxordie's right.

[laxgirl0108]

^^Agreed, it depends on how much of a stickler the ref is...

[spenny]

if you post this question in the rules forum you might get an answer from a ref, since that's where they all hang out

[ljlax]

but most of them would be guys refs prob right?

[ljlax]

yeah, i have had refs press extremely hard and roll it. it seriously depends

[spenny]

but most of them would be guys refs prob right?


mostly i would guess, but i'd be suprised if they made you move it back here

[ljlax]

or maybe they would...
they usually tell you to move it to here. But anyways they just drop it. If you want me to quote the rulebook it says " A crosse meets specifications if: ...The top of the ball remains above the top of the wooden or plastic wall after presure has been applied to and released from a ball dropped into the pocket of a horizontally held crosse..." So they are supposed to drop it, though when they roll it sometimes there is pressure applied.

[molax19]

In most of my high school games they were not strict, but last weekend at gatorfest the refs were nuts-my entire club team had to tighten their pockets.

[ques]

The reason for the presure is they want to check that no one is just pulling their strings tight and not tighting them and then after the 1st catch the pocket would be deep. By putting presure on the strings with the ball if they are lose they will slide and your pocket will be deep. I they put presure on them and the strings are tied tightly pocket stays legal.

[ljlax]

yeah, that makes a lot of sense ques. but some refs are like CRAZY aboiut it. like i have had a ref like not only push with her fingers/hand but like but all the strength in her entire body into pressing on it to make sure it would stay legal..

[Laxergirl]

i dont know about everyone else but before our stick checks everyone is tightening their pockets like crazy. im guilty of it too though.

has anyone ever had their stick checked during a game? that happened to me this year when we were playing our rivals (they were "favored" to win) and i had just scored a goal and the other coach calls for a stick check so the refs did. i knew that it was legal so as the ref was checking it i just started to nod my head and she said it was good so the goal stayed. that pissed me off so much that they couldnt take that they were losing and were being outplayed that they had to resort to stick checks and mouth guard checks (a few times they stopeed the game and made everyone take out their mouth guards and hold them up so that everyone had one). anyone else ever had something like this happen to their team?

[ljlax]

no one has ever asked to have my stick checked mid-game. but its happened to other girls on my team.

[CTLaxer]

It really depends on the ref on how much they will take. I've had some that don't push the ball down at all, some that have to see the top of the ball over the sidewall, and some that don't have to see the top of the ball. I guess it's just the refs preference, but to be legal your supposed to be able to see the ball over the sidewall.

The rules are clear on what is legal for a stick as well as what the procedure is for checking the legality of a stick. No part of this is negotiable by the official. A pocket that is relatively tight but has the ball just even with the top of the sidewall will become illegal during play. That is why you're required to have the ball just clear the top of the sidewall. Unfortunately I don't have my rulebooks handy otherwise I'd quote the exact rules and procedures for you guys.

As for calling equipment checks on players. I've done it before. It's not something coaches like to do all the time because it is kind of a respect thing. I think it's disrespectful to the other coach and the other team to request a stick check cause it's almost like accusing them of cheating. Coach's certify that all their players are using legal equipment that meets all standards and rules of the game. Unfortunately, one game I could not take it anymore as it was blatent and that's disrespectful to me and my team. A girl from the other team literally ran through 4 stick checks from my defense. The checks that were landing were quality checks and there's no way the ball should've stayed in her stick. She scored a couple of goals like this. Finally I got fed up with it after watching her the entire time and I called for a stick check on her. The officials took her stick...came infront of the benches, checked the stick, and get this....it was illegal, you could tell from watching the stick check. They didn't call it illegal because they were doing the stick check wrong and didn't know the exact rules on what was illegal and what was nor how to check it properly. It was very frustrating. Unfortunately, a lot of the officals out here are brand new to the sport and make lots of mistakes, but bless their hearts they're out there learning and trying. It's getting better, slowly but surely!

Any one of my players caught with an illegal stick during a game sits out for a LONG LONG time. They also make sure their sticks are legal before any game and even before practice.

[laxislife12]

Yes! I have had my stick checked mid-way through a game..and unfortunately it was illegal. I was taking the draw and i guess the ref noticed my pocket was alittle too deep..and she checked it. I wasn't allowed to play with my stick for the rest of the game so i had to use someone elses. :sad:

[Lax-Umpire]

Ladies - there are only a few womans officials on the forum.

Instructions taken from the manual for umpires doing a stock check are as follows:

"Drop the ball into the pocket of the horizontally held crosse, apply pressure to the ball and release. Make sure that the top of the ball remains above the top of the side wall of the stick. The ball should also move freely in the pocket and not become wedged between the wood, guard and/or bridge of a wooden crosse or the stop of a molded crosse. If the stick is legal, the player moves on. If the stick is illegal, the player moves to the side of the line, adjusts her crosse and has it reinspected by the official. All players with illegal
crosses should remain together."

This is very clear and should be followed by all umpires. Pressure must be placed on the ball to do a correct stick check, if not done a illegal steck can pass the check.

If you are in a game I am working this is the procedure.

[RYU]

has anyone ever had their stick checked during a game? that happened to me this year when we were playing our rivals... that pissed me off so muchIf you're playing w/ a legal stick and you know it, then what's to get pissed off about? It's done during a stoppage of game clock, so you're not losing any playing time b/c of it.

...they were losing and were being outplayed that they had to resort to stick checks and mouth guard checks (a few times they stopeed the game and made everyone take out their mouth guards and hold them up so that everyone had one). anyone else ever had something like this happen to their team?Do you literally mean the umpires stopped play to check for mouth guards? B/c if so, that's wrong. If the ref sees a player on the field playing w/o her mouthpiece, then ref is supposed to take a timeout to call in 'delay of game' foul. But the refs aren't supposed to disrupt play to check for mouth guards. Also, a coach or player does not have the right request a mouth guard check the way they can a formal stick check.

It's not something coaches like to do all the time because it is kind of a respect thing. I think it's disrespectful to the other coach and the other team to request a stick check cause it's almost like accusing them of cheating.IMHO, I don't see how accusing a player of playing w/ illegal equipment is any different from accusing players of typical play-of-game fouls (e.g. 'she's charging', 'that's a push', 'that was in the sphere', etc...). Isn't that also cheating?

Coach's certify that all their players are using legal equipment that meets all standards and rules of the game.The coach's pre-game verbal certification just started in 2005 and only applies to eye guards and goalie helmets meeting USL, ASTM, & NOCSAE specs. Sticks are not included in that.

[CTLaxer]

It is meant for goggles and helmets, that's correct, but it doesn't specify that in the saying, this omission I like to think was done somewhat on purpose to help keep the class and tradition in the game.

[RYU]

^^^ Please CTL... don't pull the traditionalist argument. Next thing I know, you'll be arguing against hard boundaries. :nahya:

The verbal cert was added first and foremost for legal liability reasons.

[CTLaxer]

A guy can dream can't he? Traditional in the sense of lacrosse in general holding honor as a key part of the game....what's that recent saying....oh yeah; "Honor the game"

Just trying to keep my mind functioning during 110+ summers and boring professors lectures.

[Lax101]

Bumping this thread up because I need some clarification.

I thought I knew the rule on this like the back of my hand, but someone is arguing over me about what the rulebook refers to as the "sidewall"

Below I have a picture attached with two parts circled on the sidewall-one refers to the middle/general area of the pocket (where the ball usually lies when parallel, which is circled in red), and the other the highest point on the sidewall, where the ballstop is (circled in black)

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7017/girlspocket1ra.th.jpg (http://img259.imageshack.us/my.php?image=girlspocket1ra.jpg)

When referring to the rule, does the ball need to be higher than the sidewall in the red circle, or the black? (I'm 85% sure I know the right answer, but I just need some clarification)

[jaxlax5]

for debeer heads they measure where the red circle is but i had a stx head and they measured from the black circle.

[Lax101]

Red, the black area would be considered the ball stop or the area transitioning from the ball stop to the sidewall (3.4 cm from the ball stop). The actual sidewall does not technically begin until after that 3.4 cm of transition, which would be past that circled area. I can put up a picture if it will help you out, but basically at the black circle it is not considered sidewall.
Ah, I knew it, thanks. I figure it's the same as boys lacrosse, which it pretty much is. It doesn't matter in boys lacrosse if the ballstop area has a much higher sidewall, all that matters is where the ball is.

Me-1
My school's new varsity girl's lax coach-0

for debeer heads they measure where the red circle is but i had a stx head and they measured from the black circle.
That's quite odd. That could be because STX uses a much more gradual slope...or I don't know for sure.

[jaxlax5]

That's quite odd. That could be because STX uses a much more gradual slope...or I don't know for sure.


yeah i dont know either. it always pissed me off because i wouldnt be able to have a big pocket.

[jaxlax5]

it was a stx impact.

[CTLaxer]

What stick was it? The only thing that comes to mind would that it would have had to have been a straight head, so it wouldn't have mattered.

I disagree with this theory. Even on a straight head...where they measure on the sideway is important. For an "onset" and offset head, 9 times out of 10 the pocket made will be relatively centered in the stick. This is the "proper" pocket placement. The only time I see "pockets" at the base of the head by the ball stop, or the black area using lax101's diagrams, is brand new players who don't know any better. Making a pocket in the middle of the head, where it should be, can leave the area by the ball stop almost completely taught. Technically, the pocket could be illegal but if it's checked by the ballstop it appears to be kosher for play. Infact, I've seen some of my players with situations like this and even though the ref doesn't catch it, I make them change it.

Coincidentilly, I believe the STX Impact is a straight head. I've been able to find a decent picture of the head horizontal, but from memory and what other pictures I found it does appear like it's not offset.

[jaxlax5]

The only time I see "pockets" at the base of the head by the ball stop, or the black area using lax101's diagrams, is brand new players who don't know any better. Making a pocket in the middle of the head, where it should be, can leave the area by the ball stop almost completely taught.
yeah i always make my pocket in the middle. why the ref checked it from the bottem, i have no clue.