Australian Laxers View on Indoor

[Warriors26]

Recently there has been a lot of work done to grow Indoor lax in australia. Bluedevil49 is one of the man men behind boosting this fine style of lax which up until recently i had never played and being a defender i was sceptical on how well i would adjust to the short stick and "different" styles of checking. Just wanting to know everones opinion on it and why there hasn't been an overly great support for it including the postponing (spelling) of the National Tournament. I look forward to playing each week and it sharpens everyones skills

[Jesse]

You talking about Box?
We have indoor in Melb, At Ashburton Rec. I used to do it to get my short stick skills better. But there wasnt any checking, and it clashed with my schooling being on Monday nights.

[Warriors26]

Yeah but in sa we play full contact but the boarding is a little controlled it would be good to see more people playing it as it is awsome to watch and play. im sure 15000 + fans watch NLL cant be there if it was dull lets get some more in aus

[igloo dweller]

i've only seen a few games of indoor/box...hard ground, boards, lunatic rules - its crazy (straight jacket crazy, not 6ft surf crazy). though, as a defender i highly applaud the liberal views on checking, in particular crosschecking the hell out of guys off the ball. i'd give it a go, but ive only got little armpads, and i like my forearms better with gashes and bruises...

i think i'll leave it to the canadians and tim fry

[Jesse]

I think Minotaur put forward the idea of using the old Altona box Lax field.
I would start. Dont know about going out to Altona though...

[thunder_15]

but i bet box in australia well end up being nothing like the real thing. well maybe a bit like it....

[bluedevil49]

but i bet box in australia well end up being nothing like the real thing. well maybe a bit like it....
If you've watched any NLL and CLA Senior A (either OLA or WLA) then you'll know that even the NLL isn't like real box.

As for you field players not wanting to give it a go because you see it as a thugs game, give it a go anyway. You'll most likely enjoy it. After all, you are only playing against other field players who are just as new to the game as you are. I'm not saying that there aren't thugs or cheap players is box, just that you already know who they are. They are the same cheap players you are already playing field against.

Igloo dweller, as for arm pads - Tim Fry most likely has some he could sell you.

[endoftheline]

i think there'd be plenty of people to play but its a fair way out to altona. It would probably be more sucessful if say malvern, caulfield and mcc play each, williamstown footscray and altona, eltham and moreland and surrey and camberwell. You probabyl couldn't have a winter season as people are already commited 2-3 a week to lacrosse and in summer people are on holidays so maybe November and March seasons lasting 6-8 weeks.

[shooter]

I think Minotaur put forward the idea of using the old Altona box Lax field.
I would start. Dont know about going out to Altona though...


In the west we use Altona quite a bit, especially pre-season. Its not the best (actually its bloody scary with wire fencing sticking out at you), but it is the only purpose built box rink in the state, and its the only thing in the western suburbs of melbourne that is suitable.


i think there'd be plenty of people to play but its a fair way out to altona. It would probably be more sucessful if say malvern, caulfield and mcc play each, williamstown footscray and altona, eltham and moreland and surrey and camberwell. You probabyl couldn't have a winter season as people are already commited 2-3 a week to lacrosse and in summer people are on holidays so maybe November and March seasons lasting 6-8 weeks.


The VILL (Victorian Indoor Lacrosse League) was played a few years ago (i dont know about last year) during the summer off season (before christmas), the teams fell along the U/15 zones (for example willy, footscray and altona as one team).

You may think it is a fair way out to Altona, but spare a thought for the other half of the state, Altona is a very good location for me.

[pumba]

Mabe For you but people but its very far for us people at the other end of the world

Eltham, Moreland Ect.

I woudl love to play but it is impossible for me to get their. With school parents working and me working it is compleatly impossible.

Mabe a more central location and it may grow and become a propper comp.

Pumba

[Minotaur]

Good things start small. Personally, I think its a better game than field lax. I grew up playing field..NCAA, but once I got into playing box in upstate New York; locked into a rink, the ball always in play, shooting on goalies that resemble armadillos, I couldn't get enough. I think it could grow in Australia with the right development and support, as much as field lax has grown in Melbourne, which isn't much over the years. I coached a box team down in Altona 4 or 5 years ago and had a blast, and the field players who hadn't played before quickly adapted. Get a few Canadians over here to hold some clinics and player/coach some teams, and Bob's your uncle. And build a proper rink we can call home, instead of the thunderdome in Altona. The concrete is a killer. What a great way of spending your off season....maybe one day field lax might be considered "the off season" sport. One can only dream.

[shooter]

What a great way of spending your off season....maybe one day field lax might be considered "the off season" sport. One can only dream.

Call me a purest, but Field lax is still king.
I love box and all, but starting down in the attack half with the muddy grass under my feet waiting to score on a weakly padded goalie standing in a regulation size goal is what lacrosse is all about to me. well kinda.

And the field world champs are more important than the Indoors, I dont want us to lose focus on that.

[lukeoz]

you will find that in most cases people will prefer the version they started out in, and stay patriotic to it

both games have their advantages and disadvantages, and this kind of debate has gone on for years and will continue to do so

box and field lacrosse complement each other well, and there is room in oz for both types... it is important for us to support both types, whether we choose to play the other version or not, as invariably a newcomer to field lacrosse may decide to try box, and vice versa, where without the other version of the sport they may otherwise have not tried out any lacrosse in the first place

[sticksave23]

Box is great for areas like Tassie who don't have very many people playing lacrosse because the teams are smaller.
We've had a couple of small seasons so far and its pretty popular, but we don't play on a regulation feild, or use full size goals (which is good for me being a goalie :D), but we make do and always have alot of fun.

[Jesse]

Box is great for areas like Tassie who don't have very many people playing lacrosse because the teams are smaller.
We've had a couple of small seasons so far and its pretty popular, but we don't play on a regulation feild, or use full size goals (which is good for me being a goalie :D), but we make do and always have alot of fun.
Yeah, my mate actually play in Tassie. Apparently its guys and girls mixed.
My dad had to take a girl to hospital last year because she got hit by a guy...

[marleycat]

Wish we had indoor in the UK.

[bluedevil49]

Wish we had indoor in the UK.
It just takes one person with a wish.

I wished I could play box lacrosse again. But I needed a plan

:idea:

So I asked if anyone else wanted to play box lacrosse. Got a small reponse.
Found a venue. (Look for an inline hockey rink)
Organised refs.
Found more players. (including goal keepers)

Low and behold I found myself playing box lacrosse.

I've organised it again this year, but this time with the approval of our local lacrosse governing body.

The hardest part is convincing people that it is only as rough as your opposition and referee's allow it to be.

[Warriors26]

Bluedevil is exactly right the only time you might get hurt is when you try to dodge the whole d and get nailed yes there are some wild checks but hey there are the same thing in outdoor and they have bigger poles. Just keep the refs happy so they dont turn a blind eye when you get boarded into the sub box

[bendover]

If you've watched any NLL and CLA Senior A (either OLA or WLA) then you'll know that even the NLL isn't like real box.


I'd be very interested to hear an explanation of the fundamental differences between NLL and Major lacrosse (WLA or MLS), especially since I've seen tons of each and see them as more similar than different.

[sticksave23]

Yeah, my mate actually play in Tassie. Apparently its guys and girls mixed.
My dad had to take a girl to hospital last year because she got hit by a guy...

I think i know who your mate might be. Yeah we had a girl play once I think in the mens comp, but there's a little mixed thing going on for the young/small guys and gals or the old and injured so everyone can get invloved in more lacrosse

[bluedevil49]

I'd be very interested to hear an explanation of the fundamental differences between NLL and Major lacrosse (WLA or MLS), especially since I've seen tons of each and see them as more similar than different.
Let me first explain my point of view. I've only seen about 10 NLL games sent to me by my brother and buying the last 3 Mann Cups on DVD, so my viewing experience is some what limited, but this will change this year as I'm going to Vancouver for 6 months.

So, from what I've seen is that NLL appears to be a more open style of play with a lot more 1v1 (almost field) type of offence, where as CLA is more of a physical pick and roll style of offence. Accordingly, the defences were,
NLL - pushing the players wider, which sometimes left gaps on the crease; and just forcing the player to the outside
CLA- was a complete denial of access to anything inside the 24' line.

Because of these styles, it appeared that the CLA game was a lot more physical. Not saying that the NLL isn't physical, but just appeared more field like.

[lukeoz]

i think also some differences include canadian box is played with three periods of 20 minutes (like ice hockey) compared with 4x15mins in NLL. Wooden sticks not allowed in NLL, and in CLA most arenas are played on a concrete surface. I am not sure if there are considerable differences in rules for checking and body contact. I think in box you can defend on your player even if he doesn't have the ball, I don't know if that extends to NLL, but maybe that's why you see more 1 on 1 attack in NLL?

[cannon]

bummer for box fans

2006 Australian Indoor Lacrosse Tournament cancelled

Due to lack of local and interstate availability for January, this tournament has unfortunately been postponed. One of the goals of the proposed indoor tournament was to gauge interest and begin the processes involved with developing a competitive Australian indoor team for the next World Indoor Lacrosse Championship (WILC).

The next WILC is currently programmed for May 2007 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In order to field a competitive team at the WILC, the Australian team will need to be picked well before May to allow for adequate preparation.

Lacrosse Australia has appointed Graeme Reddaway as the Director for Indoor Lacrosse Competition, thus Graeme needs the vocal and obvious support of the players who wish to get indoor lacrosse up and running again within Australia. Once the field 2006 World Championships are completed, development of the indoor game in preparation for the next major world lacrosse event should be Indoor Lacrosse, and the more visible the support from the players, the more Graeme will be able to move the game toward being a conscious priority for the lacrosse fraternity in Australia.

If you are interested in being involved please contact Lacrosse Australia Director Graeme Reddaway graeme@reddas.com.au