Positions

[x yankee lax 4x]

I wanted to know if you guys thought there were certain qualities for the positions that you or the coaches choose? So are there certain qualities you think you need for defense, attack, midfield or goalie??

[ilaxitup007]

centers must be tall, middies must be fast and have endurance (more so than the other players), attack players should have great shots and excellent ball handling. Defense should have killer ground balls and sick checks/body position. Goalies need to be quick with good reaction.

Everyone should have everything no matter what they play, but if you are looknig for specifics, that's how I feel. Attack needs to play defense when they re defend and whatnot.

[Laxordie24]

centers must be tall, middies must be fast and have endurance (more so than the other players), attack players should have great shots and excellent ball handling. Defense should have killer ground balls and sick checks/body position. Goalies need to be quick with good reaction.

Everyone should have everything no matter what they play, but if you are looknig for specifics, that's how I feel. Attack needs to play defense when they re defend and whatnot.

I agree with everything except center. I think it's more important for the center to be strong and quick than to be tall. If you're a good center you can, for the most part, direct where the ball is going to go. This prevents the ball from going straight up, which is the only place where height is really needed.

[ilaxitup007]

well im tall and i play center and i make the ball go straight up, jump and snatch it with one hand. thats where i see the advantage with height. i won 19 draws in our game yesterday..no joke.

[x yankee lax 4x]

yeah ive noticed that most our centers are usually taller.

[goalLAX]

centers must be tall, middies must be fast and have endurance (more so than the other players), attack players should have great shots and excellent ball handling. Defense should have killer ground balls and sick checks/body position. Goalies need to be quick with good reaction.Everyone should have everything no matter what they play, but if you are looknig for specifics, that's how I feel. Attack needs to play defense when they re defend and whatnot.

I agree with all of this but have a few things to add. Midfield should also have good defensive skills as they play both offence and defence. Also for goalies, yes they need to be quick and have good reactions but they also need to be fearless. It takes a special person to be willing to dive in front of hard rubber projectials(sp)

[laxbabe42]

i play low attack and i draw (i dont actually play midfield right now, becuase my endurance isn't as good as it should be yet.) i'm play the "speciality draw" and i'm only 5'9". and there are a lot of other girls that are taller than i....don't think height is a major part in the draw.

[CTLaxer]

Personally, I prefer my defense to be the quickest players with the best stick skills. This isn't how my defense is made up right now though, but it does have players with lots of experience and some good sticks. Midfield also needs to be quick and have lots and lots of endurance. They also need to have the skills to put in a goal or two in a game. Attack needs to have great dodges and good field sense. They also need to be quick in order to get around other defenses and well as ride. The goalie should be the quickest, smartest, most athletic, and most importantly the craziest one on the team.

Here's how my team is setup right now.

Defense: has a little bit of speed, but what they lack in speed they make up in experience
Midfield: a couple of sprinters, 3 ex-track runners, and the best sticks on the team.
Attack: 3 ex-track runners, lots of speed, we have one attack that is really slow, but she has the most accurate shot and the best stick skills on the team.
Draw: same girl takes draw all the time. She's tall but she's slow. She tries to flip it straight up to herself, when that doesn't work my middies usually gobble up the ground ball after the other team flips it towards the circle.

There's a coaches point of view for you.

[strazzero016]

THE ATTACK:
First Home:
The first home's responsibility is to score. Located in front of the goal, the first home must continually cut toward the goal for a shot, or cut away from the goal to make room for another player. She should have excellent stickwork.

Second Home:
The second home is considered the playmaker. She should be able to shoot well from every angle and distance from the goal.

Third Home:
The third home's responsibility is to transition the ball from defense to attack. She should be able to feed the ball to other players and fill in wing areas.

Attack Wings:
The wings are also responsible for transitioning the ball from defense to attack. Wings should have speed and endurance and be ready to receive the ball from the defense and run or pass the ball.

THE DEFENSE:
Point:
The point's responsibility is to mark first home. She should be able to stick check, body check and look to intercept passes.

Coverpoint:
The coverpoint's responsibility is to mark second home. She should be able to receive clears, run fast and have good footwork.

Third Man:
The third man's responsibility is to mark third home. She should be able to intercept passes, clear the ball, run fast and have good footwork.

Center:
The center's responsibility is to control the draw and play both defense and attack. She should have speed and endurance.

Defense Wings:
The wings are responsible for marking the attack wings and bringing the ball into the attack area. Wings should have speed and endurance.

Goalkeeper:
The goalkeeper's responsibility is to protect the goal. She should have good stickwork, courage and confidence.


hope this helps!

[info from...
www.uslacrosse.com]

[CTLaxer]

Old...position...descriptions...might...have...hea rt....attack...

I can't STAND those old position descriptions and can't stand even more when I see someone still teaching them! It's time to move on people...we have hard boundaries, we have restraining lines....those antiquated positions are no longer necessary!

[Laxordie24]

Old...position...descriptions...might...have...hea rt....attack...

I can't STAND those old position descriptions and can't stand even more when I see someone still teaching them! It's time to move on people...we have hard boundaries, we have restraining lines....those antiquated positions are no longer necessary!
I'm confused. Are the positions no longer called these names?

[FallIntoIt]

I'm confused. Are the positions no longer called these names?

They're called those names for the sake of lacking any other name for them, but positions are no longer... I want to say, constricting, for abject lack of a better term. They're more like suggestions.

[CTLaxer]

I'm confused. Are the positions no longer called these names?

As far as I'm concerned they shouldn't be. All it does is create confusion, petty fights over individual positions, and basically is outdated. Not only that, but most people that teach those positions still set them up on the field as they're shown in the rule book. For example when the ball is on offense, you see that same team's defense lined up single file from goal line to restraining line.

As a coach I love seeing a team we're playing do that because guess what that means for me is....basically a free clear. At any given point on the field I have a 3-4 vs 1 situation. As a coach it pains me to see teams being held back by situations and teachings like this. Drives me nuts.