is lacrosse all about speed ? Myth or Fact

[Laxislife11]

K guys i have been watcing a bunch of lax films lately and have noticed that they guys w/ the better speed are the ones who are putting it in the back of the net and yes i know u need the stick skills but if u have speed do u have everything u need ?

[sammyduelist]

Myth. Speed helps alot. As you said you need stick skills. But also, even if you had speed, you need strength. The defense men can easily knock you around even if you had all the speed in the world. Next, you need agility. Even if you were quicksilver, but you couldn't make quick turns, you'll never get the opportunity to use your speed. The guys you see who are quick can use their speed because they can get by the defender and get open and tear up the field. I am sure the rest of their team mates are not much slower then them, but they just have better footwork and agility.
So no, lacrosse is not all speed. Speed does help a lot but it is not everything.

[Laxislife11]

sammyduelist good point i would have to agree but i find that if ur more bulked w/ muscle it maybe hard to be quick on the field for example mikey powell hes got the speed,agility,the moves but hes not the strongest when it comes to game timebut still manages to get the ball in the back of the net so my question is do u really need strength ?

[zanderaruba]

sammyduelist good point i would have to agree but i find that if ur more bulked w/ muscle it maybe hard to be quick on the field for example mikey powell hes got the speed,agility,the moves but hes not the strongest when it comes to game timebut still manages to get the ball in the back of the net so my question is do u really need strength ?
samson good point... and also i think that ur agility and stick work/moves is more important... but u still need strength. at a higher level where the defenders and guys who will be guarding you are much stronger you are going to need to be able to take a hit and also give some to the people you are guarding. so as it might not be the most important aspect it is differently something that should not go overlooked

[sammyduelist]

sammyduelist good point i would have to agree but i find that if ur more bulked w/ muscle it maybe hard to be quick on the field for example mikey powell hes got the speed,agility,the moves but hes not the strongest when it comes to game timebut still manages to get the ball in the back of the net so my question is do u really need strength ?
Well there are more factors in this then just strength and speed. Yes you do need strength, though you don't need bulging biceps and be the hulk. I can assure you Mickey is not a stick. He has strength and is extremely agile and he can avoid times where he might be out muscled. No, he might not be the strongest guy on the field but he isn't exactly 'weak'.

[i live 4 lax]

look at gary gait. he is the best player in the world and isnt very fast. to me, its all about having quick feet (which doesnt necessarily mean speed) and great stick skills. Fact: speed helps you. so dont go thinking that if ur fast your going to be a good lacrosse player, because if you dont have good stick skills, your not going to be starting anytime soon no matter how fast you are. and another thing, is that no matter how fast you run, there is ALWAYS going to be somebody that is going to be quicker, stonger, and more athletic than you. the key to lacrosse is how you adapt to that situation when it happens.

[laxdevil666]

It would be nice if you could pin-point 3 aspects that would make you a prefect player, but in all honesty you cant. It comes down to the fact that there are different kinds of lacrosse players. You can be 5'9" and be super quick, thats one way, or you can be 6'5" 230 lbs and run people over. It all depends on what you want to do. And besides, the best players arent always the ones who have sick moves, but the ones who do their job the best.

[Laxislife11]

thanks for ur replys guys u have gaven me a lot to think about and i have to agree with i live 4 lax its key on how u adapt to situations

[destructivelax]

well you can't be slow and be a good player. like for example, if you're slow to the point that you're getting burned on d every time if your a middie, you're useless.

[SilverZeppelin]

well you can't be slow and be a good player. like for example, if you're slow to the point that you're getting burned on d every time if your a middie, you're useless.
then dont play middie. simple.

[marflax33]

Being faster makes you better at any sport, But doesn't necessarily make you really good. I would say half and half.

[MaKiMaKi13]

well you can't be slow and be a good player. like for example, if you're slow to the point that you're getting burned on d every time if your a middie, you're useless.

technically your wrong on that one i wouldnt call Gait and Marechek the fastest people out on the field yet they can still pretty much own us all on the field

[destructivelax]

technically your wrong on that one i wouldnt call Gait and Marechek the fastest people out on the field yet they can still pretty much own us all on the field
well they're not the fastest but they're not fat kid slow are they? and if your so fast they can't touch you, you could own them couldn't you? hypothetically speaking

[laxer26]

everyone who is saying that they gaits are slow never saw them in college. in their prime they were fast and explosive. now, gary has to rely on his superior stick skills, but his first step isnt bad, and when you can shoot like he can, you dont have to be all that fast

[ca180sx]

Myth. Speed helps alot. As you said you need stick skills. But also, even if you had speed, you need strength. The defense men can easily knock you around even if you had all the speed in the world. Next, you need agility. Even if you were quicksilver, but you couldn't make quick turns, you'll never get the opportunity to use your speed. The guys you see who are quick can use their speed because they can get by the defender and get open and tear up the field. I am sure the rest of their team mates are not much slower then them, but they just have better footwork and agility.
So no, lacrosse is not all speed. Speed does help a lot but it is not everything.

Basically what he is saying is that you need athletisism. That about sums it up.

[CSlax06]

You need some pep to ya but I think its more about pure atleticism.

[Laxislife11]

but also endurance is a huge factor in the game of lacrosse u could be the fastest guy out there but run out of gas first quarter

[Big-Red]

Obviously lacrosse requires you to be in conditioning for whichever position or role you play, some body types being better suited than others for different posititions, but what it all really comes down to is skill. If you have stick skills and the footwork you can play offensively. If you have the defensive skill than you can cover someone. Body type helps but a 6'3 230 pound monster can perform just as well as that 5'11 175 pound speed demon.

[RockStar]

John Grant Jr may be the best attacker in the world at both forms of the game.

You can time him with a sundial, sometimes a calendar.

Moral - speed is an asset, but it may not be the most important thing.....smarts, strength, and skills can make up for lack of speed.

[MaKiMaKi13]

everyone who is saying that they gaits are slow never saw them in college. in their prime they were fast and explosive. now, gary has to rely on his superior stick skills, but his first step isnt bad, and when you can shoot like he can, you dont have to be all that fast

im talking about the Gaits present day right now everyone knows the could own in there prime just as well as they do now, cept for maybe paul because of his knees

but speed isnt everything sure it helps but its not all there is to the game and you can still excel at the game without a 4.5 40 time

[Crimdad]

The game of lacrosse requires a moderation of everything talked about above, you need to be able to stop on a dime and turn which requires agility, you need to be able to run long distances= endurance, pushing around guys and hitting is also a big part which requires strength, you need to be able to run away from rides and clear the ball which requires speed. The postions come into play aswell a typical defender is someone large, and strong with pretty decent stick skills, Middies need to have endurance speed and agility mixed with strength, while attackmean need to be quick and agile( or someone who can bull people around) the bottom line is if you have speed you arent going to be a star you need a combo of abilities

[Irishlax22]

Hooraayy Moderation. It requires both. I have never seen a great lacrosse player with only speed and no power on his shot. I have never seen a great player who only worries about power and is super slow. So Is lacrosse all about speed. No. You need alot of things working for you to be great. Speed is a main part.

[Levin]

I think it comes down to footwork personally. I'm not a quick guy, i have good endurance, but an sup-par 40 time... but i can still burn d-men.

And strength is important in my opinion. The way i see it, the harder you can hit the d-men, the less he's likely to attempt and hit you (i know thats a blunt way of playing... but its true... and i am a former football player)