How did you start?

[spike191]

Annotated from my sister: I am 12 years old and my big brother plays lacrosse on his highschool team. Im not too bad at lacrosse but I need some help. I play catch with him every once in a while, he trys to get me into the sport. How did you start playing lacrosse on a team? I am scared to start because im afraid that i wouldn't be as good as the other s that have already started. My brother says he will work with me whenever I want, so i will always have someone to play catch with. How can I overcome my fear and did any of you have the same problem? :clap:

[laxgoalie89]

hmm..well i started my freshmen year (im a junior)..we had softball, golf, or track i didnt really like them and we started a new program: lacrosse. I was like: hey why not give it a try. everyone was new to the team so no one really knew how to play before that. right now we are a 3year team and been varsity since last year. Our record so far is 7-7!

my best advice is to keep practicing, but i wouldt really learn catchin from a guy because they dont cradle and girls need to cradle in catchin especially. watch some videos on it. and dont be afraid to play, you should always be confident and not shy. maybe you'll surprised that youre even better than them.

[SilverZeppelin]

i wouldt really learn catchin from a guy because they dont cradle and girls need to cradle in catchin especially.
huh?? we have just as much importance in cradling as you do...

[nclaxkid]

I'm 12 too!

I started lacrosse when I was six. I used a men's stick to get used to the catching and throwing.
At 7 or 8 I switched to women's stick. Then, I quit lacrosse.
I came back at 10 or 11 and actually tried playing lacrosse. That is considered a late age to start back where I used to live. My older brother (defense starter on his high school team) helped me. His friends that played on the wlax team helped me A LOT. I honestly think it helps playing with my brother. He helps me a lot and if you can get a groundball before him, you can definitely get one before the other girls.
I went running a lot with him and just played lacrosse everyday and learned the rules. I suggest seeing if your bro knows any girl laxers, most guy laxers do. Tell him to invite them over, IT HELPS!

But with the nervous issue. I started out with beginner girls, and not even knowing anything about lacrosse they put me in a high school league. Now that, was SUPER scary for my first time. Soon, I went to some college girls games and learned the rules. I realize if I'm nervous I don't catch the ball or run well. It's important to have a goal. My goal is to play in college and get a full scholarship. Tough goal..

Good luck. Hopefully this helps. Just remember, think about yourself. Don't look at someone and think they're good. And also, you have teammates! They can help you if you feel nervous.

And may I warn you, don't learn to play lacrosse from your brother. Only the passing and catching. They have a lot more freedom in what they can do!

[laxgoalie89]

no offence but we do cradle more and is more needed because we wouldnt be able to keep the ball in the pocket, you guys have a deeper pocket. Im not saying you dont cradle, cause i watch lot of lax games and you do cradle. but catchin is different in girls. in guys you mostly just let it fall in the pocket and cradle after if you need to. in girls you have to cradle into the catch and keep cradling, plus we cradle differently.

[spike191]

Annotated from my sister: Wow you really helped me alot, thanks for the confidence boost. Your advice was perfect.

[RYU]

...catchin is different in girls. in guys you mostly just let it fall in the pocket and cradle after if you need to. in girls you have to cradle into the catch and keep cradling, plus we cradle differently.I don't know which mlaxers you've been watching or who taught you, but catching w/ either a boys' or girls' stick is the same if you have good fundamentals. A shallower pocket allows less room for error and requires softer hands - I give you that, but catching, throwing, and for the most part cradling are the same. It's true; it's common to see boys who get lazy and let their sticks do all the work, but I can say the same thing about girls who know only of playing w/ Apexes & Envys compared to ones who were brought up on woodies & Echoes.

[laxgoalie89]

ive been watchin mostly college on tv and live and yeah thats what i see
i didnt see it was completely different, i only said it tho cause i knew a person who learned the wrong way because of that. I only tried to help. you dont have to get all offensive and start questioning my knowledge...thats what I hate, there are different ways to talk to people then attacking.

i said it cause whenever i go to a guys game, at practice when theyre just throwing around, they just let if fall in the pocket and cradle/twirl and then throw back. when girls catch (as far as ive seen it on tv and live, college) the stick is mostly vertical if the pass is like that and you cradle into it. and you cradle mostly vertically. while guys cradle more horizontally...except maybe when its one handed to the side. and yeah what you said, softer hands.

okay enough talking :)

[spike191]

thank you for all the help!!!!

[JCLaxDefense]

I started playing really late. I just started playing last year (my junior year). Lacrosse was new to the schools in my county last year. They kept talking about it and the coach was one of my teachers and she convinced me to join. I didn't really know anything about lax, but then I fell in love withit!

[laxfirebird3435]

i actually started the same way you did (or are, whatever), my big brother was playing lacrosse and i started to pass with him. My first two years, i played on the boys lax team in middle school. Talk about scary. These guys were pretty good, especially compared to me but I just kept practicing. And then i switched to girl's lax last year and it was way different. My advice for you Spike191 is to practice your cradle. To me cradling is the single most important skill for a new player to learn. And don't get frustrated if you think you're getting the hang of it and then it flys out of your stick, it'll be OK.
So yea, just practice alot (during and after practice) and confidence will come with it. Good Luck.

[nept.lax17]

I started this year. It is easy because only 1 person ever played before, so we all pretty much sucked in the beginging. I only played to hit kids and get big for football. Turns out that I love the game and the sport.

[laxchick9]

I am 14( I'm a freshmen )
I started playing at the end of 6th grade(like 11ish)
I didnt have any older brother or sister that i started from,i actually watched a couple of the Colorado Mammoth Indoor Lacrosse games and was like"That is the sport I WANT TO PLAY."I did a couple beginners clinics and loved them.and havent put my stick down since!
Except the thing that sucks about me being on a lacrosse team is my high school doesnt have their own lacrosse team so i have to commute to the closest high school that does have a lax team ;which is like 30 minutes away.But anything to get me to be on a team and play lax i will deal with.And i have never put my stick down since

[aLAXc5]

I began play lacrosse when I was a junior in high school. My high school started a varsity team and I figured I would try out because I didn't want to play softball or run track any more, and I also figured no one else would know how to play so it would be easier. I remember buying a stick and practiceing how to cradle. I wish I had someone to play catch with even if it was my brother. I now have finieshed my lacrosse career this past spring, I played in my last lacrosse game ever at the college level.

The nerves are normal, I remember trying out in college I was so afraid I was going to be way worse then everyone else because I had only played 2 years, But I ended up the best player on the team and the best lax player to go through the school, and actually I am the top 3 nationally ranked players for both goals and points all time...I wish I could have started at 12...I can only imagine how much better I would have been.

Best advice practice on your own, and fall in love with the game. If you dont have a passion to play then best advice would be not to play. Passion will make you a better player and make everything you sacrifice worth it

[NJlax771]

i wouldt really learn catchin from a guy because they dont cradle and girls need to cradle in catchin especially..

there is a distinct difference between mlax and wlax when it comes to cradling and catch but one isnt easier than the other. i learned how to play lax on a guys team but my freshmen year of highschool i played for the girls team (never picked up a girls stick before). i played both JV and V my frosh year. I'm a goalie now and when i practice off season i play with guys becuase of the speed they shoot at (i feel more prepared for fast shooters in a game that way).

[kerf_19]

in girls you have to cradle into the catch and keep cradling, plus we cradle differently.

I have to disagree with the cradling...when training for the u19 03 world cup we were taught to stop cradling in our catch, on the simple principle it is completely unnecessary! (this was from Sarah Forbes, UMD Captain & top point scorer '97) it just wastes time where you could be feeding but you miss an opportunity because you are mid cradle. Soft hands is all that is necessary on the catch. stick in front and then finish the catch where you start your throwing position up on the shoulder, from here you can throw straight away or go on a run, either way you are always ready to play. I wouldn't encourage teaching a 'cradle' specifically as with the new offset heads all you need to do is really have a semi natural running motion and the cradle comes quite naturally. Watch videos, especially top division 1 college and international games.

I started playing in high school in England, I was 12, played for 2 years then moved to Australia, didn't pick it up again until I was 16 when Netball was causing my knees too much grief. Encountered my first plastic head at 16 in Australia and have never looked back! I went from a Brine Cup, to an STX Impact, to a db Apex and now my ever faithful Impulse. I'm a late bloomer, but was the alternate for the Aus 03 team at 19, after only playing 'real' lacrosse with boundaries/restrainers etc for 3 years and coming from a no boundaries, 12 a side, wooden stick background I think I didnt do TOO bad...it was a VERY fast learning curve for me!!