Beginner Lacrosse Rules: Start With Your Game Format

Lacrosse rules make more sense when you know which game you are watching. Boys’ field, girls’ field, box, sixes and introductory youth formats are different. Use your league’s current rulebook and age division before applying a rule from another game.

Five things to learn first

1. Boundaries: find the sidelines, end lines and the official’s restart signal. A ball leaving the field does not always produce the same possession decision in every situation.

2. Possession: notice who controls the ball and how that team moves it toward goal. A loose ball is an opportunity to scoop, not a reason to swing at other players.

3. Positions: identify the goalkeeper and the players supporting offense and defense. Player counts and field dimensions vary by format.

4. Fouls: learn your division’s limits on contact and stick checking. A move seen in a college game may be illegal in youth play.

5. Restarts: wait for the official’s instructions, establish the required spacing and resume when permitted.

Before the first game

Ask your coach which rulebook the league uses, whether local modifications apply and how substitutions work. Keep that answer with the team schedule. When an unfamiliar call occurs, note the situation and ask about it after play rather than arguing from a different format’s rules.

Start with USA Lacrosse’s current rules and field diagrams, then read our parent’s introduction to youth lacrosse. This guide is a starting point for understanding the game; the applicable rulebook and officials govern the match.