An Introduction to Lacrosse

Dongha Park

Lacrosse is a fast paced, contact team sport where players use a netted stick to catch, throw, carry, and shoot a ball into the opposing team’s goal. A heavy rubber ball which is the size of a tennis ball is used when playing lacrosse. Lacrosse originated as baggataway, a ceremonial and training game played by Indigenous peoples of North America. 

Let’s talk about men’s lacrosse. There are 10 players each in two teams. A team consists of one goalie, three defenses, three midfields, and three attacks. Also, there are a bunch of bench players since in a lacrosse game, player substitution can be made infinitely.

A lacrosse game starts with a face-off to decide which team will possess the ball first. Two midfielders from each team try to get the ball and start the game. When the attacking team drops the ball, players from the opposing team can try to steal the ball, therefore making switching the offense and defense possible. There is this really important rule that defense and attack players should keep in mind: they should not go across the half-line of the field. To be more clear, there should be at least four players including the goalie in the defensive half of the field, and at least three players in the offensive half. By violating this rule, the team will lose possession of the ball. Moreover, there is a circular area around the goal called the crease. No players from the attacking team are allowed to step in this area. However, if they do, this results in losing possession or even a penalty.

Lacrosse is played mostly in North America, but passionate players in South Korea are enjoying lacrosse. Although it is not widely known nor popular, there are a variety of lacrosse leagues that players can participate in. There are high schools that promote students to play lacrosse, leagues for student players in high school, and many more opportunities for young players to compete and grow.

Recently in Jeju, South Korea, World Lacrosse Championship 2025 took place. Teams around the world, representing their country, participated in this event. Canada took the first place and the U.S. took the second place.

Lacrosse is officially returning to the Olympic Games in the 2028 LA Olympics. Lacrosse was an Olympic sport back then in 1904 and 1908 just to be removed afterwards. However, in 2028, it will be returned to the Olympics as the form of sixes, a compact version of the normal lacrosse game.