How to Play Defense From X in Lacrosse Like a Pro

Prerequisite: a basic understanding of lacrosse and its rules is necessary to fully understand this instructable.

This instructable is meant to give you a deeper understand of playing defense from behind the net in lacrosse. It will go over everything from your stance, to where your body should be throughout the entire time the attackman is dodging. You should practice this a few times before you try it in the game. It is especially helpful to practice with your goalie in net, as he will shout out commands to you, which he should do in game as well.

-Helmet

-Gloves

-Elbow Pads

-Shoulder Pads

-Cleats

-Cup

-Mouthguard

-Mid-calfs socks(recommended)

-Stick (6 foot stick)

-Opponent

To begin, we will talk about the position your body should be in throughout the time the attackman is dodging on you. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart and you want your stick to be out in front of you so that you can throw some checks while you are behind the net.

When your opponent is dodging from X, you do not want to start the dodge directly between your opponent and the goal as this allows your attackman to pick which way he goes. You want to take one side away from your attackman, so stand about 6 or 7 feet away from your opponent, and angle your body to the left or right of the net forcing your attackman to go the opposite direction.

The next step is very simple. As your attackman begins to dodge, you want to step back at the same pace as he is, maintaining your 6 to 7 feet distance from your attackman. During this portion of your opponent dodging, it is acceptable to throw some light checks in hopes of getting the ball away from him, but make sure your field position is correct first.

As your attackman reaches a speed where you can no longer backpedal with him, you want to let him get a little bit closer (about 3-4 feet away), open up your hips, and run with your opponent. After your hips are open and you are running side by side with your opponent, you want to let him get a step in front of you, this might sound weird, but it makes it so your attackman can not roll back and get an easy goal on you, and in the next step I will explain why having your opponent in front of you will not make much of a difference. (At this point of your opponent's dodge, you should no longer be throwing any checks, and should be focused only on staying with your opponent).

As you approach goal line extended (GLE) you should use the crease to your advantage. You can step through the crease, but your opponent with the ball can not. Cutting through the crease allows you to turn that one step he had on you into you getting a few steps ahead of him, this is very important for the final step.

Finally, once your opponent is a couple of feet from GLE, you want to close your hip (some people call this closing the gate), and drive your attackman back under, not allowing him to get above GLE, because if he can not get above GLE, he can not score.

Now that you have learned this method of playing defense in lacrosse, you will be playing defense like a pro, and if done properly, will never get scored on again.