How to Be Good at Defense in Lacrosse

Every players on a lacrosse team plays offense as well as defense. Possession of the ball determines which team is on offense while the other team defends. As quickly as this changes, so does the nature of the position you're playing. Good defensive positioning strengths the team's advantage against the opposition.

Instructions

1. Position your feet correctly as a defensive player. Be ready to slide into the path of oncoming offensive players.

2. Stay within a stick's length of the offensive player. Keep the stick ready for interception or block. Refrain from using it to hinder the movement of the offensive player.

3. Call picks and cuts so that teammates can slide and make adjustments accordingly. Maintain constant communication throughout the game. Alert teammates when help is needed by calling out for help. Declare the position when assisting by calling out "help, left" or "help, right."

4. Go for every ground ball within reach to increase turnovers for the opposing team. Make or break the game by making a consistent effort recovering ground balls.

5. Respect shooting space by abiding the stick's length rule. Listen for directions from your goalie and be ready to move. Maintain "ball side-goal side" positioning between the offender and the goal.

6. See the ball at all time by observing its location and slide to help if necessary. Communicate ball movement to teammates with their backs to the ball using terms like "ball left," "ball right," or "ball behind."