HOW LONG IS A LACROSSE GAME

HOW LONG IS A LACROSSE GAME

This game lacrosse with its word coined from the French word “crosier” is a competitive sport where two terms of players use long-handled racket-like implements (crosses) to catch, carry, or throw a ball down the field or into the opponents’ goal. The goal is made up of defined and a cross bar around a loose net.

The distinctive feature of the game is the Crosse (lacrosse stick), the implement used by the players to carry, catch, and pass the ball. The Crosse is a staff that is sharply bent at the top to form a hook from the end of which a thong is drawn and fastened to the shaft about 2 or 3 feet (0.6 or 0.9 metre) from the end of the handle, forming an oval triangle that is woven with a loose network of leather, nylon, or gut to form the pocket with which the ball is handled.

History of the Lacrosse Game

Lacrosse was played by the Six Nations of the Iroquois. The sport was then much rougher than it is today. Among some tribes as many as a thousand players took part on each side, goals were miles apart, and a game could last as long as three days. Each player tried to disable as many opponents as possible with the stick he carried and afterward concentrate on scoring a goal. The Cherokee called their version of the game “little brother of war.” Because of the endurance required and the injuries that had to be borne with fortitude it was considered excellent training for combat in war.

In the United States a team of Indians introduced lacrosse at Troy, New York, about 1868, and a few years later teams were started in that city and in New York City. In the 1880s Eastern schools including New York University, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard took up the sport. In 1884 a successful tour of Europe was made by a team of U.S. collegians, and in 1906 the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse League was formed.

About the Game

Lacrosse is a very fast game, the object of which is to send the ball through the opponents’ goal as many times as possible and to prevent one’s opponents from scoring. A goal counts one point. Men’s teams usually have 10 players: the goalkeeper, three defensemen, three midfielders (one of whom is the centre), and three attackmen. During play each team must have at least four players in its defensive half of the field and no fewer than three in its offensive half of the field. This rule prevents excessive crowding around a goal when it is under attack. Conventionally, the goalkeeper and the three defensemen stay in the defensive half, while the three attackmen stay in the offensive half. The midfielders are permitted to roam the field, reinforcing the attack or defense as needed. There are two officials, a referee and a judge.

How Long it Takes to Play a Lacrosse Game

The game is divided into four periods of 15 minutes each, with intervals of one minute between the first and second quarters and between the third and fourth quarters and a 10-minute rest at halftime. If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, play is resumed after an intermission of five minutes for two four-minute periods, with a one-minute rest in between. Free substitution is allowed. The average lacrosse game has 60 minutes of regulation time. This is broken up into 4 quarters of 15 minutes each. Between those quarters, you have a 2-minute break except at halftime where you have a 10-minute break. Timeouts add up to 4 minutes. This means that you can expect a lacrosse game to take about 78 minutes.