When you send your players to lacrosse camp, they may return with some new vocabulary — hopefully only lacrosse-related words! This glossary can help you understand your child's new lingo. Maybe you can even impress your kids and introduce them to a new word or phrase before camp starts.

The Stick

Head: The plastic strung piece at the top of the stick.

Shaft: The stick. This might be composite or metal or sometimes even wood.

Pocket: The stringing. On a girl’s stick, the pocket must allow for a piece of the ball to be seen above the plastic sidewall when viewed at eye level. On a boy’s stick, the pocket is considered illegal if the top of the ball is below the side wall. The exact measurement isn’t too important for our beginners, but as players pick up their game, this becomes more important as referees check sticks before games.

Shooting Strings: On a girl’s stick this looks like a ladder laid vertically in the middle of the pocket. On a boy’s stick they are strung horizontally near the top of the head.

Butt: The rubber piece at the bottom of the stick. This protects players from the metal end of the stick.

Positions

Attack: Players focused on setting up plays and shooting.

Midfield: Players who have full range of the field and play both attack and defense. These players tend to take the draw/face-off.

Defense: Players who prevent the other team from shooting. These players want to stay on their toes and keep their head on a swivel, always watching the ball and the person they’re guarding.

The Game

Draw: This is how a women's game begins. The ref places the ball in between two players' stick heads and they push their sticks together. On the whistle, they push or pull up to try to either snatch the ball from the air themselves or direct the ball to a teammate.

Faceoff: This is how the men's game begins. The ref places the ball on the ground between two crouched players. On the whistle, each player attempts to control the ball.

Cut: Cutting is essentially making yourself open and asking your teammate for the ball. Sometimes players do this by running to an open space or dodging their defender.

“X”:  If a coach yells to get to X, they’re telling the player to run behind the goal and settle the play down. Usually, defense won’t follow the player behind the goal and the player can slow things down and catch their breath.

“Got Ball”: If a player is yelling this, they’re informing their team that they are guarding the player with the ball. Defense should always be talking and that starts with the person on the ball.

Swax Lax Lacrosse Lingo

Wacky Wednesday: Your campers get a chance to show off their inner crazy and come to camp dressed as wacky as possible.

Player of the Day: A sticker given to all-around stand-out players each day. Whether that’s for helping out a friend, giving 100 percent in drills, or getting back up after a fall. Player of the Day awards are our way of celebrating efforts on and off the field.

“Make a Muscle”: At Swax Lax Lacrosse, we use lots of terms like this to remind players of the correct positioning of their hands and body. When we tell them to “make a muscle,” they know this means to make that big right angle with their dominant hand before they throw.

There are many other phrases and words you may hear: Girls from Mars, Farmers and Chickens, Nuts and Squirrels, Sister Sister Tag, Jackpot, Lacrosse Baseball, and so on. Our coaches are around during pick up and drop off and love to talk all things Swax Lax Lacrosse, including its unique lingo. Just ask!