By the Swizin research desk · Last verified October 10, 2026
We verify every rule and spec against official sources: World Lacrosse, USA Lacrosse, NFHS, and NCAA.
What Is Lacrosse? Complete Beginner's Guide
- What does "lacrosse" mean, and why do people call it "lax"?
- The 60-second version of how it's played
- The four versions of lacrosse, compared
- What equipment do you need to start?
- How much does it cost to start playing?
- Who plays lacrosse, and where is it growing?
- What is lacrosse: frequently asked questions
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a long-handled stick with a netted pocket, called a crosse, used to carry, pass, catch, and shoot a solid rubber ball into the opponent's goal. Most goals wins. It is among the oldest organized team sports in North America, created by Indigenous peoples long before European contact, and today it's played in schools, colleges, and pro leagues around the world, with a return to the Olympic Games at LA 2028.
What does "lacrosse" mean, and why do people call it "lax"?
Where the word "lacrosse" comes from
The word is French. In the 1600s, French missionaries in what is now Canada watched Indigenous peoples play the game and named it la crosse, "the curved stick," after the bishop's crozier their own sticks resembled. The game itself is far older than its European name: it originated with the Haudenosaunee peoples as the Creator's Game, played for healing, community, and ceremony.
Why everyone calls it "lax"
"Lax" is just shorthand, pronounced like the first syllable of "relax." You'll hear "lax practice," "youth lax," and "lax season," all meaning the same sport.
How to spell lacrosse
L-A-C-R-O-S-S-E. The double S at the end trips up nearly every beginner. If you searched "how do you spell lacrosse" to get here, you're in the right place.
The 60-second version of how it's played
Two teams. One ball. Throw it into the other team's goal more times than they throw it into yours.
Every game starts the same way: a faceoff in the men's game, a draw in the women's. Two players contest the ball at the center of the field while everyone else waits for the whistle, and the winner's team takes possession.
From there, players move the ball by running with it cradled in the stick's pocket, passing to teammates, and dodging defenders, then shoot when they see an opening. Score, and both teams jog back to center for another faceoff or draw. When the clock hits zero, most goals wins.
That's the skeleton of every version of the sport. Restarts, fouls, offsides, and the chess match of settled offense fill out the rest, but you don't need any of that to enjoy your first game.
The four versions of lacrosse, compared
When someone says "lacrosse" with no qualifier, they almost always mean men's field lacrosse. It's the default across North America. But World Lacrosse, the sport's global governing body, recognizes four main versions, and they play differently enough to need a side-by-side look.
| Men's field | Women's field | Box lacrosse | Sixes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players per side | 10 | 12 | 6 (5 runners + goalie) | 6 |
| Contact | Full: body and stick checking | None on the body; stick-to-stick contact allowed | Full: indoor, with boards | Limited by design |
| Field | 110 × 60 yards, outdoor | 110–120 × 60–70 yards, outdoor | Indoor rink with boards, hockey-sized | 70 × 36 meters, outdoor |
| The stick | Deeper pocket; defenders use 52–72" poles | Narrower head, shallower pocket | Shorter stick, bigger pocket | Short stick, built for speed |
| Required protection | Helmet, gloves, shoulder and arm pads, mouthguard | Goggles and mouthguard (headgear optional) | Helmet, gloves, pads | Helmet and light pads |
| Game feel | The classic: structure, hitting, and patience | Speed and stick skill over physicality | Frantic, like hockey with a lacrosse stick | Built for TV: fast and high-scoring |
Which version will you actually play?
If your kid just signed up for rec league, it's field lacrosse under boys' or girls' youth rules. That's what the rest of this guide assumes. Box is Canada's winter obsession. Sixes is the version headed to the Olympics at LA 2028.
What equipment do you need to start?
The stick comes first, last, and always. Everything else depends on which version you're playing.
The crosse (stick)
Two parts: the head, the netted pocket that catches and throws, and the shaft, the handle. Experienced players buy them separately and string their own pockets. Don't. Buy a complete beginner stick. A factory-strung pocket on a $50 complete stick catches and throws reliably on day one, while stringing your own pocket is a craft for year two, not day one. For youth players, USA Lacrosse specs a short crosse of 40 to 42 inches, with allowances for shorter sticks at 10U and below.
The ball
Solid rubber, roughly the size of a tennis ball. It's cheap, and you'll lose them, so buy a bag, not one.
Protection for boys' field lacrosse
Per USA Lacrosse: a helmet meeting the NOCSAE lacrosse standard, stick, gloves, shoulder pads meeting the NOCSAE ND200 standard, arm pads, mouthguard, and a protective cup. Rib pads are optional. Goalies add a throat protector and chest protector.
Protection for girls' field lacrosse
The girls' game is non-contact, so the list is short: stick, mouthguard, and protective eyewear meeting the SEI/ASTM standard. Headgear and close-fitting gloves are optional for field players. Goalies wear a helmet with face mask, throat protector, padded gloves, and chest protector.
Cleats
Molded-rubber cleats do the job, and here's a saving: soccer or football cleats are acceptable at most youth programs, so don't buy lacrosse-specific cleats unless you want to.
Trying it out first?
A stick, a ball, and a brick wall. Wall ball, throwing against a wall and catching the rebound, is how generations of players built their hands, and it costs nothing.
How much does it cost to start playing?
The stick: $40–90
Stick prices move with sales and stock, but the ranges hold. A girls' complete beginner stick runs roughly $40 to $85, with the STX Lilly near $40 at most retailers. Boys' youth completes like the STX Stallion 50 or Maverik Charger run roughly $50 to $60. Women's beginner completes run higher, near $80 to $90 on sale. Balls cost a few dollars each.
Starter price ranges at a glance
Ranges from retailer listings checked October 2026; sales and stock move prices.
Pads and protection: where boys' costs climb
A girl can be stick-ready for roughly $40–85 plus goggles and a mouthguard, and a boy's stick runs $50–60 before pads. Pads are where boys' costs climb, since the helmet alone typically costs more than the stick. Two ways to blunt that: buy the stick new, because the pocket is the one thing you shouldn't compromise on, and buy pads used. Secondhand sports shops and league swap boards are full of outgrown youth pads. Or ask your league about loaner gear, which many rec programs keep for first-timers.
Registration and membership
Budget two more items: league registration, which typically runs $200–400 per youth season, and a USA Lacrosse youth membership at about $35 a year, which most leagues require for insurance coverage.
Who plays lacrosse, and where is it growing?
Canada claims it as a national summer sport. In the United States it runs the full ladder: youth rec leagues, high school ball, NCAA college lacrosse, and the pro game in the Premier Lacrosse League.
Internationally, World Lacrosse governs the sport across dozens of member nations, and it is unusual among international federations in recognizing Haudenosaunee and First Nations teams as sovereign members, a direct nod to where the game comes from.
The headline for a beginner: lacrosse returns to the Olympic Games at LA 2028, its first appearance since 1908, in the sixes format. That's the biggest stage in sports, after 120 years away.
What is lacrosse: frequently asked questions
Is lacrosse hard to learn?
Catching and throwing with a stick feels alien for about two weeks, then it clicks. The players who improve fastest aren't the most athletic. They're the ones who hit the wall. Twenty minutes of wall ball a day beats any drill.
Is lacrosse safe for kids?
The honest answer depends on the version. Girls' lacrosse is non-contact by rule. Boys' youth lacrosse allows contact but requires full pads, with helmets and shoulder pads certified to NOCSAE standards. No youth sport is risk-free; the pads and the certification standards are the safeguards.
What age can kids start?
Most rec leagues run U8 or U10 divisions, roughly ages 7 to 10, often starting with soft-stick or modified non-contact formats before full gear. The exact cutoff varies by league, so check your local program.
What's the difference between men's and women's lacrosse?
Contact, sticks, and team size. Men's is 10v10 full contact with deeper pockets; women's is 12v12 non-contact with narrower sticks and goggles instead of helmets.
Do you need to be big or fast to play?
No, and that's one of the sport's quiet strengths. Goalies need reflexes, faceoff specialists need technique, defenders need footwork, attackers need vision. There is a position for every body type, which is more than most sports can say.