Holding Your Lacrosse Shaft

Before you can begin playing lacrosse, you must learn how to hold your lacrosse sticks. Start by grabbing your lacrosse shaft at the bottom with your non-dominant hand. Usually, this will be the same hand that you would have at the end of the shaft when holding a golf club, hockey stick or baseball bat. You then place your dominant hand in the middle of your lacrosse shaft. You should never put your hand below the middle of the shaft when making a pass or a shot in lacrosse because it will eliminate your power. You then put the stick on the dominant side of your body. If you have your left hand halfway down the shaft, it means that you should play with your lacrosse sticks on the left side of your body.

Once you know how to hold your stick, you can learn how to pass and shoot. With the ball in your stick on the dominant side of your body, you swing the lacrosse shaft over your shoulder, so that the pocket is pointing away from you. This is the position in which you begin a pass. Once you have the stick balanced, you can push with your dominant hand and pull with your non-dominant hand to make the ball travel. You want to follow through after releasing the ball, as this helps you to generate power, while keeping your passes and shots accurate.

If you are catching the ball, you must use your lacrosse sticks in a slightly different way. You will hold the stick in the exact same way, with your dominant hand about halfway down the lacrosse shaft and your non-dominant hand on the end. Keep the head of the stick facing away from your body, while holding the shaft at about a 90-degree angle. As the ball approaches, you must adjust to its flight so that the ball enters the pocket. Beginners sometimes slide their dominant hand closer to the pocket to give them more control over the stick.

When you cradle the ball, it means that you are not passing or shooting, but simply trying to maintain possession of the ball. Your opponents will try to get the ball away from you, so keeping control of your lacrosse shaft remains extremely important. When doing so, keep your non-dominant hand at the bottom of the stick, but place your dominant hand at the end of the lacrosse shaft, right next to the head. This gives you more control over the head, allowing you to protect the ball. Although you can cradle the ball in passing position, this gives your opponent a better chance of dislodging it. Your opponents can hit the head of your stick with their lacrosse sticks, allowing them to gain control.

The more you practice with your lacrosse shaft, the better you will become at this sport. As you get the hang of it, you will learn that lacrosse it great exercise and a lot of fun for people of all ages.