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Strategy and Game Play
Last Updated: 6/7/2007
	For you guys new to the game, here's a few things to keep in mind. We're out there to have fun, but we all want to be competitive and it hurts when people make mental mistakes. This list should help us all visualize our game and start playing as a team as quickly as possible. If anybody has any additional suggestions, please feel free to contribute. This is by no means a complete list, and there are plenty of guys on our team who have more box experience and know the game better than me. 1. Prevent the fast break! You will often see the guy playing us out top sneak up to the mid-line instead of playing defense, particularly with the better teams in this league when they see somebody winding up for an outside shot. Since the offensive team is watching the ball and looking for opportunities, it is very easy to let this happen. Don't let it happen - even when on offense, if you're playing out top, then know where your man is. If one of your teammates is looking to shoot, and there's a chance the goalie will make a save, be close enough to intercept or interfere with an outlet pass and cover your man if and when he starts to break. Don't wait for the goalie to make the save before getting ready to play transition defense - by then it's already too late. A good team will inevitably get a lot of quick, easy goals this way against less experienced players. 2. Cheat on defense to get a fast break. If you are playing defense out top, be ready to give up the outside shot, and get enough space to be open for a quick clear from the goalie. It is very tough in box lacrosse to score on an outside shot if the goalie can see the ball, so I'm happy to give this up for a fast break opportunity. As soon as you see somebody starting to wind up from outside, start creating space for yourself up toward the mid-line and be ready to break when our goalie makes the save. However, do keep in mind that people often miss the cage, so if the goalie can't snag the ball, be ready to get back inside quickly to help with the rebound and pick up your man defensively. 3. Be patient and work for a good inside shot. There is nothing worse than busting your ass to get the ball on offense, and then throwing it away on a poor outside shot. When you miss the cage from outside, the ball will frequently rebound toward the midline, creating a break opportunity for your opponent. Work to the inside, and make liberal use of the pick and roll with your teammates. On offense, the pick and role is the most-used play anywhere on the floor. It works time and time again, even though the defense knows what's coming (like Stockton to Malone back in the day). Because much of the action occurs inside, you can often catch the defense ball watching. If your man is watching the ball, that means you have a great opportunity to get open off the ball, particularly on the weak side. 4. Shoot smart and screen the goalie. The goal is only 4' 6" x 4' , so use a stick fake to keep the goalie guessing, and take advantage of any screens your teammates can set in front of the crease. Do NOT shoot from a bad angle... these goalies will eat you up. 5. Man Up. On man-up situations, look for a quick-stick shot from the guys down low near the crease, and particularly on the weak side. It's very easy to sneak around behind the cage to the weak side when the defense is ball watching. Please do NOT shoot from outside on man-up - it's not only a low percentage shot, but also gives the other team a chance for the rebound. 6. Substitutions. We will do our best to use a "Front Door-Back Door" system. This means that we have designated offense and defensive players. The box game is played with 4 positions like field lacrosse. Forwards (attack), Transition (Midfield) and Defense. A normal 5 man offense would have 2 T’s and 3 F’s. On defense, Transition players get to the hole, the Forwards sub, and the Defense comes on. Nonetheless, you have to match your opponent’s strategy, so if they don’t substitute on offense, we can’t bring our defense out and will have to wait until we get the ball to sub. Do NOT come out when we transition to defense UNLESS your man is coming out for a sub and you can get there first. Although you will see NLL teams substituting their defensive players out for an offensive set, you will rarely see that happen in MABLL because almost nobody takes the time to get organized for it. Let's make the effort to get organized - it's up to the guys on the floor to come out so we can get our shooters in position. When on defense, unless your man is coming out for a sub, bust your hump to get back and play good, inside-out position. Box is a fast-paced game - go 110% up and down and – unless the other team subs for offense – get off when we get the ball back on offense. OK, you younger guys have the legs to run the floor twice, but you get the idea. The rule for substitutions is Up-Down-Off. If you are tired when you sub, you have waited too long. 7. Checking. USE the crosscheck, it’s legal. You also can check off-ball more than in field. You can't goon, but you can "keep their attention.” 8. Help your goalie, talk and play team defense. If your man is setting a pick, be ready to switch defensively. Since in box you can set moving picks, and the spacing is tight, it's usually harder to get through a good pick than when playing field. As always, communicate the switch. If you do get picked, and the man who set the pick rolls off toward the goal looking for an inside feed, then make sure you go with him. It's very easy to score this way. If you can't get your feat moving fast enough because of the pick, then it's OK by me if you cheat a little if necessary - grab his jersey if you have to but don't let him get inside. I would gladly take a chance on the ref catching you for a penalty than give up an easy 1 on 1 goal. On defense, push your man to the outside and prevent the inside feed. Finally, If your man is on the crease and screening our goalie, clear him out so Alex can see the ball. If you want to watch a great box game to help with visualization, go to e-lacrosse and watch the Iroquois-Canada final from last month's World Indoor Championships at http://www.e-lacrosse.com/hb2007worldindoorfinal.html For anybody who wants to learn more about the game of box lacrosse and read up on team strategy, the definitive book is "Box Lacrosse: The Fastest Game on Two Feet" by Jim Hinkson (http://www.amazon.com/Box-lacrosse-fastest-game-feet/dp/0801963036/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5011528-4633649?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181101586&sr=8-1)

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