This document summarizes some of the basic rules of men's lacrosse, including: - Games consist of four 15-minute quarters with stop-clock periods in the final minutes. Overtime consists of sudden victory periods. - Teams have two 90-second timeouts per half and can substitute freely except during live play. - Play starts with a face-off and is kept in play with sticks and bodies. The ball is out of bounds if it touches outside the field. - Scoring a goal wins the game by passing the ball completely over the goal plane. Goals may not count if an foul occurs during the scoring play.

1. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
This section is about lacrosse the play of the game basics.
The World Lacrosse rulebook covers this topic in
section 5, rules 29-32 (pages 26-27)
section 6, rules 33-45 (pages 28-40)
section 7, rule 46 (pages 41-42)
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

2. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
In this presentation:
• Game duration
• Overtime
• Time outs
• Starting play
• Out of bounds
• Shots
• Restarting play
• Substituting
• Over and back
• How to win
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

3. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Game duration
• An official World Lacrosse game:
• Four 15-minute quarters, running clock
• A Dutch league game:
• Four 20-minute quarters, running clock
• Stop clock:
• Last 30 seconds of first, second and third quarter
• Last 2 minutes of fourth quarter
• Any overtime period
• Breaks:
• Between Q1 and Q2, Q3 and Q4: 2 minutes
• Between Q2 and Q3 (half time): 10 minutes
• Teams will change ends between each quarter
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

4. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Overtime
• A game cannot end in a tie
• If the score is tied at the end of regulation playing time, play shall
be continued after a two minute intermission
• Four minute periods
• Two minute breaks
• Teams will change ends between each period
• The game ends upon the scoring of the first goal (sudden victory)
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

5. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Time outs
• Two types of time outs:
• Team time outs
• Official time outs
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

6. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Team time outs
• Who:
• Coach
• Captain
• Player in possession of the ball
• When:
• During live play with possession on the offensive half
• During a dead ball (interrupted play)
• Duration:
• 90 Seconds
• Amount:
• Two per half in regular play
• No time outs in overtime
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

7. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Official time outs
• Who:
• Any on field official or CBO
• When:
• At any time when necessary for safety or proper enforcement
of the rules
• Duration:
• As long as needed
• Amount:
• As often as needed
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

8. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Starting play
• Before the game:
• Captains meeting / coin toss
• Line up
• To start:
• Face off (next section)
• Possession:
• Player possession: can carry, cradle, pass or shoot
• Team possession: player possession or when the ball is being
passed from a player to a teammate
• Legal actions: body-checking, checking with the stick, the pick
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

9. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Out of bounds
• Whistle is blown to stop play
• Ball touching the line or anything outside of the field is out of
bounds
• Player in possession of the ball touching the line or anything
outside of the field is out of bounds
• The opposing team gets the ball (exception: shots on goal) at the
point where the ball was when is was declared out of bounds
• Player that picks up the ball has to step in bounds
• Official will signal direction of play
• Whistle is blow to start play
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

10. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Shots
• Missed or deflected shots are rewarded to the team with a legal
inbound player’s body closest to the ball where and when the ball
became out of bounds
• The stick does not count, only the player’s body
• Extended fist: can be closest
• Extended stick: cannot be closest
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

11. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Restarting play after fouls
• In the same relative position where the ball was when play was
stopped
• As quickly as possible
• A minimum of 20 yards away from the goal
• A minimum of 5 yards away from the substitution area
• If an oppossing player is within five yards he has to reach a
distance of five yards before he can defend the ball
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

12. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Substituting
• Anytime and as often as needed
• Must go through the substitution area
• A player may only be in the substitution area when they are about
to substitute for a teammate and the substitution is imminent.
• Players must give way to players coming off the field
• Player must completely come of the field before an other player
can go onto the field
• Exceptions: after the scoring of a goal, end of a period or during a
time out of any kind
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

13. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
Over and back
• Once the ball is in the attack goal area, the ball shall not return to
the defensive half of the field through actions of the offensive
team
• Violation: other team gets the ball
• Players on the defensive half may legally bat the ball to keep it in
the offensive half of the field
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

14. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
How to win
• The team scoring the greater number of goals wins the game
• A goal is scored when the ball, whether loose or not, passes the
plane of the goal completely
• The plane of the goal is made up by rear edges of the goal line, the
crossbar and the goal posts
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME

15. presentation
Basics
Face Offs
Goalies and the Crease
When does a goal not count?
• Scored after the period has ended
• Scored after a whistle has sounded for any reason, even when
inadvertent
• Offensive team commits a foul (any foul) during the scoring play
before the ball has crossed the goal plane
• Head of shooters’ stick comes off during the shot
• The stick is declared illegal before the next live ball
Men’s Lacrosse Basic Rules
PLAY OF THE GAME