There are three different ways to describe player positions in box lacrosse. This can be confusing if you’re new to the sport.
This article explains how different terms are used to describe the positions players take on the floor. We’ll give you some simple diagrams to make it all clear.
Goalies And Runners
The broadest way is to describe two positions: the goalie and the runners.
The runners are the players who aren’t the goalie. In other words, they run up and down the floor to score goals or prevent the opposition from scoring.
But this broad categorization doesn’t explain how players take up different positions depending on whether they are attacking or defending. We’ll look at that next.
Box Positions In Terms Of Attack And Defense
When we consider the game in terms of attack and defence, there are four positions that can go by slightly different names:
- Goalie or goalkeeper
- Defense or defensemen or defenders
- Forwards or attackers or attack
- Transition players
The first three are self-explanatory in terms of their main role. Transition players probably need more explanation if you’re not familiar with box lacrosse.
These are the players who take immediate action when a team gets possession.
Transition players try to make a fast break to bring the ball up the floor while the opposition is scrambling to get into defensive positions.
Player Positions In Terms Of Space
Another way of describing positions is by the space the players occupy on the floor.
These are the four positions and the number of players on the floor in those positions:
- One goalie
- Two creasemen
- Two corners
- One point
This diagram below shows how one team is positioned in defense and in attack. Read it from the bottom up.
We are showing one team in defense and how those positions transition into attack.
Don’t worry, we’ll go into more detail in the next sections.
Box Positions On Offense
The role of the pointman is to feed the ball to players in good positions.
The diagram below shows the pointman behind his teammates who take up positions ahead of him.
Pointmen will occasionally shoot from this position.
The two cornermen are positioned ahead of the pointman on the left and the right.
Their role is to trail the two players ahead of them and pass the ball to teammates in better positions to shoot.
They will also take opportunities to make an inside shot.
The two creasemen stand on the crease. Their main role is to score goals.
The best way to think about the positions in box lacrosse is not in terms of players but in terms of the space they occupy on the floor.
In particular, players on the crease often switch with the corners during offensive plays.
Box Positions On Defense
Some lacrosse leagues and levels play five-on-five. In other words, the same players are on the field during offensive sets and when the team is defending.
In contrast, the NLL players play Offense-Defense. This means that the team has some offensive and defensive specialists.
When the team loses possession, an offensive player will go to the bench to switch for a defensive player.
Regardless of the team strategy, the positions in offense and defense say the same. The diagram below shows how defensive runners are arranged in relation to the goalie.
How Are Positions In Box Lacrosse Different From Field Lacrosse?
There are fewer players on the floor in box lacrosse than take to the field in the older version of the sport.
If you’re not familiar with team sizes, check out our article on how many players are on a box lacrosse team.
More players in field lacrosse has led to more specialist positions. For example, field lacrosse has a special type of defender known as a long stick midfielder (LSM).
The LSM uses a long pole (in other words, a longer lacrosse stick).
Box lacrosse players don’t use long poles, so there isn’t the position of long stick midfielder in the sport.
Face off specialists in both sports
However, one position that is specialist in both forms of the sport is the face-off specialist.
The face-off player competes with his opposite number to win the face off and start a fast break.
If he doesn’t win, his next role is to prevent the opposition player to get a fast break.
