By Alyssa Vukosic
Men’s, women’s, box, outdoor, sixes, collegiate.
Something unique about the game of lacrosse is the vast differences between the styles of play, rules, field, and even the gear between the varying forms, although at the end of the day it’s all still called the same thing: lacrosse. So, what are the major differences between the versions of the game. Let’s talk about the differences between the games, but in an interesting, nuanced approach. I could sit here all day talking about all of the little things that make each style and league different, but that would take me days to write, and you years to read. I want to tell you about the fun aspects that make each style of lacrosse new and fun.
Firstly, the men’s game is notably more physical than the women’s game. In the women’s game (outside of women’s box lacrosse which follows basically the same rules as men’s box) they use a stick which features a different kind of head, where the pocket for the ball is less deep. They also are only required to wear goggles and a mouthguard. In men’s they wear padding and a helmet, while having a much deeper pocket which holds the ball more securely. As you can assume, the women’s game is much more focused on finesse and ball movement, while the men’s game can be dominated by pure aggression and physicality. This makes the game of men’s lacrosse much easier to grasp and more enticing to watch for new viewers. Getting even further physical is the game of box, which is my personal favorite to watch.
Box lacrosse is played in a hockey area, with turf laid down over the ice. The enclosed, smaller space allows for a much faster paced game. While the outdoor and collegiate men’s games are physical, there is also an extreme amount of game plan, stick skills, and thoughtfulness that can be seen. With box, speed and strength are on full display, and my personal favorite difference: fighting IS allowed (and often encouraged by the fans). The most memorable fighting moment that I’ve witnessed from the NLL was back in 2012. My family travelled to Philadelphia for a game, and if there is one thing about Philly sports, they ride hard, and will always be intense. At one point, the game got so heated that 4 separate fights broke out. I was 9 at the time and I thought it was awesome, I still have never seen anything like it. Even the goalies got into the mix.
Another noticeable difference is the inclusion of long poles in the outdoor and collegiate men’s game. 4 players at a time, typically 3 defense men and one LSM (long stick midfielder) will hold a 6-foot-long stick, rather than the typical size. This ups the ability to defend and forces the attackers to be more creative and athletic to get by their defender. Furthermore, as it is pretty well known, the head of the men’s stick has a deeper pocket, meaning the ball sits further into the stick, as compared to the women’s head which looks like a tennis racket in comparison to the men’s head. In the pictures below you can see the differences between the pocket sizes between men’s and women’s sticks.
The deeper pocket most notably improves the velocity of the passing and shooting, and the ability to maintain possession of the ball. The ability to hold the ball in their stick within the men’s game, further encourages the physicality and allows players to execute much more skilled looking “highlight reel” plays. This video shows just how well the guys can keep the ball in their stick. The strength and accuracy of defenders must be top notch to cause a turnover.
Big news over the summer, was the announcement of lacrosse being added to the Olympics for 2028. This style of lacrosse is called ‘sixes’. It’s a blend of the outdoor game and the smaller size of the box lacrosse game, with only 6 players (5 field and a goalie) competing at a time. Unlike box and the outdoor game however, players do not substitute off or play specific positions, they are simply on the field. This means that everyone is expected to play both offense and defense, which forces players to grow their abilities on both sides of the ball. We saw a glimpse of what this will look like with the WLL and PLL championship series this past week, which was played in the sixes format by both men’s and women’s teams. The aggressive play and pace of box lacrosse was matched in this format.
