Originally Posted by Anonymous
yea , you need to be a stud to hold up a stick and move 3 feet in two directions

My daughter is not a defender, and as a lacrosse fan in general, this comment is just stupid. Good lacrosse can be appreciated when played well at every position. Good goalies, make it look easy and integrate well with the defense. Even after a save and into transition, you need some defenders who can move the ball to get it downfield. Great defenders need to be athletic and have great awareness and when you have good defenders playing as a unit it really is a great thing to watch, great middies can play many different roles, from speed players, to offensive weapons, to ones that cause havoc between the 30's, and great attackers have a flow that makes the game look easy and exciting. But, I have heard many great coaches say that defense in lacrosse is the hardest type of defense to play compared to most other sports because the rules are stacked against the defender, and there is truth to that statement. There is so much that a defender can do wrong that will have negative consequences just from a free position/penalty standpoint, not to mention the playing portion. This also makes it very difficult to coach correctly, especially at a youth and MS and in many places through HS level depending on the experience of the coach.