by A. South

Created on: March 26, 2009

In addition to mastering the endurance, speed, agility, strength and finesse required for lacrosse, every lacrosse player also has to master the lingo.

Lacrosse has its own lexicon, or more appropriately, laxicon. Here's a guide to the most common terms on the lacrosse field.

The Crosse
Short for the lacrosse stick. Lacrosse is the French term for a Bishop's Crook, which resembles the stick the American Indians used during the game's origins.

Cradling
A skill to hold the ball in the crosse, achieved by moving and turning the stick to create centripetal force to keep the ball in place.

Longpole or Longstick
A defensiveman or a defensiveman's stick, which can be up to six feet long in men's lacrosse.

The Rock
The lacrosse ball, named the rock because American Indians used rocks when originally playing the game.

The Stone
Another name for the lacrosse ball.

Shooter
If a defenseman spots a ball carrier who either shoots well or shoots often, the defenseman labels him as a shooter.

Wheels
Running on wheels is a call to a player to run as fast as possible.

Man-on
This is a call from the sidelines to a player who is being approached from behind by a defenseman

Air Gait
A move named after the legendary Gary Gait in which a player jumps over the crease from behind the goal to pitch the gall over the goal and into the net.

Around the World
A shot where a shooter wraps his stick completely around themselves to shoot behind the back and over their strong side.

Groundhog or Groundball Machine
This is a nickname for a player who excels at scooping the ball off the ground

The Gilman
A type of hail-mary in lacrosse. This is a method of getting the ball out of your defensive zone by lobbing it all the way down the field.

ISO or ice
Taking the ball to the net by hand by isolating a defenseman and putting pressure on him or her.

Whiff
When you wind up for a powerful shot and unknowingly drop the ball in the wind up. Like swinging at a golf ball that's rolled off the tee.

Ice Pick
When you check someone with the back-end of the lacrosse stick.

Lumberjack
A name for an inaccurate but brutal defenseman who dangerously checks opponents without care of penalties.

EMO or Man-up
An extra man on the field on offense, resulting in a penalty.

Face and FOGO
The face-off and the Face-Off-Get-Off, which is a player who specializes in face-offs and whose main job is to recover possession after the face-off.

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