WALLS OR NO WALLS: An interesting look at the indoor game presented by Inside Lacrosse Magazine.

*Reprinted from Inside Lacrosse*

"Going Inside 'the Box' Can Open Up Your Game Come Spring"

By Joe Proud
Inside Lacrosse Magazine

There is more than just one letter differentiating the NLL and MLL. Box lacrosse and field lacrosse have different rules, styles and ingredients required for success. Just because a player is successful in one arena does not necessarily mean he will be in the other. But there are players who do well in both, and the number is on the rise.

When people think of box lacrosse, they usually think of Canada. Box is the game of choice for most Canadian lacrosse players and they generally dominate the NLL. But more of these box stars are making their way onto American fields at the college and pro levels. Many have had a heavy impact on the field game, bringing innovation, amazing stick work and a new look.

This evolution has not happened overnight. Almost 30 years ago, Mike French, one of the most prolific attackmen in NCAA history, was leading Cornell's championship charge and still holds the Big Red record for career goals and points. Stan Cockerton, also a Canadian box star, was a first-team All-American at North Carolina State and still holds the ACC record for career goals and points.

A decade later, Gary and Paul Gait walked into Syracuse's Carrier Dome and changed the face of the game. When Tom Marechek joined them on the Orange, it became apparent that the skills that brought Canadians success in the box game translated nicely to the American field. The trio from British Columbia tore apart opposing defenses and did it with style. They threw the ball behind the back, between the legs and just about every other way imaginable. Goalies had no idea what to expect. Just ask the Penn keeper who celebrated the unveiling of the Air Gait by raking the ball out of the cage not once but twice in a one-goal loss to Cuse in the '88 NCAA Semis in the Dome.

The trend has continued over the years with the likes of John Grant, Jr. and Gavin Prout storming through the college ranks and continuing their rampage through pro box and field lacrosse. Current college rosters boast even more Canucks including UVa's standout senior middie A.J. Shannon, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Sean Greenhalgh of Cornell and last year's Great Western Rookie of the Year Matt Brown of Denver. Americans have taken some cues from our neighbors to the north and are seeing the benefits of playing the game indoors. With the exception of the pros and the Native American leagues, most Americans play indoor lacrosse - not box. Box features cross-checking, brutal picks and more of a hockey style of play and physicality. Indoor lacrosse generally incorporates field rules that are brought into a box setting with a smaller field lined by boards (usually a melted hockey rink or indoor soccer field) smaller goals, 5-on-5 play with only shortsticks and no offsides. While some communities have been playing indoors for decades, there are now summer, fall and winter leagues popping up everywhere.


Playing indoors is a lot of fun, fast-paced and can be a good offseason training tool for field lacrosse. But remember, the game is different than field lacrosse. Players can sometimes get into bad habits by trying stuff they can get away with indoors that doesn't necessarily fly on the field. This can be especially true for goalies. As John Jiloty pointed out in the last month's Inside Lacrosse, Princeton head coach Bill Tierney did want his son, former Princeton All-American goalie Trevor, playing indoors for this very reason. If you are going to play indoors, it is a good idea to talk to your field coach about what skills to concentrate developing and which to avoid.

To help shed light on some of the positives, I talked with The Man himself - Gary Gait. His style not only changed the men's field game, but also the women's, as an assistant coach for the seven-time National Champion Maryland Terrapins. The Victoria, B.C. native details some benefits to playing indoors.

Practice indoors. You can get more out of an hour shooting indoors than outdoors, especially if you're by yourself. People always talk about the benefits of hitting the wall. "Indoors, you have a wall all around you," Gait says. "The ball stays inside and you can get more repetitions and more opportunities."

You can also practice receiving feeds by bouncing the ball off the boards before catching and shooting. If you can't get a place to practice by yourself, at least try to get a little pregame practice. "If you can just get up against the boards for 10-15 minutes before you play," Gait says, ''you will improve your game with the added reps."

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Proud Article Continued:

Stick skills. To be successful indoors, you have to be able to handle in tight quarters. Even though you don't have longsticks to worry about, the passes come quick and so do the slides and double-teams. "You have to be able to isolate your hands and arms away from your body," Gait says. This way your body can absorb the checks and holds of your defender and your hands can still be free to handle the ball. "You must be careful not to get in the habit of hanging your stick away from the body," Gait says. "In the field game, the longstick can take it away."

The lack of longstick pressure and smaller field size also make it easier to get away with being one-handed. In field, the passes are longer and it's easier for the defender to cut off part of the field or overplay the ball carrier's strong side. "In box, two hands are great," Gait says. "But if you're better with one hand than a person using both hands, you're going to play." While Canadian box players are generally more one-handed, they have also practiced throwing behind the back or "backhanded" for so long that they are very proficient. This is something most field coaches do not like to see.

Shooting. It is much more difficult to score indoors than outdoors. With a smaller goal and more heavily padded goalies, deception becomes the key ingredient to scoring. Again, it is important to isolate the body away from the hands and arms. "In field, shooters usually have more time and space and are looking for a full windup," Gait says. "The body adds power but also telegraphs the shot. The shooter must use his hands and arms to change shots that the body telegraphs." The shooter must deceive the goalie by selling one shot, and delivering another.

Transition. Box and indoor lacrosse are up and down. Most games include a shot clock and keep a fast pace. The ball-control style many field teams play is not really seen indoors. While it is good practice for fastbreaks and up-tempo lacrosse, the field game generally requires more discipline when determining whether to push the ball on offense. "In box, turnovers generally aren't as costly because of the amount of offensive opportunities each team gets," Gait says. Teams can afford to be a bit riskier on defense. "If you can play 30 seconds of good defense, you're good to go." This is not the case on most field teams.

Improvisation. With the faster pace and looser format of the indoor game, players have a chance to work on their creativity and improvisational skills. Two-man games such as pick-and-rolls and flip plays are easier to orchestrate on the fly without requiring everyone to be on the same page. In such tight quarters, anything that confuses the defense can quickly put the ball carrier in a position for a shot. Watching Gary Gait play, or any of the other guys previously mentioned, it's like "Evening at the Improv." Versatility. While there can still be roles and players playing to their strengths, one of the benefits of playing indoor lacrosse is a chance to try everything. Longsticks get to handle a shortstick. Attackmen get to play defense. Everyone is converted to the throwback, two-way middie. Even goalies are in on the action, getting involved in the offense and scoring assists on outlets (another reason for Coach Tierney to cringe).

As long as players understand that everything they do indoors is not necessarily meant to be used outdoors and avoid making adjustments to their game that will be detrimental to their success in the spring, indoor lacrosse is a fun method of cross training and a good way to stay in shape and keep the stick in their hands throughout the year. If Americans do it enough, maybe it won't be considered such a shock when they hold their own against their Canadian counterparts. Or even more than hold their own, like the recent Heritage Cup, when the Americans ambushed Team Canada in a box match in Ontario.

Joe Proud was an honorable mention All-American at Duke in 1994. He is in his first season as an assistant coach at Cornell
University.