Passing is pretty important to women’s lacrosse. Unlike men’s lacrosse, defensive players can’t attack the offense. Hitting and pummeling are simply not allowed, so we must rely on our stick skills. I like to think of women’s lacrosse as a more finessed sport because of that. We use passing to get up and down the field after a turnover and also in the offensive zone to throw off the defense to try to get to goal. It’s much faster than running and can cover a lot more distance, so definitely get used to passing!
Form for Passing
Having the correct form can drastically affect how accurate your throw is, how far it travels, and how forceful the pass is. Accuracy is important for obvious reasons, but a forceful pass can be difficult to intercept, and a long pass is a great tool to use during a transition. You can get down the whole field in just a couple of passes.
Arm Positioning
The starting position for a pass is what we call being in triple threat. This looks like having your stick just above your dominant shoulder and parallel to the ground. Your non-dominant arm should be across your body with your elbow at roughly a 45-degree angle. Your dominant arm is tucked slightly behind you at a somewhat awkward angle; this is so that your stick is facing fully forward. You want your arm tucked away like that so your pass doesn’t fly off to the side; you want the face of your stick to face the direction you’re passing to. This is what I called the triple threat position because you can shoot, pass, and dodge from this position, and it will definitely take some getting used to, as it can be uncomfortable at first.
Foot Positioning
Feet positioning definitely depends on what you are doing while you are passing. If you’re in the middle of running, stopping might disrupt your momentum, so do your best to pass mid-stride. Sometimes I would do a half stride and then throw on the full stride, or even take an extra-wide step to increase my momentum. If you’re not running, it’s still best to throw in an active stance. Your knees and hips shouldn’t be locked. Staying on the balls of your feet and having your knees slightly bent (in general) is a great way to be ready for anything. Having one foot somewhat forward is another way to stay ready.
Stick Positioning
From triple threat, you’ll need to equally push forward with your dominant hand and pull with your non-dominant hand. Your non-dominant should NOT be doing all the work. By also pulling from the bottom of the stick, the ball should fly out relatively easily, and you shouldn’t feel like you put much muscle into it. You’ll save energy while also throwing a further pass. The force is going to be coming from the dominant hand, so push harder up top for a rough pass.
Follow Through
To get an accurate pass, it all depends on the follow-through. If your pass was long and you had to start off with your stick pulled back even further, your follow-through should match that extra effort. Your follow-through should come across your body to compensate, and the head of your stick should end somewhere near the ground. For shorter passes, your follow-through doesn’t have to be as dramatic. However, make sure to follow-through because this can help with throwing a strong pass.
Looking for a Pass
Part of a good pass is seeing who is open. Passing to simply anybody can increase the likelihood that it’ll get intercepted, so be picky about who to pass to. When passing, make sure your teammate isn’t obviously being guarded by a defender. Take a quick look around her to see if there is a defender in the immediate vicinity; are there sticks in the way that can easily knock down a pass? Is your teammate looking at you? If she isn’t, she won’t catch it. Always make sure to lock eyes and double-check if she’s ready for a pass. When you’re first starting out, it might be a good idea to verbally acknowledge that your teammate is ready for a pass. Verbal communication, in any situation, will only help your playing.
How to Pass Wrap Up
Passing is one of the most important parts of lacrosse. It can keep your defenders on their toes in the offensive zone, it can help you get down the field on a turnover, and it can help you get into the 8-meter in order to get a shot on goal. One thing to always keep in mind is using the correct form. Make sure to tuck that dominant arm behind you in order to get good leverage for a strong pass. Point the face of your stick in the direction you’re passing. After the ball has left your stick, make sure to follow through so that you get the power that you need. When passes connect all the way down the field, it feels so great and it completely elevates the level of play.