Women's Lacrosse Defense: The Basics of Checking

Controlled checking is vital to avoid a foul and can be valuable for gaining possession of the ball.

A check is used by a defender to knock the ball out of an opponent’s stick head but it’s important to practice proper technique when checking in lacrosse. As the defender doing the checking, you should limit contact so that it’s only stick to stick. As soon your stick touches a player’s body, the referee can call a foul.

When checking, you should move your stick quickly up and down with a flick of your wrist. A check does not need to be powerful, it just needs to be controlled.

Remember, if you hold down your opponent’s stick while checking, a foul can be called. So, get your stick check in quickly and then back out to avoid being called for a foul.

Checking can be a useful tool and a good way to get the ball back, but it’s important to maintain control. You also want to make sure you also avoid checking your opponent when their stick is empty, which is called an empty stick check, to avoid a foul.