Is body checking allowed in men's lacrosse?
B · Beginner · Positions and play · 5 of 5Yes,
How it works
- Body check: allowed if the opponent "is in possession of the ball or is within 2.74m (3yds) of a loose ball or ... a ball in flight".
- Where: "from the front or side, not below the hip, and below the neck".
- Stick check: a player may check an opponent's stick on the same conditions. The gloved hand on the stick counts as the stick.
- Arms: a player using the arms in a body check must keep them below the opponent's shoulders, with both hands on the stick.
- Not allowed: checking from behind, below the hips or at or above the neck, unless the opponent turns or jumps into it.
- Late hit: an avoidable body check after the opponent has thrown the ball.
- Spearing: blocking with the head.
- On the ground: checking an opponent who is lying down or on one or both knees.
- Pushing: a legal push needs the same three-yard conditions and both hands on the stick. Not from behind.
- Holding: within the same conditions, a player may hold off an opponent with a closed gloved hand or forearm.
- Warding: a player with the ball may use a hand or arm only to stop a stick check, not to hold, push or steer the opponent's stick or body.
- The penalty: an illegal body check is a major foul. An illegal push or hold is a minor foul.
The glossary has the illegal body check, the pushing and holding entry, slashing and the cross-check and tripping entry. Its entries are written for sixes, where body checking is not allowed.
Tricky cases
A defender hits an attacker who passed the ball a second earlier. Is that legal?
Not if it was avoidable. An avoidable body check after a player has thrown the ball is illegal.
The attacker turns their back as the defender makes contact. Is that a check from behind?
Not if the defender started a legal check and the attacker turned into it. The rule allows for that.
A defender checks the stick of a player four metres from a loose ball. Legal?
No. The opponent must be within 2.74 m of a loose ball or a ball in flight, or have the ball.
Can an attacker use a free arm to fend off the stick check?
Only to stop the check itself. Using it to hold, push or steer the defender's stick or body breaks the warding rule, a minor foul.
Why the rule exists
Contact is part of the men's game, and it is how a defence wins the ball. Limiting it to the player with the ball or near it, and to the front and side between hips and neck, keeps it a contest for the ball rather than a hit on a defenceless player.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Men's field | Body checks allowed within limits | WL Men Rule 41.1; 70 |
| Women's field | No body checking; illegal contact and charging are major fouls | WL Women Rule 20.A.3; 20.A.12 |
| Sixes | "Body-checking an opponent in any form is strictly prohibited" | From the sixes set |
| Illegal body check | Major foul, 1 to 3 minutes | WL Men Rule 68.1; 70 |
From the rule book
World Lacrosse, 2025-2027 Men's Field Lacrosse Official Playing Rules (version 1.0), Rules 41, 42, 53, 55, 66 and 70. Checked 21 October 2026. Official document: Rules of Men's Field Lacrosse 2025-2027 (PDF).