What is offside in men's lacrosse?

• The positions: "1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 attackers".
• Offside: "more than six (6) Players, including Players in the penalty box, in their attack half", or more than seven in their defensive half.
• Penalty box counts: players serving penalties are counted in the offside rule.
• Four or more in the box: the team must keep three players in its attacking half and the rest in its defending half.
• One team offside: a minor foul.
• Both offside: the team with the ball keeps it and play restarts with both onside. If nobody has it, a face-off.
• A goal and offside: if only the defending team is offside, the goal stands. If the attacking team is, it does not.
• Long sticks: "no more than four long sticks, excluding the stick of the Designated Goalkeeper". A fifth is a minor foul.
• Stick count: a head coach may ask the chief bench official to count the other team's long sticks at any time. A second wrong request costs a minor penalty.
• The centre line: a player whose body touches, steps on or crosses the centre line has entered that half. The stick does not count.

The glossary has the goalkeeper, the offensive and defensive zones entry and the minor foul. Offside and the long stick are not yet in it.

Offside stops a team from flooding one end. Midfielders are the only players who move freely between halves, so substitutions and fitness in the middle decide much of the game. The cap on long sticks keeps a balance between defending reach and attacking skill.