As a lacrosse player, you understand the joy of the game and have likely felt its physical demands. But did you know that playing lacrosse comes with many additional health benefits?
From improved cardio endurance and reduced stress levels to better coordination and increased strength, lacrosse is an exciting sport and a great way to stay fit!
This blog post will explore the health benefits of playing lacrosse - from head to toe!
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Take Away Key Points:
Benefits of Lacrosse as One of the Team Sports
Lacrosse is a unique sport that offers numerous health benefits for players of all ages. By participating in lacrosse, individuals can enjoy physical and mental health benefits beyond simple exercise.
In this article, we will discuss the various health benefits of lacrosse.
1. Full body workout
Lacrosse players must endure all the running on the lacrosse field and play even for prolonged-time periods. So, your physical activity must be on an advanced level.
The same applies to your strength, as lacrosse implies a high demand for strength and speed. So, the full-body strengthening workout is the best solution for your lacrosse needs.
Regular practice keeps lacrosse players in good shape and condition. This way, you maintain continuous running on a huge playing area roughly the size of a football field.
2. High-intensity interval training
For fitness lacrosse players, there is high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Every personal trainer recommends it to keep lacrosse players (and all others) in shape.
The training sessions benefit players so they can undergo a high-endurance test, test major muscle groups, and work on core muscles. So, players bend in all directions to chase the balls.
Once such, training helps you maintain control of the small ball with a lacrosse stick. You need more strength in your upper and lower arms and different ranges of motion to improve your skills faster.
3. Burns calories
One of the essential benefits of lacrosse is that it can burn calories. However, other sports will burn them, too, especially those with a lot of running.
Still, eating healthy food only and preventing increasing caloric intake is mandatory to keep your body in good health. Otherwise, you can jeopardize your health and risk weak health and physical activity.
4. Improving teamwork skills
Lacrosse is one of the best sports to work in as a team. There are four different types of lacrosse, each with a different number of players.
But one thing is never changing – each player has a specific position and job. Therefore, you must do your jobs properly to make it easier for your teammates to do theirs and ultimately win the game.
Thus, you will contribute to overcoming mistakes, stress relief on the field, overcoming obstacles, and creating a friendly atmosphere while playing the game.
5. Improving strategic thinking
Strategic thinking is another critical benefit the lacrosse game provides to players.
Once they start working on their tactics, working as a team, and communicating well, they can establish a good strategy for the play. Thus, they will prepare better, and good strategic thinking will lead to the best results.
They can easily know the opponent's next step and defeat them easily. But, the players must work as a team to accomplish all goals, find the opponents' weaknesses, and turn them to their advantage. This is the main point of all team sports.
6. Boosting cardiovascular endurance
One of the best benefits of lacrosse is that it boosts your cardiovascular endurance.
Each time you play lacrosse, you're going to feel fitter and play for a prolonged-time period on the lacrosse field.
To increase your cardiovascular endurance properly, advance them by jogging, cycling, or swimming. This way, you will improve your fine motor skills as well.
7. Making friends
One of the benefits of lacrosse is that it is a team sport. You can improve your fitness or build your character, but meeting people similar to you is one of the main reasons that people enjoy sports.
In addition, you can develop lifelong friendships with other players. Thus, lacrosse can teach social interaction and work well with others. And it's not unusual that huge lacrosse stars are best friends with their teammates.
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8. Working on discipline
The sport teaches discipline as a critical point in the lacrosse game. Lacrosse is a competitive sport, just like other sports. For instance, you must listen to your coach, form your productive habits, respect the referees and play by the rules to give 100% of your skills at all times. Such character traits and skills will make their way into your ordinary life for the best outcome.
9. Improving coordination and balance
We learn coordination and balance in our youth, but we must continue improving it. The lacrosse game helps you work on your coordination with throwing and catching the lacrosse ball. Thus, team sport requires increased hand-eye coordination.
You also must ensure the ball won't hit you. Still, you must wear protective gear and a lacrosse helmet to protect yourself from getting hit.
10. Mental benefits
Mental health is a common topic, so there are many ways to improve it.
Lacrosse exercise and team sports are ideal for making one feel better, no matter whether or not a person mentally struggles. The exercise part of lacrosse sport helps develop strength and confidence in oneself and releases endorphins in your brain. These are feel-good stimulants for your brain.
And the team effort makes you a part of a family, which is also the crucial part that benefits players struggling physically and mentally. They can easily overcome other issues in life unrelated to the game.
Pros and Cons of Personal Lacrosse Training
There are various advantages and disadvantages of personal lacrosse training. Let's learn them together.
1. Advantages
Simply put, personalized lacrosse training offers vast benefits for those looking for an extra edge on the field. But let's see the disadvantages.
2. Disadvantages
For these reasons, it is important to research different trainers and carefully weigh the pros and cons before committing.
FAQs
Is lacrosse good for losing weight?
Yes, lacrosse is good for losing weight, as it burns calories.
Are lacrosse players in good shape?
Yes, lacrosse players are in good shape since they exercise a lot to keep their bodies in proper shape and condition.
What does lacrosse do to your body?
The main four benefits lacrosse provides to your body are: strength, coordination, agility, cardiovascular endurance
How does lacrosse affect your mental health?
Lacrosse creates a family-like atmosphere and a sense of belonging to your team. So, you can count on your team members and talk to them whenever you have a problem.
Does lacrosse build muscles?
Yes, lacrosse builds core and other muscles, making you stronger and more agile.
Summary
While playing lacrosse has many benefits, the four major ones – improved cardiovascular health, increased muscle mass and strength, better hand-eye coordination, and enhanced mental health – stand out above the rest.
So if you're looking for a game that can positively impact your physical and psychological well-being, look no further than lacrosse.
