June 24, 2008

Lindsey,

Can centers catch their own draw, or must it go to another player first?

- Jennifer Snaguski, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif.

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Jennifer,

To answer your question: Absolutely! The center can catch the ball off of the draw; it does not need to touch another player first. And in fact, many of the best centers to play the game right now have perfected the technique. Dana Dobbie, an All-American center midfielder for the Maryland Terrapins who this year set the NCAA record for single-season and career draw controls, uses quick wrists to control the draw, wins it straight up in the air to her side of the center line, and then uses her height to grab it out of the air. She won an incredible 126 draw controls for the Terps in 2008 and holds 334 for her career.

This is definitely a skill that all aspiring centers should practice and make part of their repertoire. As a center, it is incredibly important to have quicker hands than your opponent and to be able to direct the ball to a position that gives your team an advantage - be it to yourself at the centerline, or to a teammate down the wing. It is up to the center to assess what is working for her team and to mix it up to keep the other team guessing.

While it is undoubtedly an advantage to be tall when trying to win it to yourself, it is not the end all, be all. What really matters is quickness and good positioning. Once the ball shoots into the air, a good center will box her opponent out using her body, keep her eye on the ball, and jump, extending as much as possible to grab the ball (before her opponent) at the highest peak that her body will allow. I guarantee this is easier said than done, and if you can master it, you will win the ball every time. Possession is essential to winning games.

Best,
Lindsey

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"Straight Shooters" is a US Lacrosse-produced advice series for the Baltimore Sun and (baltimoresun.com) and Lacrosse Magazine Online (www.laxmagazine.com.

Lindsey Biles, of Annapolis, Md., was an All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist during her college career at Princeton, and was a member of the 2006-07 U.S. Women's National Team. Biles also works as a sideline analyst for ESPNU.

E-mail Biles at lindsey@laxmagazine.com.