Strangest sports: Top 10 weirdest sports in the world currently
Other Sports
Sports like lacrosse: Is there any sport that is similar to lacrosse?
Ciku Njuguna
April 8, 2024 at 4:48 AM
Lacrosse is a contact sport played by two teams consisting of 10 players. It is one of the oldest professional sports and boasts a rich culture and history. This article dives into the world of sports like lacrosse, as well as where and how they are played.
Source: Getty Images
Table of Сontents:
What sport is most similar to lacrosse? Sports Brief has dug into the rich world of athletics using sources such as World Lacrosse and Traditional Sports to determine the closest game to stickball and compiled this comprehensive list of other sports like lacrosse.
Are there sports like lacrosse?
Lacrosse is the oldest competitive game in North America, having been played since the 12th century. It was used as entertainment at social events, to resolve conflict, and to prepare warriors for war.
According to History, its origins can be traced to early Native American communities, the Iroquois people or the Haudenosaunee in what is now New York. Since then, various cultures around the world have adopted variations of the game, a testament to why lacrosse is the best sport.
How do you play lacrosse?
Lacrosse is a stick-and-ball game played by teams of ten on a rectangular field. Each participant holds a stick with a netted or meshed end, which he or she uses to carry the ball to the opponent's goal.
Source: Getty Images
The defending team's participants must attempt to dispossess the player with the ball by hitting their bodies or sticks. To win the game, one team must net more goals than its opponents in four 10 to 15-minute periods.
What sports are like lacrosse?
Stick-and-ball games make up a significant proportion of professional competitive games. Despite using sticks and balls as primary equipment, games such as hockey, ice hockey, baseball, and cricket differ in crucial ways from lacrosse. Have a look at what sports are most like lacrosse.
Sport | Level of contact | Number of participants | Team constitution | Equipment |
La Soule à la crosse | Full contact | 4 - 6 (modern version) | Mixed gender | Ball with or without a stick (modern version) |
Tskhenburti | Full contact | 6 | Male | Wooden stick and rubber ball |
Polocrosse | Light contact | 6 | Male, female and mixed gender | Racket and ball |
Camogie | Minimal contact | 12 - 15 | Female | Camán and sliotar |
Hurling | Full contact | 15 | Male | Hurley and sliotar |
Weird Olympic sports: An all-time list of the most weird sports in the history of the Olympics
Olympics
5. La Soule à la crosse
Source: Facebook
- Year founded: 12th century
- Place of origin: France
- Played in: France
- Venue: Outdoor
La Soule à la crosse is a traditional sport originally played in the North and South West of France. According to Traditional Sports, it was later renamed la crosse and was practised in Normandy. At the time of writing, La Choule à crosse is a developing sport played in France under the names choule à crosse and Grande choule.
Described as medieval stickball, the game had four variants. In each variant, the ball, or the soule, was hit by hand, foot, or wooden stick. The wooden stick had a rounded and flattened end, which was used to hit the ball into the goal.
4. Tskhenburti
Source: Twitter
- Year Founded: 1852
- Place of origin: Georgia
- Played in: Georgia
- Venue: Outdoor
A top 10 list of the best shortest soccer players in the world right now
Football
Tskhenburti is a traditional equestrian sport played in Georgia that is significantly similar to polocrosse. Other slightly similar equestrian games from Georgia include Isindi, Kabakhi, horse ball and Marula.
InTskhenburti, participants on horseback are fitted with netted rackets, which they use to chase, catch, and transfer the ball into the opposing team's maka or door to score a goal. However, the defending team can not attempt to gain possession by hitting the horse or its rider.
3. Polocrosse
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 1938
- Place of origin: Australia
- Played in: The United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, USA, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe
- Venue: Outdoor
What is polocrosse? It is a fast-paced game that combines aspects of equestrian sports, polo, and lacrosse. Similar games include Chovqan, played in Azerbaijan, and Sagol Kangjei from Manipur, India. Unlike lacrosse, its participants compete while on horseback.
Who are the most famous horse polo players ever? A list of the top 10 horse polo players
Other Sports
Today, the ancient sport is played by two teams of six on a rectangular field. Each participant is fitted with a 90-centimetre-long racquet with a round netted head. Polocrosse involves team members passing the ball to each other with the aim of netting the ball in the opposing team's goalpost.
2. Camogie
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 1904
- Place of origin: Ireland
- Played in: The United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, USA
- Venue: Outdoor
Camogie is a variation of hurling played by female teams. The stick-and-ball game's name, camogie, is derived from the stick used by women's teams, the camóg. In 60 minutes, two teams battle to score as many goals as possible in the opponent's goal.
1. Hurling or Iománaíocht
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 1272
- Place of origin: Ireland
- Played in: Worldwide
- Venue: Outdoor
Top 10 strongest football players to ever play the game
Football
Hurling and camogie are regarded as the sports most similar to lacrosse. According to UNESCO's profile on Gaelic sports, hurling is the oldest competitive game, dating back 2,000 years.
How do you play hurling? Participant numbers were not regulated in early Irish communities, and matches were played on open fields. Today, the game is played by two teams of ten participants on a rectangular 110-yard-by-60-yard field. Participants use wooden sticks with flat ends to hit the ball towards the opposing team's goalposts.
How many types of lacrosse are there?
Different types of stickball are played around the world. Scroll down for a summary of how to play the various types of stickball.
1. Intercrosse
Source: Twitter
- Year founded: 1982
- Place of origin: Canada
- Played in: Worldwide
- Venue: Indoor and outdoor
This version of the sport is fully non-contact, meaning physical contact of any sort is not allowed. Defence players must keep their hands on the stick to reduce the chances of body contact and cross-contact. It is also a mixed-gender sport
What are the lacrosse rules and regulations? How to play the game
Other Sports
2. Women’s lacrosse
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 1890
- Place of origin: Scotland
- Played in: Worldwide
- Venue: Outdoor
Unlike most major sports, men's and women's lacrosse differ in various aspects. While stick-checking is allowed, the rules of the women's game require participants to use minimal physical or cross-contact. As such, one watching the men's side in action will see a stark contrast in the need for protective gear.
3. Lacrosse sixes
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 2018
- Place of Origin: Eastern North America
- Played in: Worldwide
- Venue: Outdoor
The sixies is played by two six-a-side teams. It is a forty-five-minute game played in eight-minute quarters, keeping it fast-paced. Sixies also eliminates speciality positions such as the defensemen, midfielders, and attackmen, leaving the goalie and runners.
4. Box lacrosse
Source: Getty Images
- Year founded: 1930s
- Place of origin: Canada
- Played in: Worldwide
- Venue: Indoor and outdoor
What is the hardest sport to play in the world right now? Top 15 ranked
Other Sports
Boxla is a compact contact sport with a smaller field of play and goal post. Participants are fitted with shorter sticks than those used in field lacrosse.
Frequently asked questions
Lacrosse is one of the most widely played competitive games. It is particularly popular in high school and college. Scroll down for further details on this global sport and others like it.
Source: Getty Images
1. What is lacrosse a combination of?
Lacrosse is a combination of soccer, basketball, and hockey. Its similarity with soccer and basketball revolves around its distinct defense scheme. Skills needed in playing lacrosse, such as teamwork, passing, catching, shooting, and speed, are also required to play hockey.
2. What three sports are most like lacrosse?
Long-practiced physical activities such as polocrosse, hurling, and camogie are most similar to stickball. This similarity is based on the equipment used.
3. Which sport is better, lacrosse or baseball?
The 10 tallest volleyball players in the world currently
Volleyball
Both games are high-impact team sports using the stick and ball. ESPN's comparative analysis revealed that the sports ranked highly in difficulty, with baseball requiring a higher degree of endurance, speed, physical durability, and analytical aptitude.
Source: Getty Images
Final word
Lacrosse is one of the most famous sports and is widely played by amateur and professional athletes. Fans and adventurous athletes are spoilt for choice when it comes to sports like lacrosse.
READ ALSO: Sports like soccer: Here is a list of alternative sports to soccer
Sports Brief has published an article on the sports most similar to soccer. Football is a global game played by over 250 million athletes and followed by billions of fans. Click on the link above to dive deep into the world of sports and discover all competitive games like soccer played around the world.
Trending news
