Then, the players around the circle -- usually the attack wings, defense wings, 3rd Homes and 3rd Men from both teams -- sprint for the descending ball. Once control is attained by a team, it works pretty much like some other sports: players run and pass the ball to push it down field toward the goal.
Cradling is the method by which a player holds the ball in the stick's pocket. Unlike men's lacrosse, women's sticks may not have a deep pocket in which to hold the ball securely; a player "cradles" the ball to keep it in the pocket. Cradling uses centripetal force -- the force generated by moving something in a circle -- to press the ball into the back of the pocket. (You can feel centripetal force at the amusement park when a ride spins and pushes you out from the axis around which you're turning.)
To learn to cradle, hold a pen or pencil with your right fist around the top, and the left hand around the bottom (for lefties, reverse it -- left hand on top.) Now bring both fists and the pen to your right shoulder, keeping the pen vertical. Then bring it to your left shoulder, keeping the pen vertical. Although you won't be able to see the centripetal force at work using this example, very basically, this is cradling.
When a player has an opening to the goal, she shoots the ball by pushing the head of the stick forward, and pulling the the shaft back. The shots can be extremely accurate and fast.
Passing is the fastest way to get the ball down field, but it can also be one of the hardest things to do. Releasing the ball with speed and accuracy can take LOTS of practice to make it effective.
Passing is done in the same manner as shooting, but catching the pass is often the hardest part. Not only does the ball have to land in your stick, but you must also learn to put the catch immediately into a cradle to gain control of the ball and prevent yourself from being checked.
Checking is the technique in which a series of short, sharp, controlled strikes to an opponent's stick is used to force a player carrying the ball to drop it.
A player can check the head or shaft of the stick, or body check.
Body checking sounds like a player would strike an opponent's body, but it's actually accomplished when a defender sticks close to her opponent in an effort to intimidate the player into dropping the ball, or changing the opponent's path towards the goal.