There are four basic positions for lacrosse each of which is accompanied with responsibilities. The goal of a team is to carefully work together and blend positional duties into a solid team play.
Attack
Three players at a time are the attackers or attackman. These players are the primary scorers, feeders, passers, and ball handlers. Their play focuses in the area around the goal. Players in this position must have strong stick skills and accuracy.
Midfield
Three players at a time are the midfielders. These are the all-purpose players. It is imperative midfielders have great stamina and speed as they will be playing on both the defensive and offensive ends of the field. Their plays contain a vast deal of transition and will be substituted much more frequently than any other position. Simply put: midfielders are workhorses.
Defense
Three players match up defensively to the opponent's attackers as defenders. They will trigger the transition from defense to offense and are the pivotal point of the clearing game wherein a team clears the ball from the defensive to the offensive halves of the field. These players occasionally wield a defenseman's stick, or long pole, which is a great deal longer than any other stick on the field. Defensive players must possess excellent stick skills and agility.
Goalie
One player at a time stands as a last defense between the opponents' attackers and goal: the goalie. The goalie stops balls from entering the goal and initiates transitions to offense by outletting, or passing to a defensemen, the ball. Goalies use a stick with a much larger head and net. Goalie must exhibit fearlessness and good stick skills.
As a coach it is essential to carefully watch players in early and pre-season to determine which position to post them in. Many new players think they know where they will be best at and 50% of the time they are completely wrong in most coach's eyes. Watch how they work their stick, their endurance, ability to command bursts of speed, reaction times, and agility. The hardest part of coaching before a game is situating the players into successful lines and formations.