Taking Care of Lacrosse Balls

Most lacrosse players are taught to properly care for their equipment, but proper care for lacrosse balls is often overlooked. Traditional lacrosse balls are white and yellow, the official colors for men's and women's lacrosse, respectively. Although these colors are the standards, new colors including red, orange, black, tie-dye, and glow-in-the-dark can be also purchased. Playing with one of these "modern", brightly colored balls would be interesting, although green lacrosse balls would probably be the least rewarding as the color blends in with the grass and would be easily lost.

Lacrosse balls are made of solid rubber and they are slightly smaller than a baseball, measuring about 2.5 inches in diameter and 8 inches in circumference. Warrior and Brine are the two main manufacturers of lacrosse balls, having official supply rights to Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and the NCAA, respectively.

MLL lacrosse balls differ slightly from traditional lacrosse balls. MLL balls, known as "grippy balls", have small rubber dimples covering the ball. The dimples are supposed to help the ball grip the pocket of the stick, making it easier to keep the ball in the pocket while cradling and dodging. The dimples are also supposed to add extra zip to your shot. I haven't used the ball enough to decide whether or not I think the dimples make a significant difference, but it's safe to say that unless you are playing in the MLL, there's no need to purchase and practice with these "grippy balls" as the youth through collegiate levels do not use these balls during games.

Lacrosse balls need to be stored in a safe, dry location when they aren't being used. The reason for this is that lacrosse balls that are overused or old lose their original rubber texture. The natural texture of the new ball makes the ball grip the pocket of the stick better, as compared to old balls. A ball that no longer has the new, natural texture, becomes slick. These slick lacrosse balls are often referred to as "slippery balls", and leaving lacrosse balls outside when they're not being used accelerates this ball-aging process.

A slippery ball doesn't stay in the pocket of a stick as well as a new ball, and players find that when throwing a slippery ball, their pass or shot will end up slightly (or significantly) higher than originally intended. It's not uncommon to hear players try to excuse an errant pass or shot by yelling out "slippery ball" after overthrowing their target. Official lacrosse games are played with new balls partially for this reason, and it's important to keep your lacrosse balls new and non-slippery in order to be best prepared for your lacrosse games. Also, balls that sit outside for extended periods of time lose their bounciness, which makes them more difficult to use when trying to practice throwing and catching a ball against the wall.