Lacrosse ball

A lacrosse ball is the solid rubber ball that is used, in conjunction with a lacrosse stick, to play the sport of lacrosse. It is typically white, but is also produced in a wide range of colors.

The old NCAA specifications are:

The new NCAA year 2000 specs states: "Section 17. The ball shall be white, yellow or orange solid rubber between 7 3/4 and 8 inches in circumference, between 5 and 5 1/2 ounces in weight and when dropped from a height of 72 inches upon concrete floor, shall bounce 43 to 51 inches at a temperature of 65 degrees fahrenheit."

Beginning with the 2014 season, all three governing bodies for lacrosse in the United States (US Lacrosse, NFHS, NCAA) have mandated that only balls meeting the NOCSAE ball standard may be used for competition. Balls must be emblazoned with the words "Meets NOCSAE Standard" in order to be deemed legal for play by game officials.

Manufacturers

The three main manufacturers of lacrosse balls are Warrior, STX, and Brine. Warrior is the exclusive supplier of lacrosse balls to Major League Lacrosse with their orange "justin diamond" ball, Brine is the official supplier of lacrosse balls to the NCAA and STX is commonly used in high school and Jr (little league) lacrosse. The National Lacrosse League uses Under Armour balls meeting NCAA standards. In Canadian box lacrosse all balls must be CLA approved. The main brand in which Canadian box lacrosse balls are used is Gait.

Ball

A ball is a round, usually spherical but sometimes ovoid, object with various uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. In the context of sports, "ball" need not refer to a spherical object, as is the case in American football. Balls can also be used for simpler activities, such as catch, marbles and juggling. Balls made from hard-wearing materials are used in engineering applications to provide very low friction bearings, known as ball bearings. Black-powder weapons use stone and metal balls as projectiles.

Although many types of balls are today made from rubber, this form was unknown outside the Americas until after the voyages of Columbus. The Spanish were the first Europeans to see bouncing rubber balls (albeit solid and not inflated) which were employed most notably in the Mesoamerican ballgame. Balls used in various sports in other parts of the world prior to Columbus were made from other materials such as animal bladders or skins, stuffed with various materials.

Paul Rabil

Paul Rabil (born December 14, 1985), is an American professional lacrosse player with the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse. Rabil attended DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, MD) and played his collegiate lacrosse at the Johns Hopkins University.

MLL career

Rabil was selected 1st overall by the Boston Cannons in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft. Rabil was also named to his first MLL All-Star Game.

In 2009, Rabil was named the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year. Rabil also won the MLL Fastest Shot competition in 2009 and 2010, with his shot measured at 111 miles per hour (179 km/h). Rabil was also named MLL All-Star and First-Team All-Pro.

In 2010, Rabil was named to his third consecutive All-Star team, and named First-Team All-Pro.

In 2011, Rabil was named the MLL MVP and MLL Offensive Player of the Year for the second time. Rabil also won the MLL Bud Light Skills Competition in 2011, making him the first player to have won both the Skills Competition and the MLL Fastest Shot competition. He has been called the best lacrosse player in the world. As of 2012, he plays for the Boston Cannons, is a midfielder, and is number 99.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played between two teams using a small rubber ball (62.8–64.77 mm (2.472–2.550 in), 140–147 g (4.9–5.2 oz)) and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick. It is often considered as a rough sport. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh designed to catch and hold the lacrosse ball. Offensively, the objective of the game is to score by shooting the ball into an opponent's goal past the goalie, using the lacrosse stick to catch, cradle, and pass the ball to do so. Defensively, the objective is to keep the other team from scoring and to gain the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact or positioning. The sport has four major types: men's field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse. The sport consists of four positions: midfield, attack, defense and goalie. In field lacrosse, attackmen are solely offensive players (except on the "ride", when the opposition tries to bring the ball upfield and attackmen must stop them), defensemen or defenders are solely defensive players (except when bringing up the ball, which is called a "clear"), the goalie is the last line of defense, directly defending the goal, and midfielders or "middies" can go anywhere on the field and play offense and defense, although in higher levels of lacrosse there are specialized offensive and defensive middies. Long stick middies only play defense and come off on the field on offense

Myofascial release

Myofascial release (or MFR) is an alternative medicine therapy that claims to treat skeletal muscle immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles.

Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that wraps most structures within the human body, including muscle. Fascia supports and protects these structures. Osteopathic theory proposes that this soft tissue can become restricted due to psychogenic disease, overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow.

The use of myofascial release as a treatment is not supported by good evidence, and using it as a replacement for conventional treatment risks causing harm.

Background and terminology