RoShamBo

Stick with me here... these things are all basic knowledge; so if you are experienced with faceoffs, then skip over this. There are three basic types of faceoff moves: Clamp, Jump, and Push (however, they are sometimes called different names).

Rock, Paper, Scissors

It sounds kind of stupid, but winning a lacrosse faceoff is a lot like the game: rock, paper, scissors. In order to beat an opponent who is clamping, you jump. To beat someone pushing, then you clamp. To beat someone jumping, you push.

How do you know what your opponent is going to do?

There are a few different ways that you can know what the opposing player is doing. Now, it is important to know that these signs are not always correct, but they are correct about 90% of the time.

If the other person is going to clamp, then they will have their left wrist cocked back. If they are going to power clamp, then his two hands will be positioned the same way, with the top of the hands showing. In football terms, this could be seeing a lineman in four point stance.

If they are going to jump, then both of their wrists will be straight. You may also see their right hand just hovering over the ground. They do this to get a better jump on the ball.

When they are about to push the ball, then you will probably see their left hand cocked forward, with the front of their hand pointing at you. When they push, then you will counter with a clamp down the mid line, and to the right.