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Some in the world of lacrosse have debated if lacrosse players need to wear protective cups. Those who argue for their protection say players need to be protected just in case. However, whether or not players should wear a cup has been mostly up in the air.
Generally speaking, wearing a protective groin cup is not mandatory according to the lacrosse official rules, however, lacrosse players are always advised to wear a protective cup anyway. Whether it’s an official game or just practice, every player should wear a protective cup to avoid injury.
Lacrosse players all around the world make the daily decision to put on their cup or leave it off. I’ve personally debated about it sometimes as well. However, after looking closer at the facts, I realized that it might be better to leave my cup on at all times. Here’s what I found!
The Rules on Wearing Groin Cups in Lacrosse
As a whole, there are no specific rules in lacrosse that indicate that it is mandatory to wear a protective cup while playing. However, since lacrosse is a contact sport, most lacrosse players consider wearing a protective cup as an unwritten rule when playing lacrosse to prevent injuries.
Many lacrosse players consider wearing a cup as an unwritten rule because they know how rough a game of lacrosse can be. I experienced my fair share of hits during my days of playing lacrosse whether it be from other players, lacrosse sticks, or lacrosse balls.
Getting hit by a lacrosse ball is no walk in the park. These balls are made of solid rubber and can leave a nasty bruise!
The best protective cup that I could recommend is the Shock Doctor Bio-Flex Protective Cup. This cup has saved me countless times throughout my active lifestyle with many close calls and it is still like new! You can check out this protective cup on Amazon!
Although there is no specific rule that states you have to wear a cup, many players still do. However, there are many rebellious players who think that they don’t need this type of protection.
These rebellious players mostly blame it on the fact that protective cups are interfering with their lacrosse performance, however, I feel that it is mostly because of their egos.
Do Protective Cups Interfere with Playing Lacrosse?
Generally speaking, protective athletic cups do not interfere with playing lacrosse when wearing them. Once you get the right jockstrap size for your body, it comfortably sits around the groin and in between the tights without inhibiting any sudden movements required to play lacrosse.
Athletic cups are purposefully designed to fit a person’s body perfectly without making it hard for the person to move.
*By the way, I recently wrote an article about If It Is Possible for A Lacrosse Ball To Break A Bone. This article talks about if it is possible to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse ball and what to expect. You can check out this article here!
Since I live a very active lifestyle, I use a protective cup no matter what kind of activities I perform. Not only do I use it for practicing lacrosse, but I also use it for any activity from paintballing to even bike riding.
Why Should You Wear a Cup when Playing Lacrosse
As a general rule, you should wear a protective cup when playing lacrosse because it will protect your groin from major injuries at all times. Since lacrosse is a contact sport, there will be many instances where a lacrosse player, stick, or ball can come in contact with the groin area.
Protects You from a Major Injury
The groin region is one of the most sensitive areas in both men and women which makes a protective cup one of the most important pieces of safety equipment in any sport.
If you get hit in the groin by a fastball or a stick swing, you can suffer severe swelling and a possible testicular rupture. According to an article I found about Teen Health: [Source]
“Testicular rupture is a rare type of testicular trauma. It can happen if the testicle gets a forceful direct blow or is crushed against the pubic bone, causing blood to leak into the scrotum. Testicular rupture, like testicular torsion and other serious injuries to the testicles, causes extreme pain, swelling in the scrotum, nausea, and vomiting. Surgery is needed to fix the ruptured testicle.”
I know how intense a lacrosse game could get with so many opportunities to get hit in the privates without any control over what happens.
While playing lacrosse, I’ve always been the most afraid of getting hit in the privates by another player’s lacrosse stick. During the beginning of a regular lacrosse game, my opponent and I face off to get the ball which leads to a clashing of the sticks.
This can quickly lead to an accidental slip from either side that can get the opponent’s stick to fly straight into the privates!
You can also just as easily get hit in the groin if your opponent decides to check your stick and accidentally misses. Even though you’re not allowed to slash, accidents always happen in a full-contact sport such as lacrosse.
*By the way, I recently wrote an article about If It Is Possible for A Lacrosse Stick Can Break A Bone. This article talks about if it is possible to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse stick and what to expect. You can check out this article here!
Boosts Your Confidence on the Field
Personally, I have to wear a protective cup at all times during a game or practice. I see absolutely no reason why not to wear one!
Wearing a cup improves my game performance since I move much faster around the field without worrying about getting hit in the groin. After wearing the protective cup for quite some time, I’ve gotten hit in the groin more times than ever before because of my increased confidence.
However, the difference is that I don’t feel any of those hits because I’m fully protected!
*Side Note: If you wear glasses you might be wondering If You Can Play Lacrosse While Wearing Glasses. I recently wrote an article that explains if you should wear glasses at a lacrosse game as well as whether or not you should wear lacrosse goggles during a game. You can check out this article here!
The protective cup removes any doubts that I ever had about getting a testicular injury. My teammates also noticed that I play with more confidence on the field.
As a defender, I have to always be careful of the ball flying my way. I used to flinch every time an attacker shot the ball since I was scared of getting hit.
This makes it easier for the attackers to fake a shot and get past me.
After wearing a cup, I noticed that I flinched much less with the peace of mind that my junk is in a safe place which improved my overall defending of the goal!
Testimonials of People Getting Hit in the Groin in Lacrosse
When writing this article, I became curious about people experiencing groin hits while playing a sport. I looked around online and started interviewing people who got hit in the groin while playing sports. This is what I found.
Many of the people I interviewed said that once getting hit, they experienced excruciating pain that lasted for longer than 10 minutes.
Some people even said that they had to step out for the rest of the game because they didn’t feel well. They indicated that they felt nauseated and couldn’t move for a long time.
Mostly everyone indicated the same thing and regretted not wearing a protective cup while playing.
Statistics of Lacrosse Players Wearing Cups
I’ve also surveyed my teammates, friends, and random lacrosse players online to understand everyone’s take on wearing a protective cup while playing lacrosse. These were the results:
| Yes, I wear a cup | No, I don’t need to wear a cup | What’s a cup? |
|---|---|---|
| 76% | 21% | 3% |
After the results came in, I realized that I need to add a third category into the survey since a small portion of people actually didn’t know that protective cups existed!
These results gave me a better understanding of how many people actually wear cups during sports and how many prefer not to. However, I would say that most of the people that answered no regret not wearing a protective cup and are looking into getting one now!
FAQs:
Are athletic cups uncomfortable to wear?
In general, athletic protective cups are comfortable to wear because they are created to fit comfortably without falling off. Make sure to get the right size to fit your body since a size too large or too small can distract you from the sport and inhibit your performance.
How do you keep athletic cup in place?
To keep athletic protective cups in place, you need to get the right size for your body. Once you get the right size, the protective cup should fit perfectly around your groin and in between your thighs without sliding down or falling.
Does a cup go over boxers?
In general, athletic protective cups should be worn over boxers so that they don’t create friction burns on the skin over time. Boxers created an additional layer of cushion in the case that you get hit in the groin. They also prevent the protective cups from sliding down.
Do girls wear athletic cups for protection?
Generally speaking, females of all ages should be wearing an athletic protective cup for protection when being active. The female groin region is very sensitive and would need to be protected from getting hit to avoid major injury.
