There are three major differences between boys and girls lacrosse. The first difference is between the aggressive and physical contact components. Boys can use direct body tackles on their opponents to retrieve the ball. Whereas in girls lacrosse tackles, along with any kind of body contact is forbidden. Another difference between boys and girls lacrosse is the equipment. Boys are required heavy padding and helmets, along with a stick that has a deep net pocket designed to help the player intensely cradle the ball. A girl's lacrosse stick does not have a deep net pocket and instead has a tight netted pocket, designed to move past or check opponents. The last difference is the amount of players allowed on the field at once. In a boys game there's 10 active players, but in a girls game there's 12.