The National Federation of State High School Association has released their rule changes for Boys' lacrosse for the 2010 season. New York State teams use NFHS rules which are, from time to time, modified by the NYSPHSAA Lacrosse Committee.

Changes are divided into three reporting areas which include Major Rules Changes, Editorial Changes and Points of Emphasis.

Major Rule Changes:
Five major rule changes were announced in the September release.

• Rule 2-1-1 defines the procedure and the penalty to be assessed if a goalkeeper is not properly equipped at the start of the game.
• Rule 4-3-4 defines how players at the face off must grip their sticks in a way that wraps their fingers around their stick at the start of the draw.
• Rule 4-16 states that a player who is in the act of receiving a pass cannot be checked unless the ball is within five yards of him.
• Rule 6-3-2f makes it clear that a player cannot "lock down" with his arm or any other part of his body an opponent's stick.
• Rule 6-5-2t states that it is illegal for a team to fail to have a properly equipped goalkeeper on the field during the game and also explains the procedure for goalie-penalty events.

Major Editorial Changes

• In rule 4-3-1 the procedure is simplified and there is a better explanation for what happens when a period ends and a team has a man advantage.
• There is a revision in rule 4-6-3a which better explains the location for a restart if a loose ball goes out of bounds down field.
• There is a revision in rules 4-9-2k that clarifies the procedure when a player who scores a goal is found to have an illegal stick, or for a player who adjusts the strings before the official requests a stick check.
• In rule 7-3 there is a revision that clarifies the location for a restart when the ball crosses the end line prior to a penalty taking place.

Points of Emphasis for 2010
Officials will be looking more carefully at five areas of rules during the 1010 season.

• Pre-Game Management: Teams are expected to stay on their half of the field and not circle of the whole field or interfere with their opponent's warm ups. In addition, officials will be watching to insure that players are wearing safety equipment during warm ups, that there are no drills directly behind a goal that is being used and that there are no feeders working from directly behind the goal during warm ups.
• Officials will be watching for illegal body checks, particularly when they to the head or ride up the shoulder into the head. They will be assessing two or three minute penalties for such illegal body checks.
• Emphasis will be given to offensive stalling with warnings given when it is apparent that the offensive team is not attempting to score.
• Although there are not new stick specifications, there are sticks on the market that do not been NFHS specifications and cannot be used.
• Officials will be looking for "cap-plugs" on the end of sticks. A metal shaft must have a plug or be "adequately taped", "A single strip of tape is not considered adequate."

Releases, new "situations" and new approved rules are available on the NFHS web site.