Cradling is the act of maintaining the ball in your stick by curling it in your fingers. Your stick should rest in the fingers of your top hand while the bottom hand stay loose and guides the position of the stick. Keep the ball close to your face as this will deter a defensive player from trying to check the head of your stick.
Cradling uses "centrifugal force" to keep the ball in the pocket. Much like when a bucket of water is swung in a circular motion, when the bucket is upside down the water does not fall out! This allows the lacrosse player to move, take contact, and dodge without losing possession of the ball.
Cradling is a difficult skill to learn at first but one that requires little thought after some practice. It can be done with one or two hands on the stick.
