HERE'S
SOME TIPS FROM THE PROS ON HOW TO SELECT
AND GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR STICK
A lacrosse stick
is comprised of a shaft, head and a pocket.
The
head is where you pass and catch. There
are many choices out there for heads
and they vary from design and price.
The
pocket can either be traditional (leathers)
or mesh. Lighthouse Lacrosse recommends
Hard Mesh for its consistency and low
maintenience. Traditional
(leathers) require constant maintenance
and will inconsistent stick depending
on the weather. The leathers will also
break and restringing is a nightmare.
The
shaft or handle, is usually made of aluminum,
but can be also be wood, titanium, scandium,
or any other composite.
Most
shafts are made of aluminum. With the
advent of Titanium the shafts became
lighter and stronger. They also became
very expensive.
Beginning
players should use an aluminum shaft
until they are proficient and know they
will stay with the sport. An aluminum
shaft will cost $20 or so.
Many
of these companies also make pads, gloves,
etc..
STX-
Gloves, shoulder pad, arm pads, rib pads
Brine – Helmets,
Gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, rib
pads
Warrior – Helmets,
Gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, rib
pads
DeBeer – Gait
helmets, Gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads,
rib pads.
Harrow – Gloves,
shoulder pads, arm pads, rib pads
Cascade – Helmets
(the top seller)
Riddell
- Helmets
We
have had many parents buy kids sticks
that the player was not ready to use.
Many of the highly advertised sticks
have features like "pinched" that
will not help your son get better it
may actually make it harder to catch
the ball.
Your
son can’t pass or shoot unless
he is able to catch the ball or pick
it up off the ground. Some of the newer
more expensive sticks are designed for
players at a very high level. Just because
Casey Powell may play with a certain
stick does not mean it is the best one
for your son.
THE POCKET
The
depth of the pocket has a lot to do with
how well you can pass, catch and shoot.
DEEP
POCKET
GOOD – better
ball retention, easier to cradle and
make stick fakes.
BAD
- more whip and harder to throw accurate
passes. Forces inexperienced player to
push to pass rather than push pull (the
normal throwing motion). Passes and shots
will go low and/or into the ground
SHALLOW
POCKET
GOOD
- Very quick release when passing or
shooting. More consistent with aim.
BAD – Harder
to cradle, ball may drop out of stick.
Can’t shoot as hard as you need
to release ball quicker and stick is
harder to handle.
It
is very important that you get your stick
strung so you are comfortable with the
pocket. Too often we see a new player
that is playing with a stick strung too
tightly and they struggle or strung too
loose and they keep throwing or shooting
into the ground.
SOMETHING
IN BETWEEN A DEEP OR SHALLOW POCKET IS
GOOD. |
