Ever wonder how to string up a men's lacrosse head? There are so many options to choose from when stringing up a men's lacrosse head, that we put together this handy guide to help you understand what you need to consider for your style of play. Lax.com strings up lacrosse heads for some of the best women's & men's programs in the nation. Watch thevideo to see why Connor Kelly, a 2x First Team All-America, a 3x NCAA All-Tournament Team selection, a 3x Big Ten All-Tournament Team selection uses Lax.com to string up all his sticks.
Our Pro's can string any lacrosse head, with any type of style. If you need a custom strung lacrosse head shipped out quickly, add our rush custom stringing service to your cart and your order will be strung up and shipped out in 2 business days or less! We also offer Premiere Custom Stringing - which offers a one-on-one experience with one of our Pro's. Lax.com is the only company that offers a men's lacrosse customizer. You can actually see your set up as you build it.
PRO TIP - If you have a setup that works for you already, we recommend sticking with that!If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
MESH TYPES
Recent advances in technology made by companies like ECD (East Coast Dyes) and StringKing have really led to massive improvements in the mesh game. Back in the day, there was only soft or hard mesh, with both having vast differences. Now that the mesh technology has changed, the differences of each mesh have been minimized greatly. The reason for this is companies now use a semi-soft or semi-hard mesh. The biggest drawback to soft mesh in the past is that the pocket wouldn’t be consistent and the mesh would bag out in the rain and become illegal. The new semi-soft does a much better job keeping the pocket shape, as well as surviving the elements. Old school hard mesh in the past had little to no cushion to it, making your head seem more like a tennis racket than a lacrosse head. The new semi-hard now gives you some more cushion, while keeping the pocket much like the old hard mesh would.
SHOP LACROSSE MESH
Most of our Pro's prefer to use semi-soft mesh, due to the better ball control, as well as a better feel for the ball in your stick. If you are a player who is also looking for more hold, then we recommend a soft mesh. Check out the ECD Hero 2.0 Semi-Soft custom pocket, or the StringKing Type 4S! If you are a player who is more of a catch and shoot type player, we recommend semi-hard. The biggest reason for this is that the mesh does a better job holding the shape of the pocket. This helps you consistently have the ball release the same way. If you are a player who prefers to have a little less whip so you can have a little more accuracy when picking corners while terrorizing goalies, check out either the ECD Hero 2.0 Semi-Hard or the StringKing Type 4X. To help figure out which brand of mesh works for you, StringKing is one of the lightest meshes out there and gives you some of the best feel available on the market, while ECD is one of the most durable meshes available.
POCKET PLACEMENT
Now that you have the mesh chosen, the next step is deciding where you want your pocket to be placed. If you are a younger player who is just getting into the sport or playing at a level where you're playing all the positions, just go with a mid pocket. This is the best all-around pocket and will help younger players really hone in and develop their skills. If you are an attackman, we recommend either a low or a mid pocket. If you are an attackman who plays inside the crease and behind at X, go with a low pocket. The reason being that this pocket gives you the most hold, making your life a lot easier when cradling with one hand and to take the extra punishment that comes from the defense when you're playing on the crease. If you are an attackman who prefers to play on the wings and shoot from the outside, go with a mid pocket. This will help you blow the ball by the goalie when you're taking a step down shot. If you are a long pole we say go with a high pocket. One of the hardest parts of playing defense is getting the ball up off the turf quickly and settled into your stick. Using a high pocket will help solve this problem as the ball is scooped up and sits in the pocket right away. This will also make your life easier when throwing the long cross-field passes on the clear, as there is less whip when throwing with a high pocket. If you are a guy who likes to push the rock in transition, go with a mid pocket. This pocket will give you more hold and help you run through checks from the riding attackman. If you play middie, go with a mid pocket. This is the best all-around pocket and is perfect for the do-it-all type of play that is required from midfielders. This is what you need if you are a player who goes from defense to offense, since it gives you a good hold, and allows you to really step into your shots on offense and fire the ball past the goalie.
THROWSTRING CONFIGURATION
The throwstring configuration pertains to the setup of the shooting strings. This affects the release of the ball as well as the hold. The more strings you have, the more hold you havein your stick. The fewer strings you have, the quicker the release. This is another section where we make some suggestions, but if you have a setup that you like and comfortable with we recommend sticking with that. If you are an attackman going with a low pocket, we suggest trying out the 1 pro nylon 1 straight set up. This helps you get the ball out of the stick quickly, which is beneficial for when you're playing behind the cage at X looking to feed the ball quickly, or when you're trying to finish inside. If you are an attackman or offensive-minded middie going with a mid pocket we recommend going with the 1 pro nylon 2 straight. This setup gives you a good whip, making your release snappier. What this means is that your shot speed increased, but it can take some extra time to release. This throwstring configuration also increases hold in your stick. For a long pole, our recommendation is the 2 standard throwstring configuration. This is the set up that gives you a low level of whip, making it much easier for you when you're throwing long clearing passes across the field to other defensemen or throwing the outlet passes to the middies going upfield looking for transition opportunities. Having too much whip will it make it more difficult to throw the long cross-field passes.
OVERVIEW
As a reminder, these are our suggestions, if you have a setup that works great for you, we recommend sticking with that and not changing it! If you are in a pinch and need a head strung up ASAP check out our rush stringing service, which gets your head strung up and shipped from our warehouse in 2 business days or less. If you have any other questions or would like to speak with a pro for some further details regarding your custom pocket, please do not hesitate to give us a call (855)255-5294, or send us an email at questions@lax.com!
CUSTOMIZE YOUR LACROSSE POCKET
Other blogs you might be interested in:
VIDEO: When To Buy A New Lacrosse Head
VIDEO: The Difference Between Men's Composite & Metal Lacrosse Shafts
VIDEO: The Difference Between Men's Lacrosse Shoulder Pads & Liners - Men's Lacrosse Shoulder Pad Sizing Guide
See you on the fields!
The Lax.com Pro Staff
855-255-5294
questions@lax.com
