If you are a player who is also looking for more hold, then we recommend a soft mesh. Check out the ECD Hero 2. 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.
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. 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.
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 have in 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. The lacrosse pocket is a fundamental piece of lacrosse equipment. At a glance, a lacrosse pocket just looks like a bunch of strings weaved together. In regards to lacrosse pockets, the simple summary above barely scratches the surface of all the little intricacies of what a lacrosse pocket is all about.
In order for you to learn everything you need to know concerning lacrosse pockets, I will teach from the ground up, starting with the overarching purpose of the pocket all the way to tips on how to get your pocket strung. For this reason, I outlined all of its unique purposes below to give you all the essential pocket knowledge you need. For one, the pocket is what is responsible for retaining the ball within the lacrosse stick. Without the pocket, there would be no place for the ball to sit.
The lacrosse head would only serve as a hollow framework. The lacrosse stick would act as a glorified hoop on a shaft rather than a fully functioning tool on the field. The way the pocket is structured, it features a noticeable depression where the ball could easily rest.
This way, the ball remains within the stick once it finds its way in. Players make use of this intentional stringing cavity every time they possess the ball. If the pocket lacked this stringing depression and was completely flat, players would have a much more challenging time maintaining possession of the ball.
Of course, your passing and shooting technique also has a colossal impact on how the ball will release, but the structure of the pocket is equally, if not more, important. For example, the ball may actually frequently get trapped within the pocket, making it impossible for the ball to even release during the throwing motion. This is a classic case of a lacrosse pocket holding a player back from reaching their true potential. Lastly, the lacrosse pocket can also make it harder or easier on a player to maintain possession of the ball depending on how much hold the pocket naturally has.
Expertly strung pockets make it extremely tough on defensemen to strip the ball from the stick, even if they do land a forceful stick check. Ideally, this is the sort of pocket that all offensive players want. However, there is typically a trade-off to attain this superior level of whip. As a general rule of thumb, more hold typically results in more whip. High whip lacrosse sticks have a natural tendency to throw straight into the ground, whereas low whip lacrosse sticks have a natural tendency to throw high in the air.
You can find more information about the fundamental stringing concept of whip by clicking over to my article A Full Breakdown of What Whip Actually Means in Lacrosse. Finding a delicate balance between whip and hold can be tedious, but it can really bolster your game performance.
The lacrosse pocket is made up of an assortment of various strings that each have a name, as labeled by the illustration above. I strung each specific part of the pocket a different color to help you better learn the individual stringing elements. We will delve into what the exact purpose is behind each of these strings as well as what sort of effect it can have on throwing.
General Description of What It Is — Mesh is made up of woven thread fibers that are organized into a diamond configuration. The amount of diamonds per row alternates as you go down the mesh. In the mesh used above, the amount of diamonds per row alternates between 10 diamonds and 9 diamonds for the entire length of the mesh.
What It Does — The mesh acts as the primary foundation of the lacrosse pocket. When the ball sits at the deepest point within the lacrosse pocket, the mesh serves as the primary point of contact between the ball and the stick. How It Affects Throwing — There is a variety of different lacrosse meshes available to players today.
The most popular mesh that is used is standard 10 diamond mesh , as shown in the image above. Moreover, it can also have a major influence on your ability to throw effectively in the face of harsh weather conditions, such as rain or snow, because certain mesh products are specially coated to withstand the abuse of the elements.
General Description of What It Is — The top string is a long nylon strand that runs along the top of the pocket. What It Does — The top string fastens the very top of the mesh to the scoop of the lacrosse head.
It prevents any noticeable gaps from forming between the top of the mesh and the scoop. How It Affects Throwing — The top string prevents the ball from smacking off the top of the plastic as the ball releases, which results in a much smoother throw. It also keeps the mesh symmetrical, preventing the pocket from becoming lopsided and throwing erratically. General Description of What It Is — There are two nylon strands that are identical to one another in thickness and length.
These are the sidewall strings. They run along the lateral edges of the pocket. They either have the same length, or a slightly shorter length, as the top string. What It Does — The sidewall strings secure the lateral edges of the mesh to the plastic of the head through a series of knots. The placement and types of knots that are used in this sidewall string pattern has a strong influence on the different properties of the pocket.
These properties include the following:. How It Affects Throwing — Since the knot pattern of the sidewall strings is largely responsible for how the pocket will turn out, it has a direct correlation with how the pocket will throw. The sidewall strings impact the subsequent aspects:. This is the area where most novice stringers go wrong. It takes a great deal of time and practice to get the knot configuration just right to form the ideal pocket.
General Description of What It Is — Typically, the bottom string is a nylon strand that has the shortest length relative to the top string and sidewall string.
However, a cotton lace can serve as a viable bottom string in place of a nylon strand. What It Does — The bottom string locks the bottom of the mesh to the plastic of the lacrosse head.
It closes the gap at the base of the pocket where the ball would otherwise slip out if the bottom string were not present. In addition, the bottom string also plays a major role in how deep a lacrosse pocket is. As a general rule of thumb, the tighter you make the bottom string, the shallower the pocket becomes.
How It Affects Throwing — Pocket depth has a significant effect on how a pocket throws. Generally, the deeper the pocket is, the more whip that will result. It only takes a minute or two to adjust the tightness of the bottom string and thereby adjust how the pocket throws. For this reason, the majority of lacrosse players fine-tune the length of their bottom string when they encounter issues with their throwing. Typically, shooting strings are thicker than nylon strands and are comprised of cotton.
They carry a strong resemblance to hockey lace in terms of appearance. However, cotton shooting strings are not the only type of shooting strings. Players also have the option of integrating thin, nylon shooting strings as well. What It Does — Unlike the previous aspects we discussed, shooting strings are not essential to the lacrosse pocket.
In fact, a pocket that features no shooting strings at all is completely legal. Most players do choose to make use of shooting strings because it fine tunes certain elements of the pocket. Although the sidewall knot pattern carries the most weight in regards to the properties of a pocket, the shooting string help to slightly tip the scale in one direction or another.
How It Affects Throwing — Several concrete ways that shooting strings impact lacrosse pockets are listed below. General Description of What It Is — The channel is the V shaped track that the ball travels down on its way out of the pocket. What It Does — The channel ensures that the ball travels down the center of the head with each and every throw. It also has the capacity to increase pocket hold since the ball is less likely to roll out of a pocket with no channel.
How It Affects Throwing — The channel improves horizontal throwing accuracy since it prevents the ball from shifting left or right. This way, the channel hugs the ball throughout its entire exit pathway.
Too tight of a channel may result in the ball getting caught in the pocket. Too loose of a channel and your throws will lose accuracy. Lacrosse pockets are typically classified based on where the deepest point of the pocket is located, as shown in the images above. There are pros and cons to each individual pocket style.
0コメント