Pricing:
When pricing a Women's Lacrosse Stick things that should be considered are: The player's age and ability. It may not be wise to buy a beginner's stick for a player who is in High School as their skills may develop quicker. Two, the position that the player will be playing is also important in considering how much to spend. Some sticks are more flexible in the head and may not be proper for a defender. Other sticks may be offset more and will provide more accuracy and shooting power. Third, how much dedication the player has to the sport should be considered. It is not wise to spend a great deal of money on a stick if the player is not sure how long or how much she will like the sport of lacrosse. One of the most important things to remember is that you will want to buy a stick that your player can grow with and not grow out of.
Molded Head Lacrosse Sticks:
There are now many different types of lacrosse stick heads on the market and it is important to find the type of head that works for your style of play and the position you play on the field. New players to the game will often need to find a stick or head that has a wide face for easier catching. New players will also benefit from sticks that have a flatter scoop design to make ground ball pick ups easier. More experienced players will tend to look for heads with tighter face profiles for better control and also sticks with more curve in the scoop to assist with accuracy. In reality most heads work well for any position on the field but as players become more proficient in the game and more particular about the way they want their stick to perform, these considerations will become a large part of the choices they make. Stiffer heads for defenders to deliver better checks, lighter heads for middies and attack players for fast hands and quicker passes and shot speeds etc.
Types of Stick Heads:
When looking for what type of stick head you want to buy it should be noted that different companies use different technologies when designing their products. STX uses both a direct offset and a 10 degree transferred offset in their sticks. Brine and deBeer for example use only direct offset head/handle technology. The 10 degree technology from STX is designed to do a couple things for the player. One, It allows the player more feel of the placement of the ball in the pocket which for attacking players is very important. Two, 10 degree systems also allow the player to bring their top hand down farther towards the bottom of the handle to create a better leverage point for passing and shooting. This is very similar to (Crack the whip) when ice skating.
The best thing you can do is to experiment with different types of brands and different types of heads to find out what feels best for your style of play. Or feel free to use our Ask the Expert feature on our website. Our staff is more than happy to help you with any technical questions.
Types of Pockets:
There are many types of pockets in the women's game that can be used in just about any brand of head that you chose. For instance you may like a certain brand of head but feel that another brand of pocket suites your playing style better than another. This option is great to have at your disposal as a player. Custom stringing in the women's game is becoming very popular and even though there are many specifications and rules that follow women's stringing, a wide array of colors can be used to make your head special to you. Here are some of the pockets and benefits of them.
deBeer Gripper Pro Pocket - This is an injected/molded rubber pocket that uses leader strings to assist you in weaving your top and bottom shooters. This pocket is very easy to install and maintain and adjust to personal preference of play.
STX Runway Pocket - This is a new pocket from STX that wraps around the ball for better control and ball retention. The Runway pocket allows for more aggressive dodge moves and does require some regular adjustment. STX uses cord rather than leathers when the runway is stock strung into their heads. However leathers can be used to create a smoother center channel for more consistent release.
STX Ramp Pocket The Ramp is the newest STX pocket and is now the stock pocket in STX sticks in the price range of approx. 100 dollars. The Ramp is similar to the Runway but does not have as much hold on the ball and does not aid as much in ball retention in the stick.
STX Precision Pocket The Precision Pocket uses no synthetic center piece. Rather, the Precision Pocket uses more woven string to create a pocket that requires very minimal break in time. The Precision Pocket does suffer a bit in weather due to not having a synthetic center and will require a fair amount of maintenance from the player. If you use this pocket in a wet weather game it is best to use newspaper to draw the moisture out Of the string and lengthen the life of the pocket.
Brine Paramount Pocket - The Paramount pocket is the newest pocket from Brine and is very similar to the deBeer Gripper Pro pocket. The Paramount uses a slightly different stringing system which creates a very smoother center channel and transition to the leathers from the synthetic area.
Types of Handles:
Wood:
Wooden handles for lacrosse are still available for use and have regained some popularity in the women's game. Companies such as Bamshaft and others have started a renewal of wooden handles and their popularity. Easton lacrosse, formally Talon uses a natural wood veneer with a composite core to provide a very natural feel with a very high tech level of performance.
Alloy:
Metal handles have seen a great level of increase in their quality and performance. These new types of lightweight alloys and metals are being used to create a new standard of play. Scandium, Titanium as well as many combinations of 7000 series and other types of alloy combinations are being produced in a variety of shapes such as teardrop/ octagon and hourglass designs let the player choose a profile that is comfortable to their hands.
Please note that metal handles are temperature sensitive and will most likely require tape to be used for grip and a barrier from cold hands
Composite:
Probably the most popular handles on the market now are composite handles. Companies such as STX, deBeer, Brine and Epoch are now experimenting with finishes and even grip coatings to make these handles easy to use in any weather. Epoch lacrosse who is the newest player in the game is experimenting as is STX with various flexibility levels in the handles to suite players of various strength and even players who prefer more or less whip in their sticks.
On the good side is the fact that composite materials do not change temperature and cuts down on the need for tape.
