 Does your team have a Stick Doctor?
Every team needs a wizard or three to keep all of those wands in order. In addition to keeping your team in top form, it's a great way to make a little money on the side. Here at MINLAX, we have quite a lot of experience stringing sticks. It can be a bit intimidating at first so we made this guide for getting ready to start stringing on your own. Below are the basics for a good stringing kit. MINLAX advises buying spools of string and lace to save money! Mesh can be found locally and online.
TOOLS
-Scissors
-lighter
-needle-nosed pliers
STRING
-Top String should be at least 26"(I like 30" because there's nothing worse than being an inch short at the end)
-Sidewall Strings(two of them) should be at least 24"
-Bottom String should be 14"
-Shooting Strings should be 26" and the number of these is up to you
-Shooting Laces should also be 26" but are skate lace material instead of nylon cord
MESH
-There are many different kinds of mesh. Mesh will vary in material, strength and diamond size. While some pieces of mesh perform better than others, it's more important to get some mesh that matches your game, not what your favorite pro player uses. The first way of breaking down the mesh debate is to start making categories. If you were driving a car and you came to a fork in the road, on the left would be SOFT mesh(more of a county road) and the right would be HARD mesh(major interstate with exits going everywhere). Soft mesh is best for players just starting lacrosse. It is more forgiving and will break in easier. Soft mesh also makes catching easier as it provides less resistance to the ball. There are a lot less choices for soft mesh. Essentially it comes down to how "puffy" you want the soft mesh to be. The softer the mesh, the more it will "bag out" in the rain. The term "bag out" refers to the pocket getting soaked with water and expanding as it soaks up even more. This results in a loss of accuracy and velocity and will make you look foolish! Hard mesh is just like it says, hard. It will take longer to break in and soften up but the end result is worth the work. A hard mesh pocket will retain it's shape and durability much longer than soft mesh. While breaking in, hard mesh will be slightly harder for the new player to use but in the long run, it's the way to go. There are lots of different styles of hard mesh. Like soft mesh, the hard variety will vary by material, strength, diamond size and recently, top secret coatings to alter the mesh's performance. Both mesh styles come in a variety of diamond size. Normally, the larger the diamond, the better the grip on the ball. But before you jump all over the large diamond band wagon, remember, more grip means less speed! Recently, manufactures have developed special coatings to adhere to the mesh to make them water resistant and to induce more grip on the ball. With so many choices out there, MINLAX's advice is to try as much mesh as possible and see what works for you. Remember, It's more about the WIZARD than it is about the WAND! Too many kids get caught up in the latest product and forget to build their skills. A true lax rat can do it all with any stick.
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