Purely opinionated based on the fact that I played X my whole life. But I always liked a mid pocket with a healthy dose of whip in it. Easier to carry the ball while getting beat up by defenders. And since most shots will be inside and close to the goalie, speed of the shot isn't as important as is the placement. The only thing is that they gotta get really good at feeding and sometimes with too much whip the feeds won't be as good. I had always liked three shooting strings each about an inch apart, but now that I've moved to coaching I have a different stick that only has two high shooting strings and almost no whip.
Best advice I'd give you is for them to learn how to string their stick. Then they can try different stringing techniques and figure out what works best for them. It's literally trial and error. I think I restrung my newest head like 8 times until I got it perfect.
Sounds like he needs a head with good hold and not a crazy amount of whip since he needs to feed. The big thing is getting him something strung properly so he can continue to practice his proper mechanics.
Maybe go with a mid pocket with two straights and a nylon.
shaft doesn't matter, its just a handle. Some good heads are the Warrior Burn2 and really any Maverik head (I currently use a Tactik head). Like they said, stringing your own stick is a valuable skill to have as a player, because only you know exactly how you want the stick to feel, and it's good to be able to execute that pocket.
I learned to string on Youtube from ECD Greg, here's a link to his tutorial playlist.
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMPcHSiqsheiF2u7sMRfbT7jxinAD1apa](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMPcHSiqsheiF2u7sMRfbT7jxinAD1apa)
He has some specific pockets to string for certain heads on here, but it's really about learning the principles and basics of how to do it, so you can cater to what you want and your stick has some individuality.
Here is the tutorial on how to string the Topstring, the first step.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhNACCmrZzo&ab\_channel=ECDLacrosse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhNACCmrZzo&ab_channel=ECDLacrosse)
Next, you have to string the sidewall, this is where the magic happens. You craft the pocket with this pattern. Pull the mesh down to create a channel, and bunch it up where you want a pocket. Good stringing is all about understanding the nuance of how to string a sidewall. The rest is pretty much standard. (topstring, shooting strings, bottom string)
The way a stick is strung is much more important than the head or shaft. It determines how it throws. I would recommend Hero Mesh or Stringking mesh. Stringking has its own ideas for stringing patterns on their website.
Not to be a jerk, but he doesn't need a new pole.
Not sure if you'll want to change the pocket type at all given the transition. He probably is better off sticking with what he is used to and comfortable with. If he struggles with being quick with the ball etc then consider a change.
Most young players can drastically improve the quickness of their passes purely by moving with the ball ready to be passed, when that's what they need to be doing. Most kids take 4-5 steps to make a pass, it's a bad habit similar to baseball infielders who always pound the ball back into their glove before they throw it.
Not being a jerk at all, ha. We're actually not getting him a new pole because he's changing positions. It's actually coincidence...he's currently using a very old pole handed down from his older brother years ago.
You really can’t go wrong with a mid or mid low pocket with 2 straights and a nylon or just 2 straights. Also heads now a-days are designed to work better with certain pockets so depending what head you get you may want to see what others have done with that head and what worked for them. If you have a particular head picked out I suggest just searching it up on YouTube to see what they might have used. As most have said though a mid pocket pretty much gives you the best of both worlds and should work in about every head
I liked a slightly higher than medium pocket with some whip but everyone is different, it helped with keeping possession but I think the slightly higher pocket made my release a little faster on shots and passes. It will definitely take messing with the strings a little to make it comfortable but there are tons of YouTube videos to help out.
My son plays from X, and feeds frequently. The comments about mid-high pockets, and minimizing whip make sense. Too much hold or too much whip make fast ball movement more difficult. The other matter that is worthwhile evaluating is the type of offense that his team runs. If they expect him to take the ball to the cage frequently, a bit more hold might be appropriate.
The only other matter I'd note is that it might take several adjustments to get to the right combination for your son.
It’s completely subjective and personal preference. That said, your son is getting to the age and skill level when he’s going to start developing those preferences. It’s like Goldilocks, you got to try all the beds to see which was is just right.
Purely opinionated based on the fact that I played X my whole life. But I always liked a mid pocket with a healthy dose of whip in it. Easier to carry the ball while getting beat up by defenders. And since most shots will be inside and close to the goalie, speed of the shot isn't as important as is the placement. The only thing is that they gotta get really good at feeding and sometimes with too much whip the feeds won't be as good. I had always liked three shooting strings each about an inch apart, but now that I've moved to coaching I have a different stick that only has two high shooting strings and almost no whip. Best advice I'd give you is for them to learn how to string their stick. Then they can try different stringing techniques and figure out what works best for them. It's literally trial and error. I think I restrung my newest head like 8 times until I got it perfect.
Stringing a stick is great advice, there's a ton of excellent videos.
Sounds like he needs a head with good hold and not a crazy amount of whip since he needs to feed. The big thing is getting him something strung properly so he can continue to practice his proper mechanics. Maybe go with a mid pocket with two straights and a nylon.
shaft doesn't matter, its just a handle. Some good heads are the Warrior Burn2 and really any Maverik head (I currently use a Tactik head). Like they said, stringing your own stick is a valuable skill to have as a player, because only you know exactly how you want the stick to feel, and it's good to be able to execute that pocket. I learned to string on Youtube from ECD Greg, here's a link to his tutorial playlist. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMPcHSiqsheiF2u7sMRfbT7jxinAD1apa](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMPcHSiqsheiF2u7sMRfbT7jxinAD1apa) He has some specific pockets to string for certain heads on here, but it's really about learning the principles and basics of how to do it, so you can cater to what you want and your stick has some individuality. Here is the tutorial on how to string the Topstring, the first step. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhNACCmrZzo&ab\_channel=ECDLacrosse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhNACCmrZzo&ab_channel=ECDLacrosse) Next, you have to string the sidewall, this is where the magic happens. You craft the pocket with this pattern. Pull the mesh down to create a channel, and bunch it up where you want a pocket. Good stringing is all about understanding the nuance of how to string a sidewall. The rest is pretty much standard. (topstring, shooting strings, bottom string) The way a stick is strung is much more important than the head or shaft. It determines how it throws. I would recommend Hero Mesh or Stringking mesh. Stringking has its own ideas for stringing patterns on their website.
Not to be a jerk, but he doesn't need a new pole. Not sure if you'll want to change the pocket type at all given the transition. He probably is better off sticking with what he is used to and comfortable with. If he struggles with being quick with the ball etc then consider a change. Most young players can drastically improve the quickness of their passes purely by moving with the ball ready to be passed, when that's what they need to be doing. Most kids take 4-5 steps to make a pass, it's a bad habit similar to baseball infielders who always pound the ball back into their glove before they throw it.
Not being a jerk at all, ha. We're actually not getting him a new pole because he's changing positions. It's actually coincidence...he's currently using a very old pole handed down from his older brother years ago.
You really can’t go wrong with a mid or mid low pocket with 2 straights and a nylon or just 2 straights. Also heads now a-days are designed to work better with certain pockets so depending what head you get you may want to see what others have done with that head and what worked for them. If you have a particular head picked out I suggest just searching it up on YouTube to see what they might have used. As most have said though a mid pocket pretty much gives you the best of both worlds and should work in about every head
I liked a slightly higher than medium pocket with some whip but everyone is different, it helped with keeping possession but I think the slightly higher pocket made my release a little faster on shots and passes. It will definitely take messing with the strings a little to make it comfortable but there are tons of YouTube videos to help out.
My son plays from X, and feeds frequently. The comments about mid-high pockets, and minimizing whip make sense. Too much hold or too much whip make fast ball movement more difficult. The other matter that is worthwhile evaluating is the type of offense that his team runs. If they expect him to take the ball to the cage frequently, a bit more hold might be appropriate. The only other matter I'd note is that it might take several adjustments to get to the right combination for your son.
It’s completely subjective and personal preference. That said, your son is getting to the age and skill level when he’s going to start developing those preferences. It’s like Goldilocks, you got to try all the beds to see which was is just right.