When your children become more active in the world around them, one of the first things they may ask to do is join a sport. Taking an interest in lacrosse can be a bit shocking, with a select few parents excitedly pushing their children towards the sport, unaware of the needed equipment.
You need to consider the position that your child may play, with defenders and goalies allowed longer sticks than the rest. You must measure your child’s arm with the stick, ensuring they can pass the stick underneath their shoulder when moving and running.
You need to be aware of many things when choosing the right lacrosse stick, with many leagues and schools having their limitations. Apart from talking to the lacrosse captain about which one to get, you will need to know some of the basics of the sticks to get the best one.
Which Stick Lengths Work Best?
When looking at the lacrosse field, to an untrained eye, it can look like many people all running at each other, trying their best to keep a ball in a basket. However, many rules need to be understood; these rules heavily affect the kind of stick that youth can use.
First, we need to look at the limitations placed on each position and how the stick lengths are limited for each. Usually, these rules will decide which stick you need to focus on and what kind of grip the stick will have.
Attackman
Attackers are the only people that will rarely stand still or wait on their side of the field; they are constantly running. For youth leagues, the sole length allowed is a 36-inch stick, with any longer being against the rules might be considered dangerous to use safely.
The shortest sticks on the field will always be the attackers, as they are the ones that have to get the ball into the opponent’s net, stay on the offensive side of the field, and receive the ball. If they were too long, they would be unwieldy, lose accuracy, and generally cause too many problems.
Midfielders
As the only players allowed to move across the field, midfielders do both defensive and offensive moves. This means that their sticks can be between 36 inches and 42 inches in total length, depending on what is comfortable for the player to use.
These are the key players who may not be as fast or versatile in handling the ball as attackers, but they focus on moving the ball from a defensive position to an offensive one. Passing it between each other and working with the attackers to create an opportunity to score a goal.
Defender
The defender has one of the most complicated positions and jobs as they are required to help the goalkeeper defend the goal and block the opponents from passing the ball to each other. This means they should be able to intercept the ball before or during a passing maneuver.
Because of this, we recommend that their sticks be around 37 inches to 72 inches in length, depending heavily on the length the player is comfortable with. Longer sticks are much harder to control when passing or blocking but offer a lot more reach than attackers may not be able to block.
Goalkeeper
The most challenging position in lacrosse is the goalkeeper, as they can be hit with the ball, organize the defense with the defenders, catch an impossible fastball, and pass the ball to others. Unlike other sports where they may put the extra person on the goal, lacrosse has the best player.
A goalkeeper’s stick can be 52 inches or 71 inches, depending on what the player is comfortable with, with each player having a specific length they may use. No two goalkeepers will have the same length of lacrosse stick with longer goalies possible, even using sticks as short as 36 inches.
See Our Complete List Of Helpful Lacrosse Articles Here.
How To Adjust A Lacrosse Stick Length?
When you have just paid several hundred dollars for an excellent lacrosse stick, you may wonder just how you can adjust it. These sticks are all solid pieces of wood with no clips or twist-off parts to allow for easy adjustment, making them a nightmare to transport.
The only way to adjust the length of a lacrosse stick is to saw off the part that is too long for use by your child. You must do measurements properly beforehand to ensure the length is exactly right; you can permanently remove a bit more but never add on cut.
We highly recommend that you have your child or you go and test a few different lengths so that you can learn which stick length is comfortable. We have seen many people make the mistake of cutting off before testing, ending with a useless lacrosse stick.
Which Lacrosse Sticks Would Work Best For Youth Players?
It is essential to know that there are two parts to all lacrosse sticks: the handle, which makes up around 80% of the length, and the basket, which makes up the rest. When measuring the size of a lacrosse stick, they are counted together, making the total length with the stick.
When you choose a stick for youth, you always need to consider this, as you may end up almost cutting a stick in half if you only measure the handle. Fortunately, all lacrosse nets are the same length because of league regulations, while the width and depth may differ.
More lacrosse nets, or heads as they are called, out in the world than could ever be listed in just a few thousand words. Each of them has its advantages and specialties. We have three that we know are pretty good and robust enough to last for several years.
As people grow, they may replace the lacrosse stick several times; however, a good head may last for a lacrosse lifetime. It is important to choose comfortably, easy to fix, quick to clean, and capable of withstanding being hit against another player’s head.
- Under Armour Command: The Under Armour Command 2.0 is a familiar and comfortable head that usually comes unstrung when bought. Most lacrosse players love these heads because of their simplicity and their inexpensive cost at $65. Purchase the Command 2.0 on Amazon here.
- Nike CEO: We know it can be hard to choose the best products when first entering the world of a new sport. The Nike CEO is easily one of the best $70 lacrosse heads that is available in a multitude of colors and means you won’t have to question if an unfamiliar brand is good or not. Check Out The Nike CEO Here.
- Warrior Evo 5: A bit less expensive, topping out at a reasonable price, the Warrior Evo 5 looks much more complicated than it is. We recommend this for a player who wants to create a deeper pocket than the standard pocket used when playing. Get The Warrior Evo 5 Here.
The simple answer to this will always be what is comfortable for the player and what is available in the stores around you. While lacrosse heads can be purchased online with ease, we do not recommend new players buying a lacrosse stick online.
It will always be better to go to the local sports hardware store and have your children test out the available sticks. This allows everyone involved to feel more comfortable and know what the stick will feel like when the time comes actually to start playing.
Conclusion
We will always recommend that you do not buy a lacrosse stick on a whim; instead, make sure that the player tests everything about the stick. This saves money down the line and allows you to know how much may have to be removed from the stick before buying it.
Whatever you do, please don’t try exchanging lacrosse sticks like you would exchanging rumors!