The game of Lacrosse has seen many changes. These changes have included new rules and modern equipment but the main change has been the stick.

The stick is the most important part of the game. Without a stick, there is no game. I have been fortunate enough to have played with some of the best Lacrosse players in the game and one of the common denominators is that they took pride in and care of their stick. The success they had in their game was the result of the time spent mastering their skill. From the days of wooden sticks where we shaved handles, preserved the leather and treated them like they were part of the family to 2009, where we have so many choices its mind boggling!The problem is that most parents don’t know what to buy and don’t know how to fix them.

 

Go to your nearest sports store and pretend you’ve never played the game, but want to buy a stick. Is the stick you choose game ready? I’m saying that in most stores the sticks are not game ready and the store staff knows very little about them. Wow…how long has this problem been going on? If we want to move this game to the next level and continue to produce great players who can do incredible things with their sticks we have to change. And the change is very easy.

 

Every association has one or more people that are good with sticks. Have them set up a stick stringing clinic with players and coaches. The more people you teach, the better your association will be. The skill level of players graduating form Minor to Junior will increase. Once kids can see that they can achieve skill in shooting, passing a stick tricks their confidence as a player will grow.

 

As an association, talk about what kind of sticks you would like your players to use. Remember that House League Grassroots is different from Rep. There is a process. Most parents aren’t going to pay $200.00 for a stick for a first year player when they are not sure he or she will like the game. There are more affordable sticks available that they can choose, but they still need proper adjusting. Remember once a player sees success with his stick and in his game they will always move up to a better quality stick. One of the ways to help parents at the registration tables is to have equipment and proper sticks available and appropriate for the age of kid that is signing up.

 

Go into your local stores and talk with the staff about what type of sticks you’d like to see them sell. You might even discuss setting up a stick stringing demonstration with the staff. Another thing you can do if your players have email is to ask them to bring their stick to the registration and have personnel available to fix on request. This way, first day on the floor, sticks are ready to go. Once the season starts your association should have spools of string, tape, shooting strings, measuring tapes and a hacksaw and some mesh kits at the arenas and can have the sick stringers available at times during the week. If every association follows this guideline their success, not only in the game, but in the skill of their players will increase for years to come.