Types Of Lacrosse Sticks

The lacrosse stick in lacrosse is the piece of equipment that a player uses to catch and throw the ball. A lacrosse stick is composed of a shaft, a head, and a mesh pocket. The Shaft is the long piece of metal that a player holds on to while playing the game. The shaft connects to the head, where the ball is held. The head of a lacrosse stick is made of plastic and comes in many different shapes.

Stick Heads

The head is where the ball is caught and thrown from, and where the ball rests in when a player has possession. Within the head, is a mesh pocket that is used to cradle the ball. The pocket of a lacrosse stick can be woven with many different materials and can be made to hold the ball in different ways. The pocket is generally strung based on the player's preference of where they like the ball to sit in the head of their stick. Although every player is required to have the same generic stick, each player has a lot of flexibility in the size, color, shape, and design of their own stick depending on their position and preference.

Stick Sizes

There are several different sizes of lacrosse stick that are specific to certain field positions. The majority of players, including attackmen, all women’s field players and all indoor players, use a stick approximately 40 inches in length that is made of a wooden, metal or composite material shaft. A goaltender is allowed to have a stick with a shaft up to 52” in length. In men’s field lacrosse, a team is allowed to field four players using a long crosse. The long crosse is between 52-72 inches in length.

The shaft is attached to a head made from plastic side walls fitted with a netted pocket.

Composite Stick vs. Wood Stick

In lacrosse, there are two types of sticks that a player can play with. The first stick choice is the composite stick and this means that the shaft of the stick is made of different composite metals. Each shaft contains different metals, that change the weight, strength and durability of the stick. The second stick choice is the wood stick, and this is a more rare option for a player. Wooden sticks are modeled off of the traditional Native American lacrosse sticks and are created with strong wood such as oak and sometimes bamboo. Wooden lacrosse sticks are very heavy but are extremely strong and hard to break.

Defense Sticks and Offensive Sticks

In lacrosse, there is an offensive stick and a defensive stick. The offensive stick is small, light and used for quick mobility. The offensive stick is required to be between 40-42 inches in height. Offensive sticks tend to have a tighter head and lighter shaft, to allow for the fastest and most accurate throwing and catching. The defensive stick is much larger and heavier and used for power and attacking. The defensive stick is required to be between 40-72 inches and is almost always the full 72 inches in length. Defensive sticks are much heavier and have wider heads, to allow for quick catching and throwing.