Question about Traditional Stringing

[jpalmer91]

I have strung about 15 or so traditional pockets, and I learned using the this site. I do it exactly the same way that that laxdevil666 does in his tutorial (http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=19616) Last night, I was stringing a 6 diamond traditional for my coach. After I had finished I went to go pound the pocket for a while. During this time I came up with this question:


Why is it that when you string any other custom besides normal traditional, you use the "ball and butter knife" as a guide in order string the pocket around the ball, while with traditional you have to string the pocket with the right tension.....flat, like a girls stick, and then afterwards you pound the pocket? Why don't you string normal traditional with the "ball and butter knife" as a guide? It would probably make learning how to string traditional correctly much easier, since you wouldn't have to worry about making interlocking knots to tight or to loose.

[DRobinson1692]

if you string around the ball and not with the right tension you can have problems with diamond size and symetry problems

[MiddieMan05]

I think its cuz in traditionals you start on the sides and then go across. This way you can't put the ball in the channel becuase there is no channel at that point. If you string the center first it might mess up the amount of diamonds and whatnot that you need. Also since you use one looong piece of string it, you'd have to string one side of the stick then go back across and string the other. If you used multiple pieces then maybe it could work. Who know. try it out sometime.

[MaKiMaKi13]

try finishing stringing the entire traditional pocket, then ball and knife it where you want the pocket to form and tweak the pocket until you can get it how you like it

[kingdawgell]

it's mostly because traditional pockets don't have near as much crosslace or as many knots as other traditional pockets so the pocket is easily stretched out by pounding, which won't be possible with say a pita or rock-it pocket.

[jpalmer91]

Thanks, that makes sense.

[RYU]

You can string from the center first. In fact, I find it's easier that way, and other tutorials, such as the ones on e-lax and in STX stringing kits, teach to string trad that way.

You can also use the 'ball & knife' trick and string w/ a channel instead of stringing it flat. Trad tutorials typically teach you to string w/ the pocket flat, b/c it's easier and faster and for the average stringer, results in a more attractive looking pocket (i.e., even-looking diamonds). If you know what you're doing, you can string trad around the ball. IMHO, any good pocket is built around the ball.