Pinched?

[CSweet]

I was planning to get a Warrior Razor soon but i read many times that its only good if you pinch it. I have no clue what pinching a head means. So a explanation would be nice or maybe a link that expains what it is and how to do it.

[ASJT3]

2nd post


http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155

I don't think there's any need to pinch the razor, it's already pretty pinched.

[broslax16]

yeh the razer is very good even without being pinched, and it probably wouldnt be a good stick to pinch if it is your first time because it could be ruined, depending on which method you use to pinch it

[RockStar]

To learn how to pinch, for god's sake, don't start with an expensive head. Its easy to eff it up, and end up with an $80 paperweight if you don't know what you're doing. Even if you don't ruin the head, if you pinch aggressively, you might accidentally make it illegal.

Maybe buy yourself a pair of unstrung Icons (each ~$20ish), and test out the pinching procedures on those. Get it right, then maybe try a better stick.

[spenny]

rockstar, any pinched head is illegal, if the wrong ref sees it. the rule reads "any stick modified to gain a competitive advantage" so if youpinch a head, its been modified.

i'm not saying you are going to get caught, but i am saying that its now an illegal stick.

[bigDman]

razer is already pretty pinched i wouldnt pinch it

[ASJT3]

I wouldnt recommend learning how to pinch a stick with a pair of Icons, they are already pinched, almost like the Razer. To really see the pro's and con's of pinching, buy yourself some even cheaper unstrung heads, the cheapest you can find, and they probably will have an open face, allowing you to pinch it successfully. This is an example of an open face....look how wide it is <img src="http://www.laxshopper.com/equipment/mens/heads/Warrior_Patriot.jpg">

[RockStar]

Originally posted by spenny
rockstar, any pinched head is illegal, if the wrong ref sees it. the rule reads "any stick modified to gain a competitive advantage" so if youpinch a head, its been modified.

i'm not saying you are going to get caught, but i am saying that its now an illegal stick.

Technically true, but how many penalties are called if the pinched stick meets the real specs (6.5", legal pocket, no trapping at the throat)?

[RockStar]

Originally posted by ASJT3
I wouldnt recommend learning how to pinch a stick with a pair of Icons, they are already pinched, almost like the Razer....

Dude: I come from a place where some players take an STX Powerplay and pinch it tighter.

He's been looking to pinch a Razer, which is not even all that aggressively pinched. Rudeboyslacrosse.com had a great article about pinching one of these for box.

The pinch on an Icon is even more modest than the Razer, and its cost makes it attractive as a trainer head before you move onto bigger and better things.

[spenny]

Originally posted by RockStar
Technically true, but how many penalties are called if the pinched stick meets the real specs (6.5", legal pocket, no trapping at the throat)?

first i didnt see that you were a box guy. as to getting called, it all depends on the refs. id rather not do it than hope i didnt get caught.

if you think a 3 min NR penalty is bad, you should see what i do to my players that get them

[Poppingseed]

no ref will call a penalty, i mean i have never seen one called for a pinched head, and in that case most or all of the mll. and nll wouldn't be able to play with there sticks.

but yea an easy way to pinch a head, is get a string and tie it so it's pinched as much as you want, go to your car or parents, and leave it there on the dash for a day. on a hot day that dash and car isgona get hot, just takeit out wehn the days is done let it cool down and untie it and presto a pinched head.....

[RockStar]

Originally posted by spenny
first i didnt see that you were a box guy. as to getting called, it all depends on the refs. id rather not do it than hope i didnt get caught.

if you think a 3 min NR penalty is bad, you should see what i do to my players that get them

Lol - Cultural differences.

Here, cheating is routine and unchecked. The only stick rule is on length, and the fact that the sidewall rails can't trap the ball. Only rule on pocket depth is that the ball can't hang below the ball stop when the stick is held vertical (maybe about a 5" pocket from the top of the sidewall).

So, you'll see the pros whacking their own sticks against the ground to shake the ball out of the throat several times per game . In all my years of watching competitive box, I have seen exactly one stick call made (buddy had a stick that was about 35" long).

Super-stuffed goaltender padding is the other major cheat that is rampant. This doesn't bother anyone much because the average score in a Canadian box game is still like 9-8, so goals aren't that hard to come by. (This is lower than NLL also due to smaller nets, wood goal sticks allowed, relaxed hitting rules for defense (full crosse checking, no "equal pressure" crap), and a more deliberate style of play with less run and gun transition.)

Also, I don't see how a 3 minute penalty with 9 on 8 (effectively 6-on-5 in either zone) is all that big a deal.....we routinely kill off 2 minutes at 5 on 4 here.

[spenny]

Originally posted by RockStar
Lol - Cultural differences.

Also, I don't see how a 3 minute penalty with 9 on 8 (effectively 6-on-5 in either zone) is all that big a deal.....we routinely kill off 2 minutes at 5 on 4 here.

agreed, but its a big deal in field lax, and i think that's what CSweet is playing.

[spenny]

Originally posted by Poppingseed
no ref will call a penalty, i mean i have never seen one called for a pinched head, and in that case most or all of the mll. and nll wouldn't be able to play with there sticks.

i dont think CSweet who posted the original question is playing in either of those leagues, so those refs dont matter to him.

as to refs making those calls, ive seen them both as a coach and as a player. so it does happen, mostly with experienced refs who are sticklers for the rules.

[titans 43]

I can't find that pinching article on rude boys lacrosse, where is it?

[CSweet]

wow thats alot of information and i did not know that its "illegal". my stick right now is a deBeer Icon and i was planning on buying a razor. In case you are wondering, i play highschool field lacrosse, and being man down is a big deal because its way easy to score. Also, at least my leauge, alot of illegal stick call are made and often the players do not have back up sticks. Most of those calls are made on stick length. But I've also heard that refs are not allow too just take a stick and check if its legal or not. Only a coach can ask if the refs can check it. But don't take my word for it, i only been playing for a year now. So now i know not to expeiriment on my new head.

But now i have another question, Whats the problme of having a smaller than legal stick? I understand with a larger stick that it can give you extra tourqe but with a smaller stick you cant do very much. Thx for all the input on pinching

[crzystringerman]

lol I pinched my vapor, just crzy like that

[Dan]

With a smaller stick, you can avoid checks way better. I just pinched my X2, but of all the 56 sticks I checked and of all the games I watched, no pole has ever been checked. Gotta say, I did a pretty nice job. So, you're worrying me, but even on a shortie, I wouldn't call it, because I've seen a few pinched heads. Most refs, about 99%, would ignore the fact that the stick is altered and worry about its size. Nowadays, as long as the stick is legal, that's what seems to matter.

[spenny]

to expound on what raine said, a short stick is easier to protect from stick checks

[pumba]

buyy a razor they r mad as!!

[schratxs20]

raine do you have a picture of your x2

[CTLaxer]

But I've also heard that refs are not allow too just take a stick and check if its legal or not. Only a coach can ask if the refs can check it.

Last I heard, refs are allowed to call stick checks as they see fit. Coaches are allowed to call stick checks but if the first one they call is a legal stick and they try to call a stick check on another stick and it's also legal, they get a penalty. So unless they changed the rules recently, that's the story with that.

[RockStar]

Here, if a coach requests a check on stick or goal equipment, and its found to be legal - 2:00 for delay of game.

They do take notes on who's legal and illegal, but rarely ask for an official check.

The risk of the penalty is one reason.

The other part is that half of their own team is also illegal, and the other coach will just fire back.

[WarriorLax22]

i don't think refs give you penalties if your stick is pinched if it's within the rules. last year, mike powell played with a pretty pinched razer and not one ref did anything. i'm sure if they were to check someone's stick, it would've been him.

[mx255]

the razer is one of the more pinched heads as it is and it is probably unnecesary to pinch it any more unless you want to close up the top of the stick.

[Dan]

I'll put up pictures of my X2 shortly. It isn't that pinched, though. Actually, I just flared the sidewalls. D men like to snag passes.

[mx255]

yah the x2 needs to be pinched. They should make an udated version that is pinched like an x3

[spenny]

Originally posted by WarriorLax22
i don't think refs give you penalties if your stick is pinched if it's within the rules. last year, mike powell played with a pretty pinched razer and not one ref did anything. i'm sure if they were to check someone's stick, it would've been him.

the rule reads: "any stick that is modified to gain a competitive advantage"

pinching certainly falls into that category.
i'm not saying that all refs will notice, but i am saying that some refs, especially in HS and youth, will notice and will call it
(NCAA refs are supposed to just let the players play)

i have see this call as both a player and as a coach.

[LiLiZaRdPrIdE]

Ya deffinitly dont learn to pinch on an expensive head. I learned on my blaze. Also, I dont think its neccacary to pinch a razor even more than it is. Most the time when people do that it screws up the head.

[VeronaLax17]

Well it all depends on the type of player that you are. I used a pinched razor for face-offs. Pinching it made it just a little more flexable and the ball fits perfectly in the back so when i get the clamp flex the side walls i can just come out with the ball and then flip it back in the correct side of the pocket.

[CSweet]

yea i think i wont be pinching my razor. After the tenth guy told me that a razor is pinched enough, i think i know by now. i dont think i will be trying to pinch heads for awhile since im still in highschool. i have had seen alot of illegal stick calls been made so i dont think ill be risking it.

But heres another question for you all.
I've only heard, but, i heard that it is illegal to dye the mesh of your stick. How come?

[bigDman]

its nboit illegal to dye your mesh(althugh i wouldnt do it) its illegal too dye it two colors on one side
i wouldnt dye mesh because you need hot watter to do that and hot watter shrinks mesh and you will never get a good pocket(speaking from experince) if you want coloerd mesh order it off www.jimalax.com much better

[RockStar]

Originally posted by titans 43
I can't find that pinching article on rude boys lacrosse, where is it?

Damn, I think they took it down.

Basically, it was instructions for stick baking. I prefer to boil, but I've done both, and they both work.

Their procedure took a Warrior Razer, "...a terrible stick for box", and made it into a decent box stick.

-Take a small Campbell's soup can, which is just slightly wider than a laX ball.

-Wet a cloth, and wrap it tightly around the soup can.

-Pinch the rails around the can, and tie it all up tight with sidewall string

-This causes the scoop to warp out of shape badly, so take a couple pieces of string and run them between the top string holes and sidewall holes. Tie them tight to secure the scoop in a useable shape.....for you field guys, make sure that there's still 6.5". For me, I'll go a little tighter, maybe 5.5", by letting the scoop curve in a bit and letting it come to a bit more of a point than you guys would like (helps with Indian pickups on a concrete floor....regular scooping is easy enough that you don't have to worry as much about a screwed up scoop).

-Now that you've got it all tied the way you want it, get the oven mitts, grab the shaft, and stick it in the middle of a 350 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Use a table mounted vise, or workmate table if you don't feel like standing there for 5 to 7 minutes.

-After baking, dunk it in a bucket of cool water for a few minutes, and then restring and use.

[ASJT3]

i dyed my mesh red and it was really hard to get a good pocket if u want to it looks pretty cool.

[titans 43]

thanks RockStar, that was helpful.

[laxer17]

its pretty pinched as it is but if u wont to pinch it more put it in boiling water then pinch it.