Custom stringing Womens head for positions

[Rambler]

I am a Lax dad that has a daughter playing HS Attack (3rd home). She and several of her friends are asking me to restring their sticks for various reasons. Some are defenders, some middies, etc. Sticks are mostly DeBeers (Apex, Envy). We live in the South, so there are not many LAX shops that are not 99% men's lacrosse, or have little to no experience with women's stringing. they all offer up a Trakker stringing kit and say "there are instructions inside". Having done this once already, I want to try and improve on the premade stringing.

I have read the threads here that I could find on Womens and traditional stringing.

But my questions are these:
How would you string sticks differently depending on the position being played?

Should you have more leather thongs on shooting sticks (4-5) or fewer (2-3)?
Is more string (knots) better on defense sticks or not? Most of their delivery of the ball is really passing, maybe long passes.
Or does the head make more of an obstruction to the opposing attack players if it has more knots?
Should an Attack sticks stringing be as light as possible to increase head speed?
So would a 2 leather thong 3 string thong with 8 knots per thong configuration be the best for a shooting head?
Is more of a channel important for shooters or control passers (middies)?
How should a middie's configuration differ since they are playing more all around?
Should they have more knots for ball control? Do more knots provide better ball control? Or do more thongs?
And I have seen shooting strings that are straight across or ^shaped. Which is better for which positions?
What controls the shooting characteristics for shooting strings, the tension of the strings or the number of wraps they have?

I know these are alot of questions and it may take a book to answer them. If there is one out there, tell me the name and I will buy it.

Most of the players in this area don't experiment much with their stringing so they don't have much input.

I suspect you seasoned veterans out there could provide some good insight into this.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Rambler

[spenny]

ive moved this to the WLax forum where you should get more responses.

first thing to do is download the WLax rulebook from NCAA.org, there are some specific rules that must be followed when stringing WLax sticks, stuff that doesnt pertain to the mens game

[laxfreakR220]

truely, the only thing between stick and position may be whip. A midde or forward may want to have a stick that can release a pass with out much windup, this is for tight situations and quick passes. Defense may want a more whippy pocket because they would (as thought) wind up more and need more power and speed to throw the balldown the field.

[RYU]

First, if you haven't already, read through the following thread, so you'll have a better understanding of what is legal for wlax pockets.

http://www.lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=42372

Second, as spenny advised, if don't already own a USL Wlax Rulebook, then download the NCAA one and go through Appendix E covering stick specifications (identical to Rule 9 in USL Rulebook).

http://www.ncaa.org/library/rules/2007/2007_w_lacrosse_rules.pdf

Third, the short answer to your long question is it all boils down to personal preference, just as it does for mlaxers. Due to the multitude of restrictions and the shallow requirement of wlax pockets, there differences & variations you can string in a wlax pocket are much less appreciable than in men's.

Most of the players in this area don't experiment much with their stringing so they don't have much input.Trust me, it's not just your area. By & large at every level in every area, the vast majority of wlaxers will play w/ whatever comes prestrung in their sticks. They are more concerned w/ the colors of their pockets than the actual design. The differences among pockets are so subtle, it takes a player w/ excellent fundamentals & high degree of stickwork sensitivity to be able to detect much less appreciate the differences in one stringing over another.

[Rambler]

Thanks for the replies. I do have the rulebook and I did review the restrictions
4-5 thongs
8-12 knots
Pocket depth

I guess it is difficult to understand the roles the different strings play in relationship to a stick's shooting/catching characteristics.
When you say "whippy", what primariy gives that characteristic? The thongs? The number of knots? The tension?
For a quick release, the same questions...

It sounds like a traditional string job (4 thongs, 10 knots) on every stick will not make much difference versus something radically different.
Is that true? Are all the various string sets by DeBeer and Brine just marketing? Should I just ask them what colors they want and be done?

[D3Goalie9]

the whip has everything to do with how deep the pocket is. Obviously we don't have 'real' pockets like guys do, but there is definitely a difference in how tight some girls like their pockets to be if they want one at all.

looser=more whip...and you need to wind up follow through more

tight pocket=less whip (the ball will come out of the stick much faster) and it will come out of your stick right in front of your shoulder.