New to LAX

[bruno6491]

I am a sophomore this year and for medical reasons was not able to play lax for my high school. It is the first year for my high school to have lax and i have a cousin that played and loved it. I am not sure on what stick is good but i will be playing attack and want a decent, but not outrageous shaft/head combo. I am looking at about 130 for shaft and head. I am looking at a STX Proton Power dura mesh pocket V pre-strung and the the Zirconium shaft.

Any opinions or ideas on what i should buy. A beginner but quick learner, so don't want to buy cheap then have to buy all over again.

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated, Bruno

[WSlax9]

i think the proton power is a lil bit too pinched for a beginner so i would get the original proton that is a lil bit more wider but still great for any level players. Zirconium shaft is great for all level but if you want a stronger/lighter shaft get the Kryptolyte. its strong and great for ALL level players (even pros use it).

~hope this helps WSlax9

[Lacrosse4life31]

Well bruno, i reccomend the Warrior Kryptolyte shaft with a Warrior Mojo head, with hard mesh, good beginner starter stick, it will last you awhile, its pretty durable, pretty light, the kryptolyte is the god of all shafts, i don't know a person that doesn't own one. seriously, its the best weight/strength/price ratio out there.

The mojo, i have only heard good things, i don't know too much about it, but like i said, i have only heard good things about the mojo. its alittle wide to help catching, but its still alittle pinched to help you learn to cradle well. From what i hear, its pretty dang durable too, especially for only being $55.

Buy it from www.lax.com/shop best prices, best selection, even better customer service. the total would be: 124.80, plust S+H. enjoy

PS, i would definatly get the kryptolyte shaft no matter what, BUT some other heads i reccomend: Brine Cyber, Brine Vapor, STX Bionic (this head is a tad heavy to some, but i thought it was just like any other head... weight doesn't bother me to much), Gait Triton these are all great heads for great prices!

Also, if i were you, just get regular hard mesh, not this dura crap, go with regular hard mesh!

[bruno6491]

thanks for the quick replies. I will check out those, and the shaft sound like a good one to.
Anyone else, and thanks in advance

Bruno

[bruno6491]

should i try to string my own, or just go with pre-strung since i have not a clue how to to, thanks again


what about the crankshafts??

[Lacrosse4life31]

should i try to string my own, or just go with pre-strung since i have not a clue how to to, thanks again


what about the crankshafts??

buy them strung, its not that hard to string, but it IS hard to get good at it. buy them STRUNG!!

ehh, crankshafts are kinda cool, but for beginners i would just go with klyte and mojo. you can try out other combos, but i would give the crankshaft a year to see if they catch on, they are somewhat new so the flaws aren't all fixed yet and when i tried it out from a middy on my team, it feels alot different, in both good and bad ways. It is awesome when it cradles, you feel the ball very well. throws great. but for some reason (maybe its just me) i had trouble catching with it. Now, i play goalie and i have played 3 years of lacrosse prior to this past season, and it felt weird. Other people that have more experience then me on TLF could probably help you out a bit more, but if i were you just stick with the basics. What kind of gloves, armpads and shoulder pads do you want/getting?

[bruno6491]

the school provides us with that pads and stuff, so if they are really cheap, i would probably get a pair for myself, but not sure what those cost.
My main sport since i was 5 has been soccer, but i have developed knees pains that won't allow me to play 50-60 minutes of hard running and kicking, so with lax, i hope i can be active, but not need to run nearly as much. Any tips on what to do to practice or any tips for a real beginner

Thanks for all the help, learned more in the last 5 minutes than two hours of research on the internet.

bruno

[Lacrosse4life31]

go for attack, midfield you run non-stop, attack you just need quick bursts when its on your side of the field. stretch alot, and just try and keep in shape. PRACTICE ALL SUMMER!!! get your basic skills up, be able to catch, pass, cradle, switch hands (use opposite hand, aka your offhand, if you can get good at that, your coaches will adore you. If you don't have an offhand, then it just makes everything harder) and maybe even practice shooting.
DON'T GET FRUSTRATED!!! have a friend try and help you learn the techniques to throw and catch etc. etc. if you can, find a wall and do "wall ball" usually a school has tall walls, with cement on the ground so it bounces, it actually helps alot more then passing when you are first learning. passing to another person is good, only when you have the basics down, other wise you just learn to adjust to get the ball to that spot, wall ball on the other hand, you are able to test how hard you throw, where to throw so it bounces back easily, and just overall a better thing to start with.

Practice is always alot more fun with a buddy. always. Try to get out everyday and practice! --i live across the street from my old elementary school (i am a sophmore such as yourself) and at my elementary school they have the black-top with a high wall for the gym (gym's are usually very tall so people won't bust out lights obviously) so i have a perfect setup.
Stay in shape, the slow kids, weak kids on my team are terrible, no matter how good they can cradle or pass, they are PUSH OVERS. if you are fast, and strong, that makes up for alot.... well in JV league, not college, but JV. for example, there a kid on my team, this was his first year too, terrible stick handling skills and catching, BUT when he did get the ball... he just ran past everyone, in fact he was the only first year to get 2 goals this past season!
Also, since you stated you have played soccer for most of your life, you probably have very good foot work. that is very much needed, so you are already ahead of the game!

When you practice, ALWAYS ALWAYS practice with your gloves on. and if you do get a helmet, practice around at your house with it on. its alot different with a helmet on. Trust me, i remember first puting on my helmet... i couldn't catch or throw. it was tough! also when you do get your pads, practice with those on--don't have to all the time, but make sure you know the feeling of what its like to practice full pads.
When its raining, go on these forums and read about lacrosse! EAT SLEEP AND PLAY LACROSSE 24/6 (you can take a days break lol)
If you are serious about playing, then get serious about practicing, and like i said DON'T GET FRUSTRATED.. ITS TOUGH AT FIRST!!! if you know that you get frustrated easily, just remember that, and try your best not to! ITS NOT EASY!! it comes with time and practice. the more you practice, the better you will become. it also helps to do different things such as Run while cradling around a soccer/lax field once and see how many times you drop the ball. then next week try it again and see if you improve. and so on, just test yourself and have your friend step you throw things. watch your friend do things and see what tips he can give you.

Watch lacrosse on TV, during the summer every tuesday on ESPN2 (i think at 1:00) there a MLL game. watch those to see how the game is played.

hope this helped!

[HawkletLax]

db803 and a gait triton
easy to string, if you get it unstrung and also db803 is the lightest shaft on the market, and you can get them for 60-65 dollars

[Lacrosse4life31]

db803 and a gait triton
easy to string, if you get it unstrung and also db803 is the lightest shaft on the market, and you can get them for 60-65 dollars
true, but they aren't the strongest... my friend broke his and we were only halfway done with the season, but maybe his was a defect, i have heard lots of great things. plus, i love the grip on the 803's and 803 ICE's

[bruno6491]

if i had to buy one thing to use when i practice, i don't have the funds to buy everything, so what should be first. Also, can i use my soccer cleats to play with or i need special LAX ones? Do i need to worry about illegal stick/shaft/head at all, like pinch (what ever that is not being to big or small). Thanks again, very very much appreciated

Bruno

[Lacrosse4life31]

obviously buy the stick, TRY and get gloves too, even if they are cheap 20 dollar ones, just try and practice with gloves.
YES soccer cleats work, in fact alot of attackmen use them because they have low ankles which is good for dodging and quick footing. i personally use Under Armour football cleats, but i play goalie so it doesn't really matter to much. you shouldn't worry about the pinch untill 2009, thats when the new stick rules come out. there a sticky thread about which heads will be legal in 2009, the Brine Cyber being one of them. just get a decent stick, some gloves (or at least borrow some gloves from someone you know..) and don't worry about the stick legality, if you buy a stick brand new, don't worry about it! if you buy it off of someone, then worry. basically, if the ball get stuck anywhere on the head of the stick and doesn't come out, then you should be worried, but like i stated before if you buy it brand new, don't be worried!

keep the questions coming!

[bruno6491]

any recommendations on gloves, i am going on a 3 week vacation on the 22 of june so i will get the gloves when i get back but want to get the stick hopefully before i leave, but probably save up till after i get back.

[Lacrosse4life31]

just look on www.lax.com/shop for stuff

I reccomend the Warrior Hypno's, good price and great for beginners

[Laxmatt92]

I would recomend getting gloves first so you get used to them. After playing a while with gloves on it feels different without them and vice versa. You are just fine with soccer cleats, you don't need to get lax cleats unless you really want to. If you get a factory strung stick you shouldn't really have to worry about it being illegal. It would also help to read up on lax rules so you understand what and what not to do, whats legal and whats not, etc.

[manup5183]

Find a guy to string it for you or send it to me or any other stringers on these forums. You do not want factory strung. Trust me.

[Lacrosse4life31]

yea get used to your gloves, always always practice with them, gloves and your stick is all you need to get started out. thats how i started out just gloves and stick, i didn't get all of my equipment untill 2 weeks before my 6th grade season started but i did just fine because i was used to all the motions and was perfectly fine with my gloves and stick handling etc. etc.

like Laxmatt92 said, read up on the rules. its not the most fun thing to do, but really helps. and like i stated before, watch some lacrosse on TV, although the MLL lets some things go, just to make it even more entertaining, its still good to just get the basics down. thats all you have to focus on right now, the basics. get those down and you will be set. everything after the basics just starts coming to you, its fun!

EDIT: Manup5183, factory strung isn't that bad, infact i kinda like it... Bruno, just to tell you, stringing is a very preferencial type of subject, everybody likes something different so its one of those things that you have to try out for yourself and see if you like it.

[bruno6491]

thanks, i will read over those in the morning, this is a great site as well, thanks for all the help and feedback

Still interested in either the krypto and mojo set up, the proton power and the zirconium set up, and also the x3 crankshaft 10 set up. Which is the best?? or a combination or others that might be good for a mid level skill level?

[bruno6491]

also can the shafts be interchangeable between different heads?? like a db803 on a stx proton power or a mojo?? thanks again

[Lacrosse4life31]

thanks, i will read over those in the morning, this is a great site as well, thanks for all the help and feedback

Still interested in either the krypto and mojo set up, the proton power and the zirconium set up, and also the x3 crankshaft 10 set up. Which is the best?? or a combination or others that might be good for a mid level skill level?
its all preference. I wouldn't go with the proton power and zirconium set up just yet... the proton power is a bit pinched for beginners, i wouldn't go for that at all.. more for advanced players

Klyte+Mojo, good like i have stated before.

Cranker+X3, don't know to much about, seems kool, when i did try it, it was was nice. just do more reasearch, don't let one person such as myself influence you. Sticks is almost all preference, gotta try it for yourself type of thing. just have fun with it, and remember, you can never have too much... also, ask your parents for support financially and mentally wise!

remember, lacrosse is a sport and just to have fun with... always keep that in mind even though people sometime forget..

[Lacrosse4life31]

also can the shafts be interchangeable between different heads?? like a db803 on a stx proton power or a mojo?? thanks again
yup, but usually you have to drill a new hole (the back of the head on the throat has a hole to put a screw in to keep it on the shaft, different companies put their holes in different spots, its not that big of a deal and it doesn't mess up the shaft at all

[Laxmatt92]

Yes, most heads and shafts are interchageable. The Crankshaft though, is only compatible with the K18, Kannon, and X3. Thats all I can think of off the top of my head, but I think thats it.

[Lacrosse4life31]

Yes, most heads and shafts are interchageable. The Crankshaft though, is only compatible with the K18, Kannon, and X3. Thats all I can think of off the top of my head, but I think thats it.

yea, basically if i were you, just get kryptolyte so you can buy different heads and interchange them.

[bruno6491]

thanks, that makes it easier, will do research on the crankshaft, and i will probably get the db803 and the mojo or triton head

thanks so much, and if you think of anything else for me, please pm or post here

thanks bruno

[Lacrosse4life31]

yea 803 is great, i hope you like it, triton is great too, in fact i would try the triton because i have 3 of them and i love them!!! great head... i think i'll do a review on them tomarrow, i have had them for 2 1/2 years and have never let me down, i can get pictures up tomarrow if you want, the reason i suggest the mojo because its like the finalizer and i liked the finalizer too, but yea go with triton and 803... good thing you brought that up because i totally forgot about the triton... great combo
ENJOY!

[CHLaxMaster]

hey I'm a beginner too n i wanna play attack/middie n I'm not sure what to buy cuz everyday i'm on the forum i see ppl sayin other stuff so it's kinda hard to figure out what's best for my level.

First i was thinking of the K18 SP and AG's

and since today i tend more to Warrior MPG Hitman 5.5 SP's and MPG 5.5 AG's (theres not a REAL difference when it comes to the $ except that the K18 AG's are a bit more expensive than the warrior ones.)

and is it really better to start off with a head like the AV8 or something like that instead of directly play with an Evo Pro kinda head?

I also thought of a K Pro shaft.

Thanks for the help!

[sick lax player]

a good head that i suggest is a liquid with 6 diamond mesh. I don't know too much about shafts but i think a good shaft to have is vanadium shaft. The head costs a little bit more than what you had in mind. It's $120 and the shaft I think is about $60.

[sick lax player]

I don't think you should start with a head as expensive as the k18 or as cheap as the AV8. you should start with and evo pro or a revo pro.

[Lax4life528]

icon-best beginner head ever

[spyopticgoggles]

Also, if i were you, just get regular hard mesh, not this dura crap, go with regular hard mesh!

dura mesh is regular hard mesh.

[gtodude]

kryptolytes runs about $70 bucks. ive played with one for 4 years and love it. now i got an sc+ti premiere, but thats $160. so a klyte is good and if anything the original proton or an evo 2.0. i loveeeeeeeeeeee those heads

[Jrptweety]

Hey man.. .. in the same position as u are...... ive read all the reviews and stuff its between mojo, triton, and bionic. I CANT DECIDE lol

[mohiganlax31]

love my bionic. got 6D on it. it provides greater hold