My First Time

I found a couple of images online that looked really detailed, and I was able to study them and string it from there. Needless to say, my first few tries weren’t pretty, and I unstrung and restrung the same head three times before I really liked it. However, about a week later I was studying up on my favorite Wahoo, and I saw that he used a Pita Pocket – not just your run of the mill traditional string job.

As you could guess by some of my tendencies mentioned already, I went home, unstrung my stick and restrung it with a Pita Pocket. A couple days of tweaking and messing with the head later, I was hooked. I immediately went to the local lacrosse shop and purchased some more leathers and cross-lace so I could give my LAS-themed stick a Pita Pocket as well.

After playing with the Pita for a few weeks, I was a loyal follower of the Pita Pocket Movement (#ThingsIMadeUp). Soon, I was busy recruiting others to join! I was able to convince a player I coach to switch over, and he loved it as well. Then, just the other day, the boss came rolling through the office with a new Revolution 2.0 X head he just received. Without even asking, I knew exactly what he wanted and obliged to his requests of a Pita Pocket.

This is the story of that pocket…

Striding Man’s New Pita Pocket

1. Preventive maintenance

I start out by soaking the leathers in really hot water mixed with conditioner for 10-15 minutes. I could be completely off my rocker, but I think the conditioner helps extend the life of the leathers. I ring out the leathers and stretch them out so there isn’t much give when it is finally strung.

2. Inserting the leathers

The next two steps I take when stringing the stick are to insert the leathers with the rough side facing out and I tie them all down tightly to the throat of the head. Then I string up the sidewall, I like to keep them very evenly spaced down the sidewall as pictured above.

3. Stringing the middle leathers

Once the sidewall is strung, I start on the middle two leathers. I find the middle of the crosslace and mark it with a pen so it ends up even for when I cut the lace and string up the next section. Starting at the top of the stick, string the lace from the back to the front, and then bring it back over the mark in the middle and twist it as it comes from the front to the back.

I twist it three times between each point where it’s connected to the leathers. I like to keep the crosslace holding the leathers tighter at the top and looser towards the bottom, I feel like this gives me more control and hold when I’m cradling. For the first six sections, I keep the leathers really tight to the head. Then as I head another section or two, depending on the head and the depth I want in the pocket, I evenly loosen it up enough to add in the next two.

Once I am done, I tie several half hitches at the bottom, then tie the toe laces together in a figure-eight knot so I can cut them and move onto the next step.

4. Stringing the leathers to the sidewall

Once I’m done with the middle section, I connect the outside leathers to the sidewall. If you look closely in the picture, you can see that each knot on the outside leathers is spaced between two of the knots on the inside leathers. When you finally connect it all together, this helps to create a nice, even diamond pattern.

For connecting the leathers to the sidewall, I used to do it all really tight, but I didn’t like how it broke in and how much space I had between the two sets of leathers once I connected them all together. As I move down the sidewall, I give it some tension with my hand so I can have an idea of where it will stretch to. This helps to keep both sidewalls even, as well as giving the stick a nice pocket.

It is important to note that the inside two leathers should have one more or as many sets of half-hitches as the outside leathers. This allows the pocket to be strung very evenly.

5. Connecting the leathers

Now for the fun part, stringing both sets of leathers together. I’ve heard it done several ways, one at a time, together, and even with a ball. I like to string the outer leathers to the inner ones at the same time. This lets me tweak it as I go down and keeps it really even the whole way.

I string the crosslace through the upper-most sidewall hole, in this case on that was on the scoop and then bring it through the outer leathers and into the middle section. As you can see in the picture, string each knot through the other knots so it is secure and won’t move around.

As you continue stringing, you can start to see the diamonds being created by the placement of each knot.

When you run out of space, tie one more set of half-hitches to the outside leathers and string it to the sidewall with a figure-eight knot.

The stick should actually have a little of a pocket already. You can really see the difference in the tension of the middle strings in the picture above. Towards the top of the stick it is much tighter, then as you get towards the pocket, it gets much looser. Here is another view of the completed stringing below.

6. The Shooting Strings

Shooting strings are a little different on traditional stringing than they are on mesh, at least in the sense that there isn’t an exact line of mesh holes that you string through. I like to string one hole at a time to make sure I get the shooters even and flat on the head. If you look in the picture below, you can see that I aimed between two main sets of knots on the stick.

I use three shooters and one crosslace at the very top. Other than the fact that I think two shooters just looks goofy, I feel like I’m able to really fine tune my pocket with three.

A slightly different view, this one allows you to see the stringing of the shooters a little better.

7. Breaking in the pocket

From here, I think it is very important to play with it A LOT right away. This allows you to break it in and really make all the little adjustments you need to. It goes without saying that a traditionally strung stick is going to have a little more maintenance than a normal mesh pocket. In the end though, I think the benefits of a traddy outweigh the negatives.

Before handing her over, I played around with the stick a little bit to make sure that it would have a chance at pleasing the boss. From what I’ve heard he is very pleased with pocket, I think we have another convert! I snagged a few more pictures of the stick after a weekend of him breaking it in. You can see from the pictures that the pocket has gotten a little bit deeper.

8. Maintenance

Once you’re past Step 7, there’s no looking back. As you begin using the head everyday, you’ll need to adjust the crosslaces and shooting strings from time to time to make sure that it continues to throw smoothly. Just like on any head, you’ll want to double check your sidewall string before gameday and take preventive measures so that none of the strings, crosslace or leathers break on you. It’s just about being smart with your stick – treat it like its your baby.

One last picture, you have to check out the pocket. One of the best parts about the traditionally strung sticks is that you don’t need a bag to have good hold. This pocket is pretty deep, but it doesn’t have too much whip and still has a ton of hold.

For another take on how to string up a Pita pocket, check out Connor Wilson’s Lacrosse Stringing Tutorial: Pita Pocket. Think your Pita pocket is better? It probably is and we want to see it! Send us your pics to info@lacrosseallstars.com or through the LAS Tipline.

In fact, if you’re really paying attention, you might even catch something SO amazing that your socks will get blown right off your feet!  Have a watch if you haven’t already:

WOW.  Did you see that?  I know, unreal, right?  Oh, you missed it?  Well look at the 1:07 mark and watch through to the 1:11 mark.  Did you see it that time?

I am NOT talking about Rabil’s shaft magically changing colors from white to black.  That’s just some fancy camera work.  But the change in color DOES signal the amazing thing that probably happened, and it’s how this AMAZING feat was discovered.

Still can’t see what I’m talking about?  Ok, then watch this super slowed-down version of the video:

Now you can definitely see what happened.  Paul Rabil took a shot and literally BROKE the shaft in two solely by using the power his own body could generate.  Um, WHAAAAAAAAAT?

Yup, he broke that. I think.

When Rabil’s shaft is black, it’s a Swizzle. but I have no  idea what kind of shaft he was using when the shaft was white.  So I can’t say WHAT shaft he was able to break just by shooting with it.  But even if it’s just an aluminum shaft, that’s still incredibly impressive.  He didn’t bend it.  It didn’t bend and then snap.  It just split in half because of the bending (and not shear force, thanks Engineer Lee) force Rabil puts on it.  Or it’s just the end cap coming off.

So do you think he broke the shaft with his shot?  Is the Zapruder work impressive?  Or is it just smoke and mirrors and I’ve been had?  I mean, it does look like just an end cap sometimes.

And this brings me to a couple of BIG gear questions!

As lacrosse athletes get bigger and stronger, will the technology used to make equipment need to improve greatly to deal with the extra force players are able exert?  Will we see an MLL or college player break a lacrosse shaft in mid-shot during a game soon? Will “shaft snapping” become a regular occurrence in our sport?

If Paul Rabil can break a shaft just by SHOOTING with it, maybe this is a sign that we need more heavy duty equipment. Or maybe lacrosse could end up like hockey, a sport in which players go through countless shafts each season. What do you think?

All video and screen grabs in this post are from ESPN’s youtube page.

Ok, maybe you’re not with me on the last point, but that’s certainly the vibe I got.

Basically, it’s a thinker’s advertising spot.  The Easton Lacrosse logo isn’t smattered all over the place, and Brett’s face can barely even be seen at most times.  It’s not about flashy cut aways or impossibility.  There are no “big hits” or sidearm snipes, and there are no girls in bikinis anywhere.  Nope, not one.

I’m not even sure if Brett is using an Easton head or lacrosse ball.  The shaft is definitely Easton. But I don’t even know if Easton makes lacrosse balls, and you know what?  I don’t even CARE!

Maybe I’m just old, and I am starting to appreciate somewhat more thoughtful material more and more.  Or maybe I’m just inspired by (and a little jealous of) Brett Queener’s wall ball skills.  But either way, I liked the spot and it made me want to play lacrosse.  That’s a good thing for Easton. It also made me want to live in a teepee in the woods, but that’s another story, and probably not a bad thing either.

So is lacrosse advertising going through an overhaul?  Will we see more stuff like this, the GTG ad from Maverik, and others?  Or will we see a continuation of “Lacrosse in 2025″ and gear-heavy, pro lax style advertising?

I don’t know that one style is superior to the other, although I have my own personal preference.  So what do YOU think?  Will lacrosse advertising see a big change from here on out?  Or is it going to be more mainstream and predictable?

Here is a preview of a new UA print ad! Looks AWESOME!

We got the chance to speak with Mitch Belisle (Cornell, Boston Cannons, Minnesota Swarm) of Trilogy Lacrosse to gather some additional details for our readers, and after hearing a bit more, we too are confident that this will be a great deal for both parties.  Let’s get to the nitty-gritty!

I asked Mitch, “Why UA?  You guys are some of the best players in the world, of all the lacrosse brands out there, why choose Under Armour to work with?”  And I was was also curious if this was a gloves/heads/pads deal as well…  I’ll get to the latter first.

Yes, this a pads, heads, gloves deal.  Ryan Boyle, Greg Downing, Mitch Belisle and Matt Striebel are ALL Under Armour guys now.  They’ll rock the pads, the heads and more, and will be featured in UA’s next advertising campaign.  They are the new faces of UA lacrosse.

When Mitch spoke about why they chose UA, he spoke about the company’s vision and goals for, and within, the sport.  He said their desire to “provide the best, and get the word out it in a grass roots style” was very similar to the approach Trilogy takes.  It makes for a good marriage, and there is a lot of common ground.  Under Armour being Baltimore based, and a lot of the Trilogy guys being Baltimore guys, didn’t hurt either.

Love this one too. Great intensity!

A burning question I had was whether there was any potential hesitation from Trilogy to partner with UA after the issues at Maryland this year, but that was laughed off quickly.

For Trilogy, it is about patterns and trajectory.  The attitude is: last year was Under Armour’s first year really making lacrosse padding and heads, and there are always going to be ups and downs, but Trilogy is completely confident that their success in the lacrosse world will be the same as their overall success.  Basically, there was no hesitation whatsoever.

In the end, this is a deep partnership.  UA gets a ton of direct exposure to all the campers and players from Trilogy, and indirect exposure from all the teams who play Trilogy.  They also picked up four of the best players in the game.  The Trilogy coaches get support and sponsorship, and will be able to draw in more players with the lovely apparel UA already produces.  The kids get high quality apparel, and coaches who can afford to dedicate themselves more fully to coaching.  It’s definitely a win-win-win.

But let’s take this one step further… is this a better deal for Under Armour than picking up another school to sponsor? Do they get better exposure from a deal like this?  Can they convert young players to UA lacrosse and keep them for life? What do YOU think about this deal?

Some of this dates to WAY back when, and despite the age a lot of it is in pretty great shape.

These are definitely the oldest gloves I've ever put on.

Floating cuff. What's that written on the palm?

When I play with horsehide gloves, I'll only use the Flip Flop model.

Brine Superlight 2+2 head in my favorite color

EXTRA STRENGTH. I'd love 24 Seven Lax to put that to the test.

Some old Brown stuff

I've only seen these on the internet.

Amisco Warrior. Totally rare to see today.

Now what is this thing? Let's look a bit closer...

First "youth stick" with offset? Cool!

Product: Cor Strength Shaft
Company: Orion Lacrosse
Price: $129

New shafts come out every year, often boasting some sort of new technology that is supposed to help make them lighter, help you throw better checks, or be more durable.  I’ve seen holes in shafts to decrease weight, different types of metals to balance the strength to weight ratio, “flex points” to increase torque, and even different composites (or layers) that take a completely different approach to creating a shaft that is both light AND durable.

We recently received the Cor Strength Shaft from Orion Lacrosse to test out.  Right off the bat, it seemed like this could be a very promising new stick.  The Cor Strength Shaft features some pretty cool technology that, at least in theory, sounds like it is the real deal.  I took it to the Elite Lacrosse gym and Men’s Indoor for two weeks to see how it would hold up through shots, stick checks, and a little D-middie action.

The shaft is made up of two layers:  (1) a round carbon fiber core surrounded by (2) a composite layer over the round core.

Starting with the core; the round shape is said to have superior flexibility for greater head speed and power as well as superior durability due to the round structure, instead of the traditional octagon.  The composite over the round core is made up of composite ControLite™ armor that protects the inner core and absorbs the stick checks.  The ControLite™ armor actually has a lot of little benefits to it that you will see mentioned in several areas throughout my review.

Black on Red on Black on Red.

Appearance… +1.5

The Cor Strength Shaft has a very nice, clean look to it.  Dressed in black, it isn’t anything wild or out of this world, but it looks aggressive, and even better, it functions well.  But more on that below.  The shaft features the ‘Orion’ logo and the ‘Cor Strength’ logo on either end with a subtle “honeycomb” pattern to accompany the logos.

Logo details on either end of the shaft (notice the honeycomb design by the "Orion" logo.

It may be due to the fact that the material used is only available in black, but the only available options for the Cor Strength right now are black/red, black/blue, and black/silver.  You won’t hear any complaints from me about this, but I could see some people turn their noses up because their isn’t a carolina blue, magenta, or volt… whatever.  Black is on point.

Available with blue, red, or silver details.

Grip… +2

The grip is actually one of the major “new” features of the product and one of my favorites.  There are two points to the grip that both factor in to why the shaft scores two points in this section, and both relate to the Composite ControLite™ armor around the inner core of the shaft.

First, the armor is much more of a skin than anything else and the grip acts as such.  It is very similar to the rubberized texture that many shafts feature today, but is actually something that won’t wear off or chip away.  The armor is also a porous material, that means it won’t get as slippery if it is raining or snowing outside.  Second, the armor actually flexes when gripped and you feel it even more so at higher speeds when shooting or checking.  There is very little need for tape on this shaft.

Weight… +1.5

At 6.9 oz. it is far from the lightest shaft on the market, but by no means does it feel like you are carrying around a lead weight.  It should be pretty apparent that the added density of the shaft will also add to the weight, but it is still lighter than even some of the higher-end titanium shafts on the market.

I’ve set aside some shafts in the past because I didn’t like how heavy the shaft seemed compared to the head.  This was not the case at all with the Orion, even with a little extra weight in the handle, my stick didn’t feel unbalanced, nor did I even notice a huge difference in weight when switching from my other shaft made of Scandium.

Strength/Durability… +1.5

The strength is also another driving force behind this shaft. As mentioned earlier, the strength is supposed to be one of the biggest benefits to this stick.  The two layers of the stick play into making it more durable and that really compliment one another.

Before we move on though, let’s talk a little about the actual make-up of the stick, because it is definitely durable in many aspects.  Without being too repetitive, the round core is a big factor in increasing the strength and durability of the shaft.  The core is then protected even more by the composite ControLite™ armor that helps to protect the core by absorbing checks to the stick.

Cutaway of the inner and outer layers of the shaft.

The ControLite™ armor bruises a little, but we were told this is normal.  Orion is constantly working to find new ways to improve their shaft and the new finish on this shaft really helps to give it a little extra durability. Even just since their first shafts were released to the public, Orion has revisited their make-up multiple times to find more impact resistant composite materials and carbon fiber, as well as search for the best, most durable structure of the shaft.

This shaft is a workhorse and there were several conversations about how tough it was. I’ve played with several composite shafts before and have even had one break over my leg in a high school game. None though, have impressed me like the Cor Strength has.

Value… +1.5

Coming in at $129, the Cor Strength is very smartly priced right in the middle of most attack/middie shafts.  I’d have to say it’s an admirable price given all the new features of it.  Especially since a lot of shafts with similar technologies usually are $150+.

Overall: 8/10

Orion is definitely onto something with the Cor Strength Shaft.  I love it when new companies pop up with ideas like they have here which push the envelope on shaft technology (and other equipment for that matter!).   I would highly recommend this for attackmen and offensive middies everywhere.  I am very excited to continue playing with this shaft throughout the summers as I travel from tournament to tournament with LAS and the Scallywags.

Want to learn more about Orion Lacrosse and what they’re up to?  Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and at OrionLacrosse.com.

Know of some gear you wish we would review?  Hit us up in the LAS Tipline and let us know what you think we should review next.

These may be the closest thing to Woozle cleats yet!

Order these bad girls at Lacrosse.com or LaxWorld.com

These would go perfectly with my Warrior TII helmet!

If only your school's colors were pink and black...

Your mom will thank you for buying these...for yourself...

Match made in Woozle heaven?

These look like great pockets from where I’m sitting, and their Facebook Page says he’s willing to string your stick too!

There's a LOT going on here. This guy knows his way around a trad pocket.

I've never seen traditional in a Reebok 10k head.

Nylon runners aren't even the most uncommon part of this pocket!

"Think Tom Shoes but for lacrosse." ~Con Bro Chill

The latest bit of news off the Con Bro Chill press junket is as exciting as always, but it has an uncharacteristic lack of gags, electronic music, and neon duct-tape apparel. I was starting to think they were gonna go off the deep end with the next big thing, but they swung a 180 on this laxtrendspotter. Instead, Con Bro is attempting Tom’s shoes for lax sticks in his new 1-for-1 lacrosse stick donation program. Let’s take a gander.

When you buy the $80 Boom Town Shred Stick, they give a stick to charity!

The long and short of it is Con Bro Chill has teamed up with True Temper (just like STX, 1 Lacrosse, and Epoch) to produce…a shaft that says BOOM TOWN really big on it.

When you support CBC and his crew of certified Game Growers, hooligans, and miscreants, you actually become a Game Grower yourself. For every shaft purchased by the general public, CBC and company will purchase and donate a complete entry-level stick to a lacrosse charity in need. Here’s a bit about the different organizations CBC plans to support through this project, straight from his website announcement:

“The first charity we will support is Denver City Lax, a non-profit that works to create educational and life opportunities for youth in under-served Denver, CO  areas by introducing them to the sport of lacrosse. After we get those kiddos set up we will move on to the Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership Organization. After that we don’t know, but we can’t wait to find out who will get set up next!”

It's really as simple as that. We hope this catches on.

To support Con Bro Chill’s 1-for-1 Stick Donation program, visit his website and get yours now!

At only $80.00 a shaft, there’s almost zero margin for profit if they are also buying a complete entry-level stick, so despite the fact that Con Bro Chill Enterprises is a for-profit organization, this is definitely not the big moneymaker for these guys. I’m glad they’ve chosen to “offer people a chance to give back to the game that has given [them] so much,” and Sweet Sweet Lax supports this endeavor entirely.