What Kind of Mesh Should I Use?

I got a question via email recently from a dad whose daughter is going to play D1 ball and he was curious as to what mesh was better for her. 16 Diamond hard mesh? Or 12 diamond hard mesh. Although I don't give a specific answer I'll give you my guidelines for choosing any type of mesh for your stick.



Couple of things first: When we look to string a goalie stick there are two main things we have to consider:

First: We want to be able to catch the hardest of shots and not give up rebounds.

Second: We need to be able to cradle the ball if we have to run out of the net.

Ok, three things: We need to be able to pass the ball.

For all three of these things it's important that we have as light a stick as possible. With technology stick head design has come a long way and heads are getting lighter.

With mesh we now have options for the size and amount of mesh in the pocket (i.e. 16d, 10d etc.) So when we consider what is a better mesh we need to keep this in mind. 16d mesh is fine, but obviously 12d is less "stuff" It therefore is slightly lighter especially in wet conditions. Less mesh means less mesh to soak up water when it gets wet.

So when it comes to actually moving to the ball and making the save it's important to have a light stick so we require less strength to move it quickly.

Now when it comes to catching the ball and cradling, we can string up a super-deep pocket that acts like a lobster trap when any ball hits it. And we can do this with any type of mesh. But the trade off goes with my third point which is passing the ball. We need to find a balance between having a deep enough pocket and having a pocket that allows us to make accurate passes with some distance to them.

This is where I'm going to go a little off course for you. Your daughter has already noticed a difference in her own playing style as she's gotten older. I will make an assumption that she has gotten stronger physically. This is a big deal and something that can affect what type of mesh you go with. Most of my female athletes (I'm a strength and conditioning coach as well) have incredibly weak hands compared to the rest of their body. As your daughters hand and forearm strength improves she will notice that playing with the 16d is easier.

I have incredibly weak hands myself due to some chronic neck injuries so I've always noticed a difference in the mesh I use. 16d is a little tougher to cradle with but easier to pass with. 12d holds the ball better in the pocket while cradling and running out of the cage but it can take more of a wind up to get a good pass off. And if you're running and you need a big wind up to get a pass off you're likely to drop the ball or get checked. But if you've got the hand strength you need less of a wind up. Hopefully that makes sense.

So what I have done personally is string up two sticks. They are both STX Eclipse heads. One has the 16d mesh and the other has the 12d. I've been using this set up now for two years. I find the 16d is easier to throw with, especially long passes. And even though it gets very heavy in the rain I find that the mesh doesn't "bag"out or get really deep and tough to throw with. I then make the trade off for weight oer the ability to make better passes in wet conditions.

The 12d pocket holds the ball really well and I can make huge stick fakes to throw off attakers when we clear the ball. It is a little tougher to throw with because it gets more of a lip at the top of the stick. With strong hands this isn't a problem. But with weaker ones it can be. When the 12d gets wet however the pocket tends to get VERY deep and tough to throw with. So that's when I go with the 16d. I think if I can find a way to adjust that stick fast enough I just might tighten up the pocket and try and use it in the rain. I just haven't had the time or circumstances to test that.

Your say your daughter hasn't tried a stick with wider sidewall lacing but doesn't like them. George that's like not letting her eat brussel sprouts! George Carlin once joked that his mom always said, "How do you know you don't like them if you've never even tried them?" I know what she means though. I don't like them either. Back when I was in high school the only way to get a deep enough pocket in a goalie stick was to have that extra sidewall lacing. So you can let her know that even though she doesn't like the look it may give her a deeper pocket if she needs it.

With todays mesh you can pretty much string it tight to the sidewalls and go with it. Very easy to string. But if you need more depth in the pocket you loosen up the sidewalls to get more depth.

So finally, have her work on her hand and forearm strength. This will really help her with all facets of her game. Saves. Passing. You name it.