Stick Has Too Much Whip. Where Do I Put The Shooting Strings? How Do I String The Bottom Lace So The Ball Doesn't Fall Out?

Got this question from Alex today. More stick issues. Just a quick thought, I find a lot of goalies want an absolutely monster pocket so that they don't give up big rebounds but they can't throw the ball very far. If you want to have a big pocket you really need to have strong arms and shoulders to get the ball out of it with a good pass. But, as you get better you don't need that big of a pocket because your ability catch balls improves and because of the shallower pocket you can now throw the ball further. With a lot of young goalies I can usually solve a lot of problems just by tightening up the pocket. So keep that in mind prior to making this huge bag in your stick.

Here's Alex's Question: Im in 8th grade and i just started playing goalie. My head has alot of whip and when I go to clear the ball, it goes a few feet then drops. I need to know how and where to place the shooting strings, and how to string the bottom string so the ball won't fall out.

Answer: Hey there Alex. I recommend a couple of things:

1) Make sure the mesh of the stick is strung from sidewall to sidewall tight from the scoop to about a third of the way towards the throat. This is a general guideline but it's usually the first thing that helps. After you do that you'll need to...

2) Have at least three shooting strings. You can get by with two but for a guy your age and your strength level three will do you good. I recommend that the first shooting string be at least a row or two down from the plastic. (This will assume you are using at least a ten or twelve diamond mesh. I don't recommend anything larger than that.) I will use a sidewall lace as my top shooting string and make it very tight. This will set the tone for the top of the head and should make your releases a little bit better.

The next string should be another two rows down from the plastic. And the third row is two rows after that. The goal of the shooting strings is to create a ramp for the ball to come out of. If you have a whip a couple of things are happening. Either the shooting strings are too loose all together, or the mesh is too loose in relation to the lowest shooting string. It needs to be a transition, not a lip. Make sense?

As for the ball falling out it sounds to me like the lace down there is too loose. This is an easy fix but you're going to need more string. You can use a hockey lace if necessary. There should be four holes at the throat of the stick for this string. What I recommend is weaving the string through the mesh twice, once per hole. This is tough to explain via email but I'll try: Looking at the back of the stick, start on your left, bring the string from your left, through the plastic, up through the mesh, and then back out through the second hole in the plastic towards you. Now go back through the plastic through the second hole and back through the mesh and back through the fourth hole.

Now here's the trick. Tie the excess string on your left with the string you've pulled through on the right. You should use a square knot because it is the type of knot that won't pull apart. You can also use a slip knot for easy changing if you need to but that's not necessary if you string it up right. You just need to make sure that none of the holes are too big for the ball to go through and you should be all set.

Hope that helps Alex. Check out my blog if you need any more info. I'll post this answer on there as well so you can refer back to it.

Kick butt.

Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com