Question: Josh writes to ask what length his goalie shaft should be and what he should do over the summer to improve.
Answer: Josh cut your shaft about six inches longer than the length of your arm. Stick the butt end in your arm pit and reach out straight with your fingers extended. Cut a six inches longer than the tip of your finger.
Stick length can be a touchy subject. I prefer that your stick be a mangageable length so you can move it efficiently in the cage and can cradle with it comfortably when you are out of the cage. If you are short I would cut it closer to three inches to your finger tips. If you are super tall it could be as long as nine inches longer than your arm.
Old school coaches recommend a long shaft so you can cut down passes around the cage. My thought on that is that you are not a defenseman you are a goalie. Your main objective is to stop shots and to clear the ball up field. I have found that a short shaft that you can deal with helps you do both where a long shaft typically can hurt you. I have always used a shorter shaft than most and it has served me well.
If you are young (early high school), start at six inches. If you find it is too long you can cut an inch off at a time to see what feels most comfortable.
Get as many shots in the off season. And read my blog you'll get a ton of tips there. If you can get to a camp that would also be a great choice. Getting around other goalies and other shooters will really improve your game.
Good luck!
Showing posts with label stick length. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stick length. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Mom Wants To Know What Lacrosse Stick To Buy For Her New Goalie?
New Lax Mom Writes: Hi, My son is just completing his first season in lacrosse and is in love. He is a goalie and has borrowed his coach's stick this season ( we wanted to make sure he really liked the position before buying another set of lacrosse equipment) and I was hoping to get your suggestions on a shaft and head. I was hoping to spend $150 total since we're also getting him a goal and sending him to lacrosse camp at F&M in Pa. He is tall for his age, about 100 lbs and athletically inclined( he is captain of both his football and lacrosse teams)What should I get him without going overboard but not doing him a disservice? He really wants a custom stringing job in his teams black and red colors which I found at sportsunlimited.Thanks for the help,
A new LAX mom
Answer: Hey there Pam! Welcome to the wonderful world of the goaltending parent. In lacrosse however, the goaltending position is actually cheaper than playing anywhere else ultimately.
My suggestion on the stick is to get an Excalibur head by STX and then go with a very light shaft. I would wait on the goal for this year and buy him a titanium shaft if that is in the budget. It is one of those things where if you spend the money on the titanium now you will never need to buy him another shaft. I STILL have a shaft from high school that I still use. (I'm 36) That's eighteen years of playing with the same shaft. Anything less than titanium and you risk having it break, bend, or crack. Just my thoughts. That would be the ULTIMATE in a stick for your son but then you should never have him asking, "But mooooom (whiny voice) can I puhleeze get (another stick) this year???"
The thing about goalie sticks in general is that they don't change much. Not nearly as much as an attack stick. So if you invest in this stick now you will have to invest less later. The only thing I will warn you about in advance is that he should have two sticks eventually that are identical. That way if he breaks a head or a string in a game he has a back up that is ready to go. I almost feel you would be doing him a disservice with anything else. If you don't want to do the titanium you can buy him a good, inexpensive alloy shaft that will be light but not nearly as durable. The good thing about goalie sticks is that they don't take the abuse as often as other players sticks but if he does get caught out of the cage and gets stick checked then he's fair game for a breakage. I'm trying to save you money in the long run.
So if it's the goal or a cheaper shaft versus a better shaft now and a goal let's say next year then I'd go with the shaft. I would also save on the custom string job and go all white. He'll be bummed but if you have him look at the majority of the best goalies in the country they all have white sticks with white mesh and lacings. I had a custom string job back in high school for about a week untill I broke a lace. Guess what went in the stick? A white lace. Yeah, that looked REALLY cool with my black and orange string job that I spent extra money on. I looked like welfare goalie with the funky string job. If he wants to be a great goalie it starts right now and it starts with a very professional stick. Go all white with the Excalibur head, white hard mesh (10-12diamond) and a titanium shaft. You can do no better now it's up to him to play like a champ. He doesn't need the goal anyway, he's not shooting.
I know what it's like buying equipment for your kids. Will he like it? Will he stick with it? Sounds like your guy is fine and will stick with it. But don't be surprised if your $150 budget is a little low. In the long run you will save a ton of money by spending a little bit more now.
Oh wait. I just read that your son is 11. Skip the titanium for now because he is surely going to grow. Go with an inexpensive alloy that is light. You will be replacing that as he gets taller. Please, please, please don't make the mistake of giving him a long shaft that he can "grow into." That would be a major disservice. You want him to always have a shaft that fits his body. Not seeing him I would recommend a 30-35" shaft on that excalibur head. If he shaft is too long it will affect his play tremendously for the worse. If it's the right length it will help with his throwing mechanics and his movement when making saves.
Hope that helps Pam. Let me know if you need any clarification. My email address is on my blog so please keep me up to date on how your son does. Great job on sending him to a camp. That is one of the best things you can do for him. The more coaching he has at a young age the better he will be. You can always pass my email on to him if he has any question. He can email me directly.
Talk to you soon Pam. And remember, "Goals go in. And if his team was good enough they wouldn't need a goalie." Just some words I like to pass on to the parents.
Best of luck and stay in touch.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
A new LAX mom
Answer: Hey there Pam! Welcome to the wonderful world of the goaltending parent. In lacrosse however, the goaltending position is actually cheaper than playing anywhere else ultimately.
My suggestion on the stick is to get an Excalibur head by STX and then go with a very light shaft. I would wait on the goal for this year and buy him a titanium shaft if that is in the budget. It is one of those things where if you spend the money on the titanium now you will never need to buy him another shaft. I STILL have a shaft from high school that I still use. (I'm 36) That's eighteen years of playing with the same shaft. Anything less than titanium and you risk having it break, bend, or crack. Just my thoughts. That would be the ULTIMATE in a stick for your son but then you should never have him asking, "But mooooom (whiny voice) can I puhleeze get (another stick) this year???"
The thing about goalie sticks in general is that they don't change much. Not nearly as much as an attack stick. So if you invest in this stick now you will have to invest less later. The only thing I will warn you about in advance is that he should have two sticks eventually that are identical. That way if he breaks a head or a string in a game he has a back up that is ready to go. I almost feel you would be doing him a disservice with anything else. If you don't want to do the titanium you can buy him a good, inexpensive alloy shaft that will be light but not nearly as durable. The good thing about goalie sticks is that they don't take the abuse as often as other players sticks but if he does get caught out of the cage and gets stick checked then he's fair game for a breakage. I'm trying to save you money in the long run.
So if it's the goal or a cheaper shaft versus a better shaft now and a goal let's say next year then I'd go with the shaft. I would also save on the custom string job and go all white. He'll be bummed but if you have him look at the majority of the best goalies in the country they all have white sticks with white mesh and lacings. I had a custom string job back in high school for about a week untill I broke a lace. Guess what went in the stick? A white lace. Yeah, that looked REALLY cool with my black and orange string job that I spent extra money on. I looked like welfare goalie with the funky string job. If he wants to be a great goalie it starts right now and it starts with a very professional stick. Go all white with the Excalibur head, white hard mesh (10-12diamond) and a titanium shaft. You can do no better now it's up to him to play like a champ. He doesn't need the goal anyway, he's not shooting.
I know what it's like buying equipment for your kids. Will he like it? Will he stick with it? Sounds like your guy is fine and will stick with it. But don't be surprised if your $150 budget is a little low. In the long run you will save a ton of money by spending a little bit more now.
Oh wait. I just read that your son is 11. Skip the titanium for now because he is surely going to grow. Go with an inexpensive alloy that is light. You will be replacing that as he gets taller. Please, please, please don't make the mistake of giving him a long shaft that he can "grow into." That would be a major disservice. You want him to always have a shaft that fits his body. Not seeing him I would recommend a 30-35" shaft on that excalibur head. If he shaft is too long it will affect his play tremendously for the worse. If it's the right length it will help with his throwing mechanics and his movement when making saves.
Hope that helps Pam. Let me know if you need any clarification. My email address is on my blog so please keep me up to date on how your son does. Great job on sending him to a camp. That is one of the best things you can do for him. The more coaching he has at a young age the better he will be. You can always pass my email on to him if he has any question. He can email me directly.
Talk to you soon Pam. And remember, "Goals go in. And if his team was good enough they wouldn't need a goalie." Just some words I like to pass on to the parents.
Best of luck and stay in touch.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Goalie Stick Length
Pablo writes: Hey, I got a question about my goalie stick & the rules. I am having trouble with the control on my stick, when i pull back I lose control and i throw strange, but when i use an attack shaft i just can't get the distance. I talked to someone and they said to cut off about three inches but I don't know if that is legal or not. Please give me your advice and if that is legal or not, thanks.
Jonathan Writes: Pablo there is an inverse relationship between stick length and pocket depth. Usually, but not always, the deeper your pocket the longer it needs to be. The shorter the stick, the shallower it needs to be.
But that is all dependent on how strong you are physically. I'm a pretty strong guy and I have a shorter stick that I have a monster pocket in. With a deeper pocket you need more stick action to get the ball out. You need a bigger wind up where you pull the stick back behind you to get the ball out of there.
Not seeing you throw I can't recommend chopping off three inches or even adding three inches. By what you are saying, "when I pull back I lose control and I throw strange" sounds like your pocket is too shallow. But when you say, "when I use and attack shaft I just can't get the distance" sounds like your pocket is too deep and at this point you just aren't strong enough to throw with a short shaft yet. So it's really tough for me to give you a solid answer.
You may just need to spend some time improving your stick skills. Becoming a better stick handler will help you in all aspects of your game and that's just a matter of spending time catching, throwing and cradling.
Just FYI there is no length limit on a goalie stick. By I wouldn't go any shorter than a stick that goes from your belly button to the floor. That's pretty short. Unless you are really short yourself I find that an attack shaft is the shortest I would go. I am 5'8" and use an attack shaft.
Hope that helps Pablo. Let me know if you need any clarification.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
Jonathan Writes: Pablo there is an inverse relationship between stick length and pocket depth. Usually, but not always, the deeper your pocket the longer it needs to be. The shorter the stick, the shallower it needs to be.
But that is all dependent on how strong you are physically. I'm a pretty strong guy and I have a shorter stick that I have a monster pocket in. With a deeper pocket you need more stick action to get the ball out. You need a bigger wind up where you pull the stick back behind you to get the ball out of there.
Not seeing you throw I can't recommend chopping off three inches or even adding three inches. By what you are saying, "when I pull back I lose control and I throw strange" sounds like your pocket is too shallow. But when you say, "when I use and attack shaft I just can't get the distance" sounds like your pocket is too deep and at this point you just aren't strong enough to throw with a short shaft yet. So it's really tough for me to give you a solid answer.
You may just need to spend some time improving your stick skills. Becoming a better stick handler will help you in all aspects of your game and that's just a matter of spending time catching, throwing and cradling.
Just FYI there is no length limit on a goalie stick. By I wouldn't go any shorter than a stick that goes from your belly button to the floor. That's pretty short. Unless you are really short yourself I find that an attack shaft is the shortest I would go. I am 5'8" and use an attack shaft.
Hope that helps Pablo. Let me know if you need any clarification.
Jonathan -
www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
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