Grip ‘N Rip: Justin Turri, Boston Cannons

justin turri dodge

Justin Turri is a monster offensive midfielder. Justin put up 70 goals and 52 assists at Duke University while receiving multiple USILA All-American Honors and also leading Duke to multiple Final Four appearances and Duke’s first lacrosse National Championship in 2010. Justin has continued to see success in the MLL on the Rattlers and now, as a member of the Boston Cannons, looks to contribute to a speedy Boston midfield.

What head and shaft are you using?

I’m using the new Clutch 4 head and the King Beat shaft.  I’ve used a Clutch since the first one came out during my days at Duke.

Justin Turri 1

Do you string your own sticks? If not, who does?

I do string my own stick.  I taught myself when I was in middle school and have been doing it since.  One tip to guys that know how to string – don’t make it public unless you want to be doing a lot of it!

Justin Turri 2

What kind of pocket are you using?

  • Mesh

Brine/Warrior Evo mesh.  It’s a new hybrid between hard and soft that breaks in like a wax mesh but doesn’t have the waxy feel to it.

  • Pocket placement

I would say I have a mid-high pocket.  Low enough for me to carry but also high enough to get quick passes off and my shot off quickly in tight spots.

  • Shooters

I use two V’s with the bottom one very loose and the higher one a little bit tighter.  They add to the channel created from the mesh and a little extra pull.

  • Whip

I would say right now it’s probably about a 6-7 on a 1-10 scale.  The reason I’ve stayed with the V’s is they add more whip to the stick as you bring your hands farther back.  As a result, my stick passes and shoots from the inside with very little whip, but will carry a decent amount of whip when I’m shooting from distance and on the run with my hands all the way back.

How do you tape your sticks?

I tape from the bottom of my stick up about a foot with a donut butt end made of tape.  I also put two rings where I place my hand for passing/shooting, and then two thinner rings close to the head of my stick to rest in between my fingers when I’m carrying with one hand.

Justin Turri 4

Why do you like this set up?

I’ve always used a shaft with a little more grip, and the tape accentuates that while helping to guide my hands to get them consistently to the same spots.

Justin Yurri 3

How has your stick changed since college?

It has changed a bit, but not all that much.  I used to use a softer mesh (Brine Ultra mesh back in the day) and for a while played with a nylon on top of the two V shooters, but I’ve gotten away from that recently.

Any superstitions or funny stories?

My only superstition is taping my stick pregame before each game.  I like the stickiness of a fresh tape job on game day.

What is your wallball and shooting routine?

Wallball:

Since I’ve arrived at Army West Point, I’ve used what we call the “Army 500”.  It’s a wallball series our guys do throughout the year that takes just about 10 minutes and includes standard passing, quick sticks, crosshand catching, backhand passing, and behind the back passing – for every rep you do with your strong hand, 1.5 reps should be done with your off-hand.

Shooting:

The first thing I’ll say about shooting on your own – find a buddy!  Almost every shot you take in a game will come off a pass, so why practice shooting without one?  Get a teammate or friend to shoot with you or give you passes, it will make you both that much better!

In terms of my routine, I try to mimic my shooting warm-up off of basketball, starting with stationary shots and layups (3-step shooting on the run) with both hands at 60-80% at about 7-8 yards to get my body warm.  Then, when I’m warm, I’ll start moving out to the 12-14 range (with very occasional 16-yd 2PT shots thrown in) and ramp up my speed a bit.  From there, I’ll take mostly shots on the run throughout the rest of the session from game-like angles.  I’ll start everything with a full-speed dodge: 1) Left/Right alleys, 2) Dodging the middle from each side up top, 3) Left/Right wings going over the top, 4) Left/Right wings going underneath, 5) double moves (split-swim or split-roll).  On alternating sessions I try to work in some invert and dodging from the low corners.

What was your first stick?

My first stick was an STX Turbo – my dad, and West Islip varsity assistant coach, Bill “Turbo” Turri gave it to me.  Coincidence?

Who’s your favorite person to play against?

I’ve had some pretty good battles with Dan Burns over the years, from our time in the ACC when they were our biggest rivals to our time now in the MLL.  Even when I was drawing the pole in college, I would always match up with Dan against the Terps.  He’s a great athlete and I really respect how tough he is.

Lacrosse Playground

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