High or Low? What your pocket says about you

Lacrosse pocketYou can tell a lot about a laxer by the way he strings his pocket. Is he more worried about ripping a corner or protecting a ball? Is he probably an attackman, a middie, a defenseman?

A high pocket is the best place for a middie to mold their pocket. A middie typically carries his stick parallel to the ground. Therefore, a high pocket allows for the ball to sit easily when a middie runs with the ball. Also, a high pocket enables a quick release. Meaning, the ball will catapult out of the head due to less drag. It is a true shooter’s pocket.

“I use a high pocket because I am mainly a shooter,” said Princeton midfielder and All-American Mark Kovler. “I don’t carry the ball too much so I like the pocket right under the shooting strings so the ball releases from the stick fast. This gives the goalie less time to react and see the ball before it leaves my stick.”

A high-set pocket is also perfect for any defensemen. Defensemen do well with high pockets because it is easier to scoop a groundball. The high set pocket also allows for the ball carrier to feel comfortable when extending his arms to throw or shoot.

Another reason why middies and defensemen prefer high set pockets is because it simply makes ball control easier. It makes scooping groundballs easier. It gives better hold and makes throwing fakes easier. It makes shooting with a quick release easier.

All Ivy-League attackman Craig Andrzejewski said he prefers “to use a pocket where the ball can sit real high in the stick when I bring it back far to shoot. If you have a low pocket the ball will slip out on you before the shot and go over the cage.”

One huge downfall, however, is that a high pocket tends to decrease in depth towards the throat of the head. This can be a problem when you attempt to cradle one-handed.

Low pockets are always perfect for ball carriers, i.e. attackmen. One benefit of a low pocket is that it is much easier to cradle one-handed. A low pocket rewards the player with exceptional ball control and protection. The low placement ensures an accurate pass off a dodge to your cutting teammate. There is no wasted time with extending your arms back to throw like you would with a higher pocket. Plus, the risk a high pocket player takes is much larger due to the chance of the ball sailing over another person’s head.

“I like a low to mid pocket with a good amount of whip,” said Joe Walters, attackman for Team USA and the Toronto Nationals. “A pet peeve of mine is pockets that do not have a natural channel, i.e. pockets where the ball rolls around. All of my sticks have a natural channel in the mesh, where no shooting strings are really necessary. Having this channel and whip allows me to have great hold and also helps with shot velocity. The low/mid pocket helps with having a quick release. Also, my pockets are not very deep, which also helps with quick release.”

As mentioned above, a low pocket offers optimal ball protection, so you don’t have to look back to see if the ball is on the ground. Thus, you’ll have more confidence running through titanium checks to the goal.

You should also be aware of certain heads that allow a better low pocket. They are typically narrow and oftentimes canted or off-set. Before the Brine Edge came out in the mid-90’s many players had mid-to-high pockets. That was simply due to the fact that it was incredibly hard to find a head where the ball could sit low. In our opinion, the low pocket has revolutionized the clutch player.

Of course, sometimes the pocket, just like the player, can evolve. Former Maryland defenseman and current Tornoto National Joe Cinosky started his career with a middle pocket that has drifted north as his game has evolved.

“The first stick that I ever had was an STX Excalibur with a navy blue DeBeer C405 shaft and one of the guys who worked at the store actually strung my stick for me on the spot. He strung the stick so the pocket was in the middle, hands down the best stick I ever had. As my game evolved so did my pocket and eventually I made the transition to a high pocket with a whole bunch of whip.”

What do you think? We want to hear from LacrossePlayground.com readers on where they prefer their pockets. Are you a high-, mid-, or low- pocket kind of player?

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In 2009, Adam O’Neill, Harry Alford and Thomas Alford launched Lacrosse Playground as the preeminent site for lacrosse gearheads. For years Lacrosse Playground provided lacrosse fans with tutorials and tips on how to string a lacrosse head, up-close looks at the gear the top players used and sneak peeks at equipment and uniforms before they were released. More than 10 years and millions of visits later, Lacrosse Playground has relaunched with a focus on storytelling. Our mission is to provide comprehensive coverage of the latest lacrosse news, share insights into the sports betting and fantasy lacrosse world and showcase the lifestyles and personalities of the sport of lacrosse through articles, videos and podcasts.

10 Comments

  1. Ben Culbertson on September 3, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    gary you couldn’t be more wrong

  2. Gary Hermenau on January 11, 2013 at 2:13 am

    This article is insanely dangously wrong on so many levels it’s scary. Attackmen are the ones that shoot more, need more speed, and less control. Middies carry the ball more, and so need more control, less speed. The person who wrote this doesn’t seem to know anything about lacrosse, and this article needs to be removed.

    • mac daddy on November 9, 2014 at 1:03 pm

      this atricle doesnt describe well but it is correct

  3. Gary Hermenau on January 11, 2013 at 2:13 am

    This article is insanely dangously wrong on so many levels it’s scary. Attackmen are the ones that shoot more, need more speed, and less control. Middies carry the ball more, and so need more control, less speed. The person who wrote this doesn’t seem to know anything about lacrosse, and this article needs to be removed.

  4. Gary Hermenau on January 11, 2013 at 2:13 am

    This article is insanely dangously wrong on so many levels it’s scary. Attackmen are the ones that shoot more, need more speed, and less control. Middies carry the ball more, and so need more control, less speed. The person who wrote this doesn’t seem to know anything about lacrosse, and this article needs to be removed.

  5. Gary Hermenau on January 11, 2013 at 2:13 am

    This article is insanely dangously wrong on so many levels it’s scary. Attackmen are the ones that shoot more, need more speed, and less control. Middies carry the ball more, and so need more control, less speed. The person who wrote this doesn’t seem to know anything about lacrosse, and this article needs to be removed.

  6. Gary Hermenau on January 11, 2013 at 2:13 am

    This article is insanely dangously wrong on so many levels it’s scary. Attackmen are the ones that shoot more, need more speed, and less control. Middies carry the ball more, and so need more control, less speed. The person who wrote this doesn’t seem to know anything about lacrosse, and this article needs to be removed.

  7. Guest on April 4, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    there are so many contradictions here its ridiculous. get your stories straight when discussing stringing, because this article will confuse anyone and everyone who is trying to learn about there pocket

  8. Guest on April 4, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    there are so many contradictions here its ridiculous. get your stories straight when discussing stringing, because this article will confuse anyone and everyone who is trying to learn about there pocket

    • Guest on April 25, 2011 at 5:26 am

      Yeah, I noticed they said a low pocket releases faster than a high pocket and has less power behind it. A low pocket tends to have less whip, but since the ball has to travel farther to leave the head you actually end up getting more power behind the ball. A high pocket has a fast release due to the ball having a shorter distance to travel but you sacrifice a little bit of power. Attackmen tend to use a lower pocket because they can rip feeds through to cutters, as well as the advantage of one handed cradling.

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