Boys lacrosse equipment

You can purchase lacrosse gear locally, with both Dick's and Perani's Hockey World (near Great Northern) carrying at least some options in lacrosse equipment. Play It Again Sports also sometimes has lacrosse gear. Of course, there are numerous online retailers of lacrosse stuff, such as Amazon, sportstop.com, and lacrossemonkey.com to name just a few.

Also, Boys and Girls Lacrosse have different equipment requirements, and even some "shared" equipment such as sticks, are different. US Lacrosse offers a PDF and online information with more detail. Below is a summary.

Sticks. Or as some purists like to say, the crosse. There are a mind-numbing and bewildering array of lacrosse sticks from which to choose: dozens and dozens of models from various lacrosse companies such as Brine, STX, Warrior, Nike, Under Armour, East Coast, Powell, etc. Especially if you are starting out, there is no need to spend a ton on a stick (although it is certainly possible)—he will likely grow out of it or break it in a year or two.

For new players, we like the sticks from StringKing. Well-made, affordable, and offered in some scaled-down sizes (slightly short and thinner) for grades 2-4. The mesh is not-too-hard and the pockets are well-constructed for factory-strung sticks… much easier to learn on than some of the typical hard mesh sticks.

Delving into the differences and intricacies of sticks, heads, and mesh is a rabbit hole… like golf clubs. But, if you must, here is some starter info:

Shafts. You can generally buy boys lacrosse shafts in three different sizes/lengths: 30" for attack/midfield (aka "short sticks"): 60" for defenders (aka "long sticks"); and 40" for goalies. If you are new to lacrosse (and not a keeper), get a short stick… long sticks cannot be used until later. Modern shafts are generally made from different metal alloys or composites, and the main differences involve weight and durability. As with many things, we would not recommend the cheapest shaft out there, but there is no reason to spend a lot either. For starters, an inexpensive metal shaft will be fine.

Heads. Other than for goalies, boys lacrosse heads all have the same basic dimension and shape, and will almost always fit on any shaft. Cost differences mainly come down to weight, durability, stiffness, small geometric tweaks, and marketing. If you can easily twist, compress or distort a head with your hands, then you are either pretty strong or the head is too flexible (unless you are a face-off specialist). And if it feels like it could break, then it will. For starters, get a head marketed for middies. 

Pockets/Mesh: Probably more important than the head itself is the quality of the pocket. A poor pocket can make it really hard to catch or throw accurately, and it can be very frustrating for new players to learn these basic skills with a bad pocket. "Traditional" pockets used leather straps and strings and were hand-tied, and they look really cool. Don't get one, at least not to start and not to use for real. Even a good one requires constant maintenance and adjustments, and can change when wet, dry, and sometimes just randomly. Modern pockets use mesh, and is usually described as hard, semi-hard, semi-soft, or soft. Mesh is very much a matter of preference and conditions, harder mesh needs to be broken in, while too soft a mesh can be inconsistent.

Factory strung pockets are often poor, with hard mesh and not well strung. Look for something softer. If you are having trouble, ask your coach to check it out.