Lacrosse people....what do I need to buy?

[Ottakee]

Our 11 year old foster boy started lacrosse tonight. We were told he just needed a mouth guard and other stuff was provided. Of course he comes home tonight and really wants his own stick and ball and pads.

 

Of course I know NOTHING about lacrosse. I see sticks online in different sizes based on positions. What is a basic size for a 5' tall kid? This is a learn to play lacrosse thing so they don't have set positions. How about pads? What do they need?

 

Another issue is that this is a 6 week program and there is a very good chance he will be returning to birth mom in 7-8 weeks and may never get a chance to play again so I don't want to put a lot into this either.

 

Is used ok?

[jen3kids]

Used is totally ok.  Go to a Play It Again Sports in the area and they will set him up with whatever you decide you want to spend.  He should just get a regular stick, not a long D one.

 

If it is only a 6 week program and he won't likely play again, I probably would not buy him pads, but that's up to you.

[Caroline]

Helmet! I know of two local boys who were throwing the ball against a wall without a helmet and got hit in the head with the ball. One died. The other will never be the same, although he lived. That said, I love lacrosse. It's a fun sport.

[Spy Car]

I'd advise going slow.

 

Lacrosse gear can get pricey. There really isn't a good reason to buy a lot of gear if the team is providing everything.

 

If he really wanted his own stick, you could get an STX AV8u (head) with an Amp shaft which costs about $35 for the combo. Cheap. There is a very good chance this is what the team provided. 90% of my kids use this starter set. Probably no advantage to what he's got, other than it would be his.

 

And advance head can be $100 plus $50 for stringing. A shaft can run $100 (or more, or less). But an advanced head is not appropriate for a beginning player, as the throat is too narrow (making balls hard to catch).

 

All "attack" shafts are the same length. These are used by offensive players (attack men) and most middies. Long poles can be used by defensive players in some leagues at his age. But all full length they are about a foot too long for him (they should not exceed player's height with head attached to shaft) so they need to be cut down. Long pole can be expensive, and cutting one down for one year makes them small for the next. I would not do it unless you knew you had a defensive specialist who was very committed.

 

Having balls is essential.

 

The other parts are helmets (very expensive), gloves (that range in price), elbow pads (that range in price), and shoulder pads (that range in price).

 

Some stuff (almost everything but helmets) goes on sale. Helmets can be found used.

 

If you want to buy some equipment, a good place to look for sales is sportstop.com.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

I looked at, Sportstop, they actually have a very nice deal on STX K18 combo stick (custom strung by the shop) for $65. That is a very good value for the price. Still an appropriate head for a beginner. Not necessary, but if you want an indulgence that isn't budget busting, not bad.

 

Bill

[Ottakee]

Thanks for the help. His birthday is next week so a new stick would be in the budget.

[Spy Car]

Thanks for the help. His birthday is next week so a new stick would be in the budget.

They have both black heads and white heads and different shaft options. I forget which (black or white) I linked to, but a K 18 would make a nice starter stick.

 

Bill