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.:A Guide to Different Types of Pockets:.

***Note: Before I get started you gotta realize one thing: the pocket, stick and equipment you use are ALL PERSONAL PREFERENCE. Some people love a certain product and others swear it is the worst they have ever seen. So, this is intended to be just a GUIDE so that you can get a better understanding of pockets and get some of the ups and downs of each type.***

Mesh

Mesh is by far the most popular type of pocket out there. Whether its hard, dura, soft, or if it has V's or U's, its still the same basic concept of mesh.

Ups

A mesh pockets ball retention could kick the crap out of a traditionals on any day. That is a proven fact. I supports a much deeper pocket than traditional, and survives longer under harsh conditions. If you play a game in the rain the next day you wont have a stick that would be legal for womens lacrosse, like you might had you been using a traditional. Of course this varies with the type of mesh, with hard being the most resilient and soft being more prone to the elements. The accuracy suffers a little, but this can be improved with U or V shooting strings.

Downs

Mesh has no accuracy. If mesh had the accuracy of traditional, there would be nothing but mesh. That is virtually the only downside to mesh.

Traditional

You know, that one with the leathers. Yes, many people have forgotten about traditional, but its making a comeback and being included in some great hybrids.

Ups

Traditional has much better accuracy than mesh, and obviously so it has a channel right in the middle of it that the ball naturally rides right out of the stick. The hold is ok and is better if you have a deeper pocket, but a deep traditional tends to spell whip.

Downs

Leather, if you don't know, is an organic material. In other words, it used to be alive. So, if you leave it or play with it in harsh conditions, it is subject to extreme shrinking and expanding. Because of this, it is both hard to string and hard to maintain, since it requires constant maintenance after almost every use. In addition, it has bad ball retention. This pocket is not for somebody who throws a lot of fakes. Also, dont use it on faceoffs, the spaces in between the diamonds make prime targets for somebody elses fingers to pry your stick off the ball.

Custom

Becoming more and more prominent as well as more and more bizarre, custom pockets contain the "best of both worlds". Some popular hybrids on the market are the corner pocket, pita pocket, and the hugely popular rock-it pocket. Some of the pockets you will find on sites such as E-Lacrosse are just too bizarre, and in my opinion are nothing that any of the pockets above couldn't do for you.

Ups

Vary's from pocket to pocket. The corner tends to have better accuracy then regular mesh while keeping its hold. The Pita Pocket is deadly for accuracy but inherits the tradtionals bad hold.

Downs

The only downside I can think of is the cost. You have to buy both a mesh and traditional stringing kit for most hybrids, doubling the cost. It is also hard to string, so companies charge A LOT of money for stringing these for you.

So, there you go, a guide to the types of pockets out there on the market now. I hope it helps you when you go to select a pocket type for your next stick.

Have any questions or comments regarding this article? Email the author.