Hero Lacrosse Phenix ML
I recently was able to talk to Andrew Szurley, one of the founders of Hero Lacrosse, about the Phenix M1. I’ve never played with or even seen one, but I wanted to know their story. If you have seen my post about The Future of Lacrosse Mesh, then you know lacrosse stringing is crazy right now. One example of a new innovation in the world of stringing is The Hero Lacrosse Phenix M1.
What’s The Hero Lacrosse Phenix M1?
A one piece, dual synthetic, consistent, pliable, easily installable pocket. All those fancy words for only $45. Basically, it’s a mesh substitute that is modeled to react like a normal pocket. Andrew and his partner, Van Hiles, designed this pocket to bring more consistency to young players without reliable product.
After some explanation, I related the idea of the Phenix M1 to that of training wheels. Well, training wheels in a world where nicer bikes balance much easier. You see, having a stick that gives you fundamental and consistent confidence allows you to learn much faster.
This pocket, that is meant for beginners but accepted by many experienced players, was made so all players can compete. This is a tool that puts all players on the same playing field. Having bad stringing in your stick, especially as a young player, can really discourage you. This is even worse if you don’t know that it’s the stringing and not you.
How Can Hero Lacrosse Phenix M1 Help Young Players?
Having a pocket that should give you an expected result by design allows for better teaching moments. You’d get that result if you could string every kid on a team the same pattern and mesh. But that is unlikely, difficult, and time-consuming. That’s how Hero Lacrosse’s Phenix M1 can help.
The Phenix-M1 will allow any player that doesn’t have a well-strung stick to stay in drills. They also don’t need to maintain the pocket of the Phenix M1. Making a great pocket accessible to any player is necessary for lacrosse to grow. Andrew and I were able to both agree on this over some laughs.
We both have seen kids that weren’t able to compete because of their stick. We both had also been that kid at one point. It’s funny to look back and realize how far we have come. It’s better to look forward and see how we can help.
Elevating Our Level of Play
If from the start every player gets the chance to be a great player then more players will be great. So many kids are discouraged because they initially are not able to play with their first stick. Having this reliable starting piece and then graduating to mesh or traditional can be a much smoother transition. It also can be a fun alternative or training tool for any experienced player looking to experiment.
And experimenting is exactly what players need to do. Andrew made some great points about how giving all players the ability to play more competitively, they will learn the fundamentals quicker and move on to experimenting and being more creative. This will only help players achieve greatness and excel their game. The Hero Lacrosse Phenix M1 can provide the means for players to get better in less time. Once the player becomes fundamentally sound and finds confidence then they can graduate to another option, or stick with what they know. The Phenix-M1 is NCAA legal after all!
Bringing Passion to Products | The
It was refreshing to talk to someone like Andrew who was so passionate about lacrosse and improving the game. Andrew is not only a former player but now an innovator in the game. His company, and his partner Van are bringing the idea of changing our approach to stringing to a younger generation of players. Andrew expressed to me that he feels companies often overlook young players. Every ad we see and most of the gear released is tailored to elite players, rather than the beginners. There are many more players at the youth level than there are playing in high school or college. These players are being ignored and their needs aren’t being addressed by many brands.
Hero Lacrosse is trying to stray away from the pack and serve those who need to learn most. He also said that their innovation doesn’t stop here. Hero Lacrosse plans on expanding past the Phenix-M1 to better help players just starting out. This will also carry their message and product into older generations as well with potential stringing modifications to their product and different variations. I am extremely excited to get my hands on the great work that Andrew and Van are doing with Hero Lacrosse as they grow as a company.
Keep yourself updated by checking out their Instagram, Twitter, and website. The Phenix-M1 is available in a frosted white color right now and more are expected to be released. Check out the Phenix-M1 for only $45 and if you know a young player, this might be exactly what they need to jumpstart their game.
Note From the Author:
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