How to Fine-Tune Your Lacrosse Pocket for Optimal Performance

Bottom Strings: Adjusting Pocket Depth and Hold

• Crucial for modifying pocket depth
• Enhances hold by deepening the pocket
• It can also increase whip in the process of increasing depth
• Consider if you can comfortably handle the pocket depth
• Use when adjusting pocket for the legality

Lacrosse Shooting Strings: Fine-Tuning Passes and Shots

• Lacrosse Pockets determine lacrosse shooting string placement
• Ideal for adjusting the accuracy of passes and shots
• If shots and passes are too high, tighten the top shooter first
• If trials continue to go high, pull the following shooting string

Lacrosse Sidewalls: A Key Factor in Pocket Performance

• If you’re inexperienced in stringing, consult a professional stringer to adjust your sidewall
• Sidewall patterns impact pocket placement, hold, whip, channel, and release
• Different stringers have unique sidewall styles
• In our experience, the Knotted Standard Interlock and Knotted Stacked Special Interlock offer the most consistent results.

Putting it all together: Lacrosse Pocket Cheat Codes

The best time to adjust your pocket is when practicing wallball alone. I like to throw some headphones on and zone out to focus on what’s going on with my stick. Combining my understanding of the components of a high-quality lacrosse pocket and some observations,

1. Pocket throwing low but shooting fine: Make the pocket more shallow by tightening the bottom string.
2. Pocket throwing low and shooting low: Start with your shooters and loosen them. Tighten the bottom string if you are still throwing down but shooting fine. The sidewall pattern needs adjusting if it’s still shooting low and passing down. Alternatively, you can pull the shooters out with a no-shooter pocket!
3. Pocket Shooting and Throwing Fine, but Illegal: Tighten the bottom string and leave the shooters alone.
4. Pocket Throwing Fine but Cant Feel the ball: If you do not already have a shooting cord, add one. If you still can’t feel the release, try adjusting the sidewall pattern and aim for a slightly wider channel, as the ball is probably releasing before it hits the nylon/shooting cord.
5. Pocket passing and shooting are fine, but no hold: You can try to deepen your pocket, but this might throw your shooting/passes off. The issue is likely the sidewall pattern design causing the lack of hold, and you should aim for a slightly tighter channel.
6. No issues passing, shooting, or holding, but I can’t catch: Perhaps widening your head could help, but it’s more probable that your difficulty in catching is due to insufficient practice. Try practicing a wall ball routine once a day for 30 min.
7. There are no issues passing or shooting, but the ball comes out when checked: This is a lack of hold that typically occurs from a lack of channel, especially on wider lacrosse heads. Typically, the wider the head, the farther you will have to pull the sidewall knots down, you will need to adjust your sidewall pattern to address the issue.