Some of the biggest things holding back lacrosse are player’s first sticks. When you start playing you have the worst fundamentals of your career. It’s almost impossible to catch, throwing is a crap shoot, scooping is slow, and cradling can be rough. When you begin basketball you use a lower hoop and smaller balls, but in lacrosse, you get a stick most experienced players wouldn’t dare use. It doesn’t make much sense that we have routinely made it harder for players to succeed in their first years of lacrosse. The worst part is that if you don’t know anything about lacrosse, or know anyone that does, you’ll opt for the starter stick. Bad stringing, weak shafts, and basic heads? Who wants that?
Phantom lacrosse sure doesn’t. Not only does Phantom make some awesome Paradox Nano shafts, but they created the Phantom Pocket for easy learning. After testing the newest version, Stringers Society sees the vision. Now we just hope we can explain it well enough so that you see it too.
The Phantom Pocket Is A Lifesaver For Youth Coaches
Every youth coach has had THAT kid with THAT stick. Unfortunately for THAT kid and THAT stick, there are normally 10+ other players that need to be managed. At a small program with one coach, there’s no way they’ll be able to help THAT kid or restring THAT stick. At a small program with an inexperienced coach, THAT kid with THAT stick gets stuck on the wall until they figure it out or quit.
Now if every youth coach had a few Phantom Lacrosse Pockets lying around, there would be no more problems. The Phantom Lacrosse Pocket has come a long way, with more progress to come, but the current model is a great trainer. Starting kids off with this stick allows them to hone their skills correctly and make progress quicker. If the kid begins to excel rapidly, then they have the choice to move on and discover the benefits of stringing. If that player switches to stringing then they will then know what they like and potentially stick with the Phantom Pocket. It’s really about the preference of the player and what works best for them. Phantom’s pocket luckily serves the needs of a young player while being able to perform for an advance one too.
Training In Ways You Never Thought About
Using the Phantom Lacrosse Pocket is easy, but it’s also difficult in all the right ways. Phantom Pockets don’t let you cheat with your play and develop bad habits. Any time you try to use a Phantom Pocket in the wrong way, you’ll drop the ball. However, you gain valuable skills and never create bad habits if you use it correctly. The best part is that when you’re playing bad you know you need to change something.
Throwing With The Phantom Lacrosse Pocket
Throwing is not only consistent, but it’s also very easy to do with the Phantom Pocket. Pointing where you want the ball to go is the best way to be effective and any other way doesn’t work too well. This helps kids make sure their arms are up and they are being intentional with each pass. No more slacking off with throws that float too high when you have a Phantom Pocket.
Scooping With The Phantom Pocket
It’s literally impossible to rake with the Phantom Pocket so scooping is a must. Players need to get low for the best chance at a groundball and the Phantom Pocket has an easy marker. The pocket retains its position so much better than mesh and designates if you’re low enough. If your pocket isn’t touching the ground with the Phantom Pocket, then you’re not low enough.
Catching With The Phantom Pocket
Snapping at your passes is an awful habit that lots of us get away with. When using the Phantom Pocket, you are forced to catch with an open face and proper mechanics. Snapping at the ball with the Phantom Pocket makes the ball bounce off the pocket more than normal mesh, which makes handling the ball much harder. Stick to using the proper technique and you’ll always be fine.
Shooting With The Phantom Lacrosse Pocket
Shooting is honestly a breeze. All angles work well, the problem just comes with being a more experienced player that’s used to being able to really pull back. The Phantom Pocket shoots fast, is accurate, and is consistent. The more experienced player will realize this, but potentially lose the ball with big wind ups. For younger players, they’ll have no issues and be able to get much better shooting form to begin with.
Cradling With The Phantom Pocket
Thanks to the high and low pocket areas on the Phantom Pocket, you can cradle well horizontally and vertically. Vertical cradling is the best method for using the Phantom Pocket in gameplay and running around. You can have a good sense of where the ball is and also retain it well when using a good cradle. There is decent hold and decent maneuverability in the Phantom Pocket, but definitely enough for a young player.
Should You Get The Phantom Lacrosse Pocket?
If you’re a young player, a coach of young players, or know a young player that needs help; then a Phantom Pocket might be worth purchasing. Anyone just getting started with lacrosse can benefit from Phantom. It really is a great tool for learning and developing good fundamentals, it’s just difficult to conceptualize as an older player. If you actually put yourself in the shoes of a younger player, then you can easily see how it would help you. Picking one up or just trying one out is definitely recommended if you want a change of pace and a quick way to excel.
