Lacrosse stick

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A lacrosse stick is a lacrosse player's most important piece of equipment. Lacrosse sticks, while different for the men's and women's versions of the game, all consist of 2 main parts.

Head

Diagram of a Men's Lacrosse Stick Head

The head of a lacrosse stick is the part used for handling the ball. Players catch, throw and cradle with the ball in the head of the stick. The head if usually made of plastic, but some players prefer classic wood heads. The differences between men's and women's lacrosse sticks are found mostly in the head; men's heads may be from 6.5 to 10 inches wide (10 to 12 inches for the goalie), and is strung with mesh or leathers and nylon strings to form a pocket. The pocket of the crosse is illegal if the top of the ball, when placed in the head of the stick, is below the bottom of the stick's sidewall.

Women's Lacrosse Stick Head

The head of a woman's stick may be from 7 to 9 inches wide, and must be strung traditionally, with a pocket formed by a grid of leather strings. The top of the ball, when placed in the pocket, must remain above the sidewall. Also, women's lacrosse usually features much more colorful heads.

Handle

Modern handles, more commonly referred to as shafts, are mostly hollow metal tubes. They are usually polygonal, instead of round, in order to provide a better grip. Most are made of aluminum, titanium, or kevlar, but many are still made from other materials, including wood. Women's lacrosse handles are usually shorter than those found in men's lacrosse, since regulations limit men's sticks from 40 to 42 inches (52 to 72 for defensemen), while women's sticks can be 35.5 to 43.25 inches long.

Three Warrior Diamond defensive sticks for men's lacrosse

Lacrosse sticks are often as short as possible, and sometimes shorter than the rules allow, because of the offensive advantages of a shorter stick. Men's defensive sticks, however, are preferred long to allow a defenseman to stay further away from the man he is covering while still playing defense on him.

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