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A lacrosse stick or crosse is used to play the sport of lacrosse. Players use the lacrosse stick to handle the lacrosse ball and to strike or "check" opposing players' sticks, causing them to drop the ball. The head of a lacrosse stick is roughly triangular in shape and is strung with loose netting that allows the ball to be caught, carried (known as "cradling"), passed, or shot.
Many early stickball sticks were essentially giant wooden spoons with no netting. More advanced sticks featured one end being bent into a 4 to 5-inch diameter circle. This circle would have netting made of wattup, and later on deer sinew. The tension in the netting of the stick allowed for players to strike the ball as someone would do in tennis. These sticks were typically 1 to 10 feet long and were bent into shape after being softened with water. This variation was played by many Great Lakes tribes.
The modern one-stick version of lacrosse is most closely modeled after the Iroquois. The sticks used by the Iroquois featured a U-shaped head rather than a circular one closely resembled the wooden sticks used today.
Many stickball players decorated their sticks with the hair of animals like horses or raccoons, hoping to match that animal's speed and agility.
During grand matches or special events some players would decorate their sticks with feathers or dye their sticks different colors as a form of customization.
Some sticks would have elaborate carvings on them for spiritual reasons.
In 1937, Robert Pool designed the first double walled stick head, it was not used at the time but the design influenced the creation of today's plastic lacrosse heads.
Early lacrosse sticks were extremely basic with little complexity in selecting equipment. Players essentially only needed to select the brand of stick they wanted, and from their selected the stick that brand offered for their position.
On July 2, 1974, the patent was granted to STX for pocket mesh. By the 1980s, mesh had largely replaced traditional mesh as the preferred stick stringing method.
In the 1981 Brine released the Brine "Magnum" which was an early attempt at a pinched head. In the late-1980s, Brine released the Brine "Shotgun" and the "Shotgun II" which further developed the pinched head idea.
On December 5, 1995, Brine filed the patent for the Brine "Edge", it would be the first head to feature an offset design and it quickly began to dominate the playing space. The patent for the offset in the Brine Edge was slightly different than original offset patent, it featured sidewalls that extended from a lower point of the base rather than simply curving from the top of the base.
The creation of offset technology was revolutionary technology for lacrosse heads, it allowed for the ball to sit lower on the axis of the shaft which increased control and feel for the ball. Within a few years offset sticks became the norm. STX responded to the issue of offset heads by creating their own similar technology known as "Forward Cant". STX created both shafts and heads with forward cant. The shafts with forward cant would face no issues, the heads however, were similar to Brines offset technology and would face legal issues.
In 1999, Brine filed a patent infringement against STX for their three offset (or forward cant) heads: the "X2", the "Proton", and the "Octane". After trial, it was ruled that STX had willingly infringed on the patent of the Brine Edge and awarded damages in favor of Brine. STX was also barred from selling their three offset heads, however the X2 and the Proton would later go on to have other variations made.
For field players in men's lacrosse, the head of the stick must be wide at its widest point under NCAA rules. In order to prevent the ball from being stuck in the crosse, the two sidewalls cannot be any closer than 3 inches at any point between 1.25 inches from the throat of the head, to 5 inches from the throat of the head. When it reaches 5 inches from the throat of the head, the sidewalls may be between 3.5 inches apart and 4 inches apart on the front of the head, and must be 3.5 inches apart on the back of the head. The head of the stick must also be a minimum of 10 inches in length; length is measured from the outside of the head to the beginning of the throat.
The head of the goalie's stick is much larger and must be between 10 and 12 inches wide under NCAA rules or up to wide under World Lacrosse rules. A goalie head may not exceed 16.5 inches in length.
The sidewalls of the head may not be more than tall for all sticks.
The flat table test states that, when laid flat on a table facedown, the furthest point from the tabletop cannot exceed 2.75 inches.
The typical mesh pocket uses four main nylon strings to affix the mesh piece to the head: a topstring, two sidewalls, and a bottom string. The topstring is often made of a slightly thicker string, in order to resist the abrasive forces that come from scooping the ball up. The sidewalls are used to affix individual mesh diamonds to the sidewall holes on the sidewall of the head. The sidewalls have the most effect on the pocket's performance, as they dictate the placement of the pocket in the head, the tightness of the channel of the pocket, and even the pocket depth. The bottom string is used to fine-tune the pocket depth, and serves to keep the ball from slipping through the bottom of the pocket.
In addition to the four strings used to affix the mesh piece, shooting strings are woven through the diamonds of the mesh in order to help fine-tune the pocket's characteristics. They can either be made of typical nylon string, or a hockey style lace. Shooting strings are often used in straight, U, or V shapes. They serve to increase the pocket's hold on the ball, as well as fine-tune the way the stick throws. They can act to change the tension of various portions of the pocket, helping to create a "ramp" for the ball to roll along as it exits the pocket.
As of the 2013 season, the NCAA has passed a rule stating that shooting strings are limited to an area within a arc drawn from the top of the plastic of the scoop. This essentially eliminates U- or V-shaped shooting strings, as they almost always cross below the line. The pocket depth is governed by rule as well. When the ball is placed in the deepest point, the top of the ball must not be below the bottom of the sidewall. This rule does not apply to the goalie's stick.
Stick length is governed by NCAA regulations, which require that men's sticks (including the head) be from long for offensive players, long for defensemen, and long for goalies. Offensive players usually prefer their sticks to be the minimum length () in order to give them the advantage of having a shorter stick to protect from defensive checks. Conversely, defensive players usually prefer their sticks to be the maximum length () to permit them the greatest range in covering their offensive player.
In 2016, a rules clarification was made by the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules Committee. Questions have arisen regarding the alteration of the shaft circumference. The circumference of the shaft cannot exceed . To be clear, added tape to the shaft must not make the shaft exceed this circumference measurement.
Goalie sticks have a maximum length of . The sidewall height must be a minimum of and a maximum of .
Women's lacrosse sticks are permitted to have two shooting strings. The top shooting string must be attached to the top-third of the head. Unlike in men's lacrosse, the bottom shooting string may be in an "inverted U" shape so long as the shooting string connects to the side wall in the top-half of the head.
The legal depth of a women's stick pocket is determined by the following test: the top of the lacrosse ball, when placed in the pocket, must remain above the top edge of the sidewall.
The rules for stringing a goalie stick differ from a field players stick. When a goalie stick is strung traditionally, they are required to have 6 or 7 runners, while also using eight to twelve stitches of cross-lacing. A goalie has no restrictions for the placement or design of shooter strings so long as the ball can move freely in the stick. A goalie stick may have unlimited pocket depth so long as the ball can move freely.
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