BASIC MESH

Disclaimer: The use of lighters, scissors, and especially pliers can result in accidental blinding, mutalation, burns, etc. Have an adult supervise your use of these tools. Stringing is actually surprisingly dangerous. I have had multiple instances where I was tightening strings with pliers, and they lost grip - causing them to come flying towards my face because that's the direction I was pulling in. It happens a lot if you don't pay attention to what you're doing. Always pull away from your body.


INTRO

This tutorial will show you how to string the perfect mesh pocket. Just follow the directions and look at the pictures whenever necessary. This tutorial is long, because unlike other tutorials, we tell exactly how to do every step.


TOOLS

• Scissors
• Lighter
• Needlenose Pliers

(NOTE)
You can make due without the pliers in this tutorial, but any good stringer will have a pair of these. They help you work in tight places and tighten strings better than your bare hands can.


MATERIALS

• Mesh
• Ball Stop
• Top Nylon String
• 2 Sidewalls Strings (about 2 ft. long each)
• 1 Bottom Tie-Down
• Shooting Strings

(NOTES)
The Top Nylon String is thicker, shinier, and smoother than normal sidewall strings. You can use sidewall string if you don't have any top nylon, but it won't last very long before wearing out. Also, top nylon (extremely thick) is different from nylon lacing (extremely thin) used in traditional pockets.

You can use any scrap peice of string as the bottom tie-down.

Hard Mesh or Soft Mesh? Most people tend to prefer hard mesh these days. Soft mesh will give you better hold in good weather but will throw like crap if it ever gets wet. I think nicely broken-in hard mesh is the best pocket in lacrosse.


STEP 1: Stretch Mesh

1.1 Stretch out the mesh by pulling it from from both sides.


STEP 2: Top Tie Down

2.1 Find the smooth side of your mesh (one side is smooth and weather-proofed, one isn't).

2.2 Fold the top row of mesh over, keeping the smooth side on the outside of the fold. You should now have a doubled-up row of 9 holes (if the top row of mesh is 10 holes, fold the first 2 rows).

2.3 Fold the top nylon string in half.

2.4 Poke the folded end of the nylon through the top-left (looking from the back) hole of the head.

2.5 Now pull the folded nylon through the top-left hole in the mesh. The smooth side of the mesh should be the side the ball will touch. Make sure fold in the mesh occurs on the backside.

2.6 Pull the 2 loose ends of the nylon through the folded loop of nylon and tighten.

2.7 Take the 2 loose ends, push them through the 2nd hole of the mesh. Then pull them up through the 1st of 4 holes in the top of the head.

2.8 Pull the 2 nylon ends under the segment of nylon on the backside of the mesh.

(NOTE)
Many people think you're supposed to twist the doubled-up peice of nylon at some point during this process. This is wrong. Do not twist the double-wide nylon.

2.9 Push the 2 nylon ends through the 4th hole of the mesh. Then pull them up through the 2nd of 4 holes in the top of the head. (just like you did in 2.7)

2.10 Now pull the 2 nylon ends under the segment of nylon on the backside of the mesh. (like 2.8)

2.11 Repeat 2.7 and 2.8 for the remaining 2 holes on the top of the head (NO TWISTING!)

2.12 Ignore that last hole of mesh... Just loop the 2 nylon ends through the top-right hole in the head.

2.13 Now bring those 2 nylon ends up through that last hole of mesh. Separate them so that one end comes up on either side of the double-wide nylon.

2.14 Take those 2 separate ends and tie the 1st half of a square knot (The right over left thing you do with your shoe laces before you make the bunny ears). Tighten it.

2.15 Now put the 2 ends back together and tie an overhand knot (the same knot you use to tie balloons - make a loop then pull the end through)

2.16 Trim the excess string and burn the ends to prevent fraying. HAVE YOUR PARENTS DO THE BURNING KIDDIES!

(NOTE)
When the burning string begins to form a black ball blow it out! Liquid string can and will cause severe burning, don't touch it. Also, look out because the liquid string will drip; so make sure you don't burn your house down or drip it onto yourself.


STEP 3: Sidewalls

(NOTE)
Skip steps 3.1 & 3.2 if your sidewall strings came with aglets (the plastic coating that comes on the tips of shoelaces).

3.1 Burn one end of each sidewall string into a black ball. PARENTS SHOULD DO THIS.

3.2 Now you need to burn the other end of each string into a point: heat the tip of the string by putting a flame on it (don't light it on fire). After about 3 seconds of heating let it cool for another 2 seconds, then shape the malleable portion of the string into a point using a wet paper towel. Repeat this "heat and shape" process until you create a decent point (it must be small enough to fit into the sidewall holes of your head). Put points on both sidewall strings. PARENTS ONLY.

(NOTE)
I actually just grab the liquid string with my thumb and forefinger and shape it that way. After about 200 stringing jobs your fingers stop getting burned. I don't advise doing this unless you're willing to get severely burned. Also, give the liquid string a few seconds to cool before grabbing it.

3.3 Tie an overhand knot on the end of the two sidewall strings (the end WITHOUT the point).

3.4 Use your needlenose pliers to expand the top-left and top-right holes in your head. You're gonna need room to get your sidewall string through this hole (in addition to the top strings already occupying this hole).

3.5 Push the point of one sidewall string through the top-left hole (still looking from the back) of the head.

3.6 Pull the sidewall string through the 1st open mesh hole (1st one down from the top-left).

3.7 Push the sidewall string through next hole down in the head (entering from the inside of the head).

(NOTE)
Some heads come with 40 holes per sidewall (like the Brine© Vapor). If you have such a head don't take the phrase "next hole down" literally. Skip 1 or 2 holes. After thisfirst hole, skip 3 or 4 holes to get about an inch in between each sidewall attachment.

3.8 Now pull the tip of the string under the portion of string that has yet to pass through the sidewall.

3.9 Pull the sidewall string through the 2nd open mesh hole (like step 3.6).

3.10 Push the sidewall string through the next hole down in the head (like 3.7).

3.11 Now pull the tip of the string under the portion of string that has yet to pass through thesidewall (like 3.8)

3.12 Continue to repeat steps 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 moving down the head. When you get about halfway down the head, loop 2 mesh holes instead of one (or just loop 2 whenever the mesh begins to get too tight vertically). Knowing exactly when to do this is something you learn with experience. If your stick is illegal you doubled-up too many holes. If your stick throws with too much whip, it is too loose towards the top.

(NOTE)
You should double-up mesh holes at least once on your way down the head. It takes experience to know when to do this, but you can kind of tell when to do it based on how the tight the mesh begins to get.

3.13 Once you reach the bottom of the sidewall, pull the sidewall string through the 2nd to last hole on the side of the head.

3.14 Repeat steps 3.5 through 3.13 to install the other sidewall string. Make sure you attach the mesh to the sidewall in the same exact way you did with the first sidewall. It's critical to have a symmetrical sidewall.

3.15 Use pliers (or your fingers) to tighten the sidewall strings. Start from the top of the head and work any slack downward.

3.16 Once you've removed any slack, tie off the sidewall strings with an overhand knot.

(NOTE)
To get the knot close to the plastic (which keeps the sidewall tight), shape the knot but do not tighten it. Work slack through the knot until the loop of the knot is as close to the head as you can get it, then hold the knot in place and tighten it.


STEP 4: Bottom Tie-Down

4.1 Push the sidewall string through the final sidewall hole so that the remainded of the string is on the inside of the head. Do for both sidewalls.

4.2 Pull the sidewall string down through the first bottom tie-down hole. Do for both sidewalls.

4.3 From the last mesh hole attached to the sidewall, count 2.5 holes down. Pull the sidewall string on that side up through this hole.

(NOTE)
Which row you choose to tie-down greatly affects pocket depth. If your pocket is illegal, move the tie-down up on row in the mesh. If it is to shallow move it down a row. The following is a rough guide:

SHALLOW TIGHT POCKET - USE ROW 2 (counting down from last sidewall attachment)
AVERAGE POCKET - USE ROW 2.5
DEEP LOOSE POCKET - USE ROW 3

Experience is really the best way to gauge where to tie-down the mesh. Also, you may find that after your pocket gets broken in, it becomes too deep. You should adjust your tie-down as needed.

4.4 Weave the sidewall string through the selected row of mesh holes.

(NOTE)
If you chose a half-row (like row 2.5), you will have to skip over the middle hole in the mesh. Otherwise, your string won't be on the underside of the mesh at the end of the weave.

4.5 Weave the other sidewall string through that same row, only start from the opposite side. It should weave through exactly like the first sidewall string.

4.6 Push the tip of this sidewall string up through the bottom tie-down hole closest to where it left the mesh.

4.7 Do the same with the other sidewall string.

4.8 Now bring the that sidewall string down through the inner tie-down hole.

4.9 Bring the other sidewall string through the last unused tie-down hole.

4.10 Tighten the two sidewall strings and tie them together using a square knot.

4.11 Cut and burn the excess string (leave a little extra in case you want to loosen the tie-down later on).


STEP 5: Shooting Strings

5.1 Find the 2nd open row of mesh holes. Pull the shooting string up through the far-right hole in this row.

5.2 Weave the shooting string through the row by going down through one hole then up through the next.

5.3 When the weave is completed, pull the excess shooting string over to the left side of the head. Leave only about 3 inches of string on the right side. This will be used to tie off the shooting string.

5.4 Loop around the plastic and come up through the far-left mesh hole. The string should come up under the pre-existing weave. Now weave the mesh back over to the right side by going down above the first weave, then up under the first weave.

5.5 Once the weave is complete, adjust the shooting string so that the two loose ends are of equal length. You may need to cut the string if it is too long.

(NOTE)
Last time I checked the NCAA rulebook, shooting strings could only have 2" or less of slack hanging off. Most high-school refs won't care unless your excess is so long you could use it to whip or blind people.

5.6 Tie the two ends in a sqaure knot making sure to use the correct level of pressure (tightness). If the strings do not aglets (plastic tip thingies), burn them to prevent fraying.

(NOTE)
How tight or loose you make your shooting strings is one THE most crucial aspects to stringing a functional pocket. Shooting strings towards the top should be fairly tight, forcing the ball to rise out of the depths of the pocket. They should be looser and looser as you move down the head. Strings that are too tight will cause the ball to "snap" out of the pocket. The ball will hit the string and be completely redirected at a new angle. This is typically undesirable unless you can get accustomed to it. Strings that are too loose serve very little purpose and don't do much to guide the ball. U's and V's should never be too tight, especially not V's. Make sure with U's that the diagonal segments are tight and pull all the slack to the horizontal portion. U's and V's can be strung over pre-existing shooting strings - just let the two share the same mesh hole (string it as if the first string wasn't even there). Almost anything can work when using shooting strings, but just as many configurations can perform terribly. The only way to find the perfect layout for your stick is experimentation.

5.7 Install additional shooting strings in the same manner as the first one. Most players use somewhere between 2 to 4 shooting strings. You can also install the non-hockey lace style of shooting strings if like to be old-school. These are however, less forgiving when it comes to how tight or loose they need to be.


STEP 6: Finishing Touches

6.1 Install the ball-stop if your stick doesn't already have one. Test fit the foam pad, trim as necessary, then adhere.

6.2 Make sure your pocket conforms to the rules of the game. (is legal)

-It must be shallow enough so that the top of the ball (after being pushed down once then released) cannot be seen below the plastic of the head.

-The ball must roll/fall freely out the stick when turned upside-down (my friend got called for having a one second delay between the stick being turned upside-down, and ball becoming free of tight sidewall strings).

-Don't paint any circles or anything in your pocket to attempt camoflouging it (making it seem like there's always a ball in it, or intentionally masking whether or not your pocket contains a ball).

-The head should not be pinched to the point where it does not fall within legal dimensions for a lacrosse stick (I don't know what they are, look it up if you care enough).

-There are other regulations, but if you meet these, chances are you won't get called for an illegal stick. But don't blame me if you do.

6.3 Break your pocket in using a pocket pounder, random object, or just be normal and use it a lot.

That's it, request the next tutorial with a comment. See you next month.