TRADITIONAL

Disclaimer: The use of lighters, scissors, razors, 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

Traditional is a high maitenance pocket style which typically shoots faster than mesh. Although it has less hold, the pocket will perform much more consistently (even in wet weather).

Also, I switched up the format a little. Some steps will have more than one corresponding picture, but each picture has a unique label. So some steps will have more than one number next to them.

Lastly, it is assumed you've read the mesh tutorial already or at least know something about stringing (familiar with the terminology, etc.)

The easiest way to follow the tutorial is probably to print out this page, and follow that printout as you browse through the pictures on this site.


TOOLS

• Scissors
• Lighter
• Needlenose Pliers
• Grip Tape
• Scissors
• Lighter
• Razor Blade / X-acto knife / Hobby Knife
• A Spare Shaft


MATERIALS

• 4 Traditional Leathers
• 2 Sidewall Strings
• 11 (At Least) Feet of Nylon Lacing
• Shooting Strings

(NOTES)
If both ends of your leathers are pointy and they have no cuts in them, they are old-school mesh top strings. You can't string traditional with them.

Inspect your nylon before using it. If ANY part appears cut, weathered, frayed, etc., don't waste your time with it. It will probably break as soon as you start using your new pocket.

Just grab as many shooting strings as you want. Some people also install nylon lacing and/or thick mesh top strings as shooting strings.


STEP 1: SIDEWALLS

1.1 Put the head on a shaft. Don't bother to screw it on.

1.2 Make a double overhand knot (It may officially have some other name, but I'm not a boy scout) in the sidewall string by making 2 loops and pulling the end through.

(NOTES)
If your string did not come with aglets (plastic tips) burn and point the string.

1.3 Pull the un-knotted end of the sidewall string through the top left (looking from back) hole in the head.

1.4
1.5 Push the sidewall string through the next hole down in the sidewall. If should enter on the outside of the stick coming through on the inside. The string should go over itself and then down after returning to the inside of the stick.

(NOTES)
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 about a little more than an inch in between each sidewall attachment.

Also, any head will have a lot of holes towards the top. These are for shooting strings and stuff and are usually really wide. Don't count these as sidewall holes.

1.6 Repeat 1.4/1.5 until you get to the bottom of the sidewall. Tighten as you go.

1.7 Pull the sidewall string through the last hole in the sidewall string. You are going from the inside to the outside this time.

1.8
1.9
1.10 Tie an overhand knot in the sidewall string. Make sure the sidewall stays tight. You do this by forming the loop of the knot as close to the plastic as you can get it. Then pull the string through the loop while still keeping the loop close to the plastic. Pull it real tight.

1.11
1.12 Repeat the whole sidewall process to install the 2nd sidewall.

1.13 Cut and burn the excess sidewall. Leave like 4 inches of spare string.


STEP 2: LEATHERS

2.1 Stretch all 4 leathers as far as you can.

(NOTES)
If you've ever seen a traditional pocket where the leathers are all screwed up and the nylon looks like it needs to be loosened this is the result of stringing traditional with poorly stretched leathers. Do a good job stretching them.

2.2 Take 1 leather. Pull the end with the 2 slits through the top left tie-down hole in the head. The smooth side of the leather should be the surface the ball will touch. In other words, the two rough sides should be facing each other and the smooth sides should face away from each other.

2.3 Pull the long (without slits) end of the leather up and through its 1st slit (the slit closest to the top) .

2.4 Now push the long end through the 2nd slit.

2.5
2.6 Repeat 2.2 - 2.4 for all 4 leathers. Then tighten them all, but make sure the slit doesn't move so far upward that it touches the plastic. If the slit is where the leather connects to the plastic it will wear out and break really quickly.

2.7
2.8 Now grab your grip tape and tape all four leathers to the shaft. Keep the leathers in order and facing the correct direction (smooth side should touch shaft). The tape should be a few inches below the head. Wrap the tape tightly and go around 3 or 4 times.

(NOTES)
Don't worry if the leathers all have different amounts of slack. None of them have to be tight or equal.

2.9
2.10 Grab the bottom of a leather and pull it downward. The leather should kind of snap downward, becoming taught. You'll understand when you do it. Tighten all 4 leathers.

2.11
2.12
2.13 This is the most important step in stringing traditional. You need to cut slices in the 2nd and 3rd leathers (2 middle ones). Where you slice depends on how deep you want your pocket. A good rule of thumb is to slice where the plastic ends so that the bottom of the slice lines up with the bottom of the throat of the head. This will give you a fairly deep but still legal pocket. Move upward to have a more shallow pocket. Move downward for a deep pocket, BUT BE CAREFUL, if it's too far down and your pocket ends up illegal, there's nothing you can do about it (there will be knots in these slits that can't be pulled through the bottom tie-down holes).

(NOTES)
DON'T MESS THIS STEP UP. The slices need to go right down the middle of the leathers. The further off the slice, the quicker the leather will wear through and break. Make your slices about 1 cm long. Do this in a well light area. Start by gently making a guide-slit that is dead center. Then begin going over it until you can easily push the blade out the other side.


STEP 3: NYLON LACING - SIDES

3.1 Cut a piece of nylon at least 2 feet long.

(NOTES)
When it comes to nylon lacing, too much is always better than too little. Always cut more than you think you'll need, especially if you're inexperienced.

3.2 Tie a double overhand knot in one end of nylon. Burn the tip of that end so it doesn't fray.

3.3 Insert the end without the knot into the top left hole of the sidewall. Pull all the slack through. (The same hole where the left sidewall string begins)

3.4 Bring the nylon behind the first (from the left) leather. It should cross behind it approximately where the first sidewall attachment is (where the sidewall string loops through a hole in the sidewall).

3.5 Now bring the sidewall around the front of the leather and then down behind itself (kind of like a sidewall attachment).

3.6 Pull the nylon under the 2nd sidewall segment (2nd down from the top).

3.7 Now bring the sidewall around the front of the sidewall string and then down behind itself.

(NOTES)
As you go, the nylon should be tight enough to not leave loose segments; but not too tight so that it actually moves the leather. Just use enough string to get where you're going. No more, no less.

Also, as a general rule, nylons should always be pretty tight towards the top of the head and can be a little more relaxed towards the bottom.

You can always tweak the leathers after you're done. Not that it's fun, but you can.

3.8
3.9
3.10 Repeat 3.4 - 3.7 until you reach the bottom of the head. The last attachment should occur on the leather, not the sidewall string.

(NOTES)
Leather attachments should line up with sidewall attachments (where sidewall string connects to the head). The nylon should connect to the sidewall string at the middle of each sidewall string.

3.11 Pull the nylon under the last sidewall segment. This nylon should have been attached to this sidewall segment once already. Allow the final segment of nylon to have a little slack.

3.12 Make a loop with the nylon and pull it under the sidewall segment just like you did in 3.11.

3.13 Pull the nylon up through the loop you just created.

3.14 Tighten that knot.

3.15
3.16 Form an overhand knot on the nylon. While the knot is loose, work the string through it so that the loop of the knot eventually falls right next to the knot you tightened in 3.14. Tighten the knot once it's in the correct place.

(NOTES)

There are more pictures of this knot in 3.21/3.22.

3.17 Cut another 2+ ft. piece of nylon. Double overhand knot and burn one end.

3.18
3.19
3.20 Connect the 4th leather to the right sidewall string the same way you just did for the 1st leather.

3.21
3.22 Connect this nylon to the last segment of sidewall using the same exact knot described in 3.11 - 3.16. Adjust the two nylons now in place so that they are close to identical.


STEP 4: NYLON LACING - MIDDLE

4.1 Cut at least 7 ft. of nylon lacing.

4.2 Insert the nylon into the loop of the first leather (furthest left). (Where the leather loops around the plastic and then passes through itself). Bring ~4 inches through.

4.3
4.4
4.5 Loop the short end (~4 inches) around the long end of the nylon twice. Then pass the short end through the double loop you just formed. It should go through the loops in the same direction the loop was made in. (The loops should be done left to right and you should pass the nylon through the loops left to right.) Tighten the knot. Burn the short end. Point the tip of the long end.

(NOTES)
I'm gonna call that a double hitch knot from now on. Its real name is likely something else.

4.6 Now bring the nylon across the front of the 2nd leather. Then bring it behind the back of the leather and down over itself.

(NOTES)
This is just like what you were doing before except the nylon goes around the front first, not the back.

4.7 Poke the nylon through the hole in the 1st leather (the one on top) attachment on the 1st leather. This is basically where the nylon passes down behind itself. Just look at the pic.

4.8 Now bring the nylon around the back of the leather. Then bring down in front of itself. (NOTES)
This is the same exact thing you did in 4.6 except it should pass through the leather attachment.

4.9
4.10
4.11 Repeat 4.6 & 4.7 until the nylon interweaves with the last leather attachment made by the side nylon. Then make 2 additional attachments so that you end up with one single attachment below the last interweave.

(NOTES)
Again, nylon lacing towards the top of the head should be tighter than lacing on the bottom half. However, this difference should be subtle. Just use as much nylon as you need to get where you are going. You can adjust the tightness levels when it's done.

Also, the nylon segments above and below each leather attachment should be equal. You don't want the hexagons/diamonds to be all mishapen.

4.12 Bring the nylon all the way around the leather (going from the back around to the front). Then pull the nylon up through the slit in the leather (it should go over itself before entering the slit).

4.13 Start going upward making leather attachments on the way. The nylon should go over the front of the leather and then up underneath itself just like before.

(NOTES)
Because you are now moving from bottom to top, repeating the same 'over the front first' technique will actually leave the same attachment that would be formed moving top to bottom going 'behind the back first'.

4.14
4.15 Continue moving upward and making attachments. Be sure to interweave all the attachments on the 2nd leather with those already there.

4.16 Once you reach the top pass the nylon through the loop formed by the 3rd leather. (like the loop you initially tied this nylon to).

4.17
4.18 Move back down making leather attachments as you go (they still go over the front of the leather first, then around the back and down over themselves).

4.19 After the final leather attachment (it should be a leather attachment on the 3rd leather), push the nylon through the slit in the 3rd leather. It should go from the front to the back of the leather.

4.20 Now bring the nylon to the right side of the leather. Pass the nylon under itself (the portion of the nylon before it enters the slit).

4.21 Loop the nylon around itself twice.

4.22
4.23 Pass the nylon through the double loop entering at the bottom and exiting at the top. Tighten the knot. (double hitch knot)

4.24 Remove the tape from the leathers. Pass each leather up through its respective bottom-tie-down hole.

4.25 Get the excess leather out of the way by flipping the slack downward. Most people will place the two middle leathers down the hole between the 2nd and 3rd leathers; and put 1st and 4th leathers down the holes to their insides. You can now pull through leather slack to create a pocket. This should be obvious, but the two middle leathers should be longer than the outer side leathers. Pull through enough for a legal pocket and make sure the 2 inner leathers are the same exact length. The outer side leathers should also be of equal length.


STEP 5: TWEAKING THE POCKET

5.1
5.2 Search the pocket for abnormally long or short segments of nylon. Adjust everything until all the hexagons/diamonds are about the same size. You can do this by pulling slack through the leather attachments.

5.3 Inspect the leathers for malformed segments. The leathers will bunch up if there is too much leather in between any 2 given nylon leather attachments. Fix these by sliding the leather attachments and working the leather slack to the bottom of the pocket. You can then pull the slack up through the bottom-tie-down hole.

(NOTES)
Make sure the 2 inner and 2 outer leathers have equal lengths (1st = 4th and 2nd = 3rd) after you adjust the pocket.

Also make sure you don't have two leathers abnormally close together. If you do, you can try to work some nylon slack into the tight area to re-normalize it. Of course you should've been checking this the whole time you were installing the nylons.

5.4
5.5 Continue tweaking the pocket until everything is gravy. Check the depth to make sure it's legal. Don't have it barely legal because it will break in and deepen to the point of being illegal.

(NOTES)
All of these steps can really be done in any order, and you may have to repeat them a few times because one adjustment can alter another part of the stick. Don't move on until everything looks and feels right.


STEP 6: SHOOTING STRINGS

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4 Shooting strings in traditional are pretty much the same as they are in mesh. (If you don't know how to put shooting strings into mesh check the tutorial - http://www.lax.com/stories/1130) Weaves occur in between every string - this includes leathers and nylons. They should go under a nylon then over a leather, then under a nylon and over another leather... and so on. On the way back it would be over a nylon and under a leather...

The important thing is where you try to put the shooting strings. They must go in between a set of leather attachments. Basically this means something like below leather attachments on the 1st & 3rd leathers, and above attachments on the 2nd & 4th leathers. Just look at the picture.

(NOTES)
Just like any pocket, the top shooting string should be tight; and they should get gradually looser as you move downward. The best way to find a shooting string scheme that works is to take the stick outside and throw with it. Begin with every string untied and see how it performs. Try loosely knotting strings until you find your style. Then tighten all the knots.

Traditional usually works best with all of the shooting strings relatively loose. The top string should just be tight enough to prevent the ball from hitting the scoop when you throw (unless you like that).

6.5 Once your pocket works trim the excess shooting string and burn the tips.


STEP 7: FINISHING UP

7.1 Break in the pocket.

(NOTES)
The way you break in your pocket determines its future. If you are and old school player who likes the ball to rest near the throat, then pound that area of the pocket. If you like the ball in the center, break that in.

You can also use the break in process to slightly vary the throwing properties of the stick. If you like a little whip, pound the area directly below the shooting strings (Pic 7.1). If you like the classic straight out throw, than only break in the area the ball goes during cradleing. If you like to snap your passes off the plastic, break in the area from the shooting strings up.

7.2
7.3 Once you like the depth of your pocket secure the excess leather. This can be done with any combination of knots, loop arounds, tape, etc. If you trim the leathers be sure to leave some slack.

7.4 Trim any other excess string. Be sure to leave some slack for later adjustments; do however, secure the slack so it doesn't whip people in the face. Burn the tips of any cut strings so they don't fray.

7.5 Adjust the leathers so that the slits at the top are not touching the plastic of the scoop. (see step 2.5) 7.6 Be cool and stay in school.