Back in the 2009/2010 season there was a MAJOR rule change that affected College Lacrosse across the board. All players were now required to use a new, wider shaped head making all of the previous models illegal to use for any NCAA game.
Since we have all come to be used to this now it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but back then it had everyone’s head spinning. Luckily manufacturers acted quickly and released college legal versions of heads so that players would be able to gear up in time for the season. Back then that switch wasn’t as easy as you might think. Stringers had to adjust to learn how to get the same pocket results but with much wider heads.
Now that some of these college rules are starting to trickle down into the younger play levels, a question popped into our heads here at Universal Lacrosse.
What would happen if all High School spec heads became outlawed in lacrosse? What if regardless of age, whether you’re a young gun or a rising vet, you just couldn’t use any of the HS heads?
At first I think this would cause a serious uproar in the lax community. People would freak out! The manufacturers would basically have to stop any future production of these heads and any retailers would probably be out of luck with their current stock. As for the players themselves, every one of them would have to go out and buy a new head just be able to step on the field, no matter the age group or division.
Even though this hasn’t happened yet we are already seeing a trend in the older High School players. A good amount of them have already made the switch to Collegiate legal heads in order to get used to the feel of them and to prepare to make the next step into Collegiate level play.
I’m 150% behind this idea! If you are serious about making the next progression into College lacrosse why wouldn’t you want to get ready for it in any way possible, including the equipment you use! Trust me, it will make your transition that much easier.
Some of our favorite College level heads are: STX Stallion U500, Maverik Optik U, Warrior Rabil 2X, Nike Lakota U, and the Brine RP3 X. These heads are all perfect for an offensive player and they also have a HS version as well!
Now a big question with High School (HS) or Collegiate (X/U) heads is how it affects your performance. I’ve always believed that no matter what kind of head you use, you can get any kind of pocket you want. It doesn’t matter if it’s extremely wide or pinched, you can still produce the same results. It all comes down to stringing the head. You can’t usually use the same patterns on a College level head that you would use on a HS one. They are just too wide to get the same affect. You most definitely can get the same results but you just need to change things up!
We don’t know if HS heads will ever become illegal, but either way don’t worry to much because as long as you get ahead of the game you’ll be just fine.
IT’S ALL U
What would happen if all High School spec heads became outlawed in lacrosse? What if regardless of age, whether you’re a young gun or a rising vet, you just couldn’t use any of the HS heads?
At first I think this would cause a serious uproar in the lax community. People would freak out! The manufacturers would basically have to stop any future production of these heads and any retailers would probably be out of luck with their current stock. As for the players themselves, every one of them would have to go out and buy a new head just be able to step on the field, no matter the age group or division.
Even though this hasn’t happened yet we are already seeing a trend in the older High School players. A good amount of them have already made the switch to Collegiate legal heads in order to get used to the feel of them and to prepare to make the next step into Collegiate level play.
I’m 150% behind this idea! If you are serious about making the next progression into College lacrosse why wouldn’t you want to get ready for it in any way possible, including the equipment you use! Trust me, it will make your transition that much easier.
Some of our favorite College level heads are: STX Stallion U500, Maverik Optik U, Warrior Rabil 2X, Nike Lakota U, and the Brine RP3 X. These heads are all perfect for an offensive player and they also have a HS version as well!
Now a big question with High School (HS) or Collegiate (X/U) heads is how it affects your performance. I’ve always believed that no matter what kind of head you use, you can get any kind of pocket you want. It doesn’t matter if it’s extremely wide or pinched, you can still produce the same results. It all comes down to stringing the head. You can’t usually use the same patterns on a College level head that you would use on a HS one. They are just too wide to get the same affect. You most definitely can get the same results but you just need to change things up!
We don’t know if HS heads will ever become illegal, but either way don’t worry to much because as long as you get ahead of the game you’ll be just fine.
IT’S ALL U