What do they really need?

Lacrosse helmet (Cascade Pro 7, white) and mouthpiece

Shoulder pads (check the packaging on a new set, there's a chart to tell you how to fit them)

Arm pads (insure that they reach to the shoulder pads, with little or no space in between)

Gloves

Spikes (some of the boys wear soccer shoes, some wear low cut football shoes)

Athletic supporter w/cup

Lacrosse stick (size varies depending on position) and ball

Some players also wear rib pads (rib pads are not mandatory)

Water jug (boys need to supply their own drinking water)

Locally new equipment can be purchased at:

South Swell Sports  6203 N. Hwy 360, 78731  732-0002

Sports in The Village at Westlake  327-9888

Oshmans has a limited selection

Equipment can be ordered new from a several mail order firms:

South Swell Sports  1-512-732-0002  http://www.southswellsports.com/

LAX World  1-800-PLAY-LAX  http://www.playlax.com/

LAX International  1-800-333-LAXX

Bacharach  1-800-726-2468  http://www.bacharach.com/

Lacrosse Unlimited  1-800-366-LAXX  http://www.lacrosseunlimited.com/

Look for other internet stores in the Links section

You can save a lot of money if you can purchase used equipment (not easy to locate). We found equipment at Play it Again Sports on Anderson Mill Road or down by Northcross Mall. We were able to wash the used gloves, arm pads, and shoulder pads (we used the dishwasher). Hint: insure that boys always lay the equipment out to dry after practice - it gets pretty ripe in time.
 

Helmets

Helmets are required equipment for all lacrosse players

Lacrosse helmets have a 4-point buckling system to assure they stay on and to allow for a better fit

They are made of a hard plastic with a wire mesh cage, or face mask, to protect the front of the face

It is required that the face mask have a center bar running from the top to the bottom for better protection

Goalie helmets add a throat protector

Helmet Sizing and Fit

You wear a helmet to protect your head from injury, but you won't get the maximum protection unless it is properly sized with a snug, aligned fit. The information below is designed to guide you in achieving a safe, secure helmet fit. Take a cloth tape measure and wrap it around your head, going across your temples and above your eyebrow ridge. Hold the tape measure level and firm. The key to a good fit is firm yet comfortable contact of the inner padding to your head. This is only a guide - helmets should be tried on for correct fit.

 

Size  Inches
X-Small    20 3/4 to 21 1/4
Small    21 1/2 to 22 3/8
Medium    22 3/4 to 23 5/8
Large    23 3/4 to 24 1/4
X-Large    24 3/8 +

 

Fit tips

It sits squarely on the head with the front of the helmet low on the brow to protect the forehead.

The padding exerts firm, uniform pressure all around the head.

FIT TIP: You should not be able to insert a finger between the helmet and your forehead and if you turn your head from side to side (like you disagree with something) there should be no gap between the helmet and your cheek bone.

There are pads that can be inserted in some helmets to provide a more secure fit. There are foam spiders that can be purchased for the Cascade CLH helmets. The Cascade C2 comes with a "wedge kit" for customizing the fit.

Items to consider when selecting a helmet are FIT, comfort, weight, and visibility.

Gloves

Lacrosse gloves have heavy padding on the tops of the fingers and around the wrist to protect against being hit by a stick

The palm is made of leather or a leather substrate for comfort and handling with thick pads around it for protection

It is okay for gloves to be a little large, as long as the padding covers all areas of the hand and wrist

FIT TIP: The padding on the fingers should extend about ¼ inch past the end of each finger tip. The fingers can be loose but the thumb should be tight enough to allow for control of the stick.

Determining your glove size

Most manufacturers use different sizing levels for their gloves--usually small, medium, large, or extra large--but in general they range from youth sizes of about 9 inches up to full adult sizes of 16 inches

Use a tape measure to measure the distance from where your elbow pads will end to the tip of your fingers. This number equals your glove size.

Different manufacturers use different sizing methods, but the chart below is a good indicator of the glove size you should buy based on the above measurement

Size  Inches
Small  9-10
Medium  11-13
Large  14-15
X-Large  16-17
 

Shoulder Pads

Most pads are sized according to body type

To measure, wrap a tape measure around your chest just below your armpits

Different manufacturers use different sizing charts, but the chart below provides a general guide

Size  Inches
Senior Small  28-30
Senior Medium  32-24
Senior Large  36-38
Senior X-Large  40-42
 

Some pads have only padding and others incorporate a hard plastic for more protection. Compare the products themselves - the use of the terms Shoulder Pads vs Shoulder Guards are not indicators.

FIT TIP: Try the pads on, they should be comfortable. Have someone watch as you do circle stretches and bend and turn in all directions (like you might have to do in a game). The pads should move with the body and continue to cover the areas that you are trying to protect.
 

Arm (elbow) pads

Elbow pads are required equipment in most leagues

They cover the elbow as well as the upper arm and forearm.

The terms arm pad, arm guard, elbow pad, and elbow guard are used interchangeably.

Most elbow pads are adjustable and are secured with Velcro straps, so sizing is general in terms of body size

There are also a varying numbers of straps available on different pads to help with adjustments

You may want to add a forearm slash pad for further protection in a sensitive, highly vulnerable area

Arm pads that incorporate a hard plastic shell over the elbow provide more protection.

Fit Tip: Arm pads should be comfortable and you should not be able to shake them off if you sling your arm up and down.

Selecting Stick Systems, Heads, and Shafts

There is no exact science to the selection of the right stick system, head, or shaft for every player. Selection of the right equipment can be a trial and error process supplemented by recommendations from teammates, coaches and experience. Based on years of experience, knowledge of the game and technical aspects of the gear, AZRU SPORTS developed the following guidelines to use as you consider the options (this information was copied from the web in 2001 but the company is no longer available online.)

The pocket

This is the single most important aspect of the stick. The pocket cradles the ball and controls the trajectory and accuracy of passes and shots. It is the most crucial component in the development of good basic lacrosse skills and techniques. There are two major types of pockets:

Mesh pocket - This is a piece of special nylon mesh fabric that is stretched within the frame of the head and is held to the head with side-wall string. Generally, beginning players and those who are still in the early stages of skill development should choose a mesh pocket for the following reasons:

Easier to learn basic skills (easier to run with the ball)

More forgiving of early ball handling mistakes

Less adjusting of the pocket is needed.

There are many types of of mesh pockets to choose from. Examples are soft mesh, hard mesh, ultra mesh, monster mesh. It is very much a player preference. Ask the sales representative or a teammate for tips on forming a pocket for the ball. The soft mesh requires the least amount of breaking in.

Traditional pocket - This is a series of long leather pieces that are joined and cross woven with nylon string to form a web in which the ball rests. Traditional pockets provide:

Greater shot and passing accuracy

Adjustment capabilities to fine-tune shooting and passing trajectories

Greater sensitivity and flexibility in ball control

Need for more maintenance than mesh

The head

The primary purpose of the head is to act as a frame for the pocket. A skilled player will find certain advantages, depending on the characteristics of the head. The head will not make a good player better or an average player good. Achievement in the game of lacrosse comes from learning the basics and practicing them daily.

In recent years there have been advances in head technology that have improved scooping and less weight. All heads must conform to certain NCAA rules and regulations that limit size, shape and construction materials. Given this, with minor exceptions, all heads are going to weigh the same, within a few ounces.

A general rule of thumb is that the heavier the head, the stronger it is and its ability to withstand prolonged use (i.e. less chance for breaking during the game).

Some heads have an offset design relative to the shaft. This means that, at the point of connection between the shaft and head, the head "steps back" from the shaft. This places the head lower to the ground when scooping ground balls. The advantage supposedly is better ground ball control without the same level of energy necessary to bend as low to retrieve them. The offset design is also supposed to provide the player with slight increases in shot velocity.
The final area to consider is the side-wall design. The primary purpose of side-walls is to channel the movement of the ball down into the base of the head and the pouch of the pocket. The better side-walls do in channeling the ball, the less movement of the ball within the pocket and thus, the greater the level of control.

The wider the distance between sidewalls, the easier it is to catch the ball as a beginner or novice.

The shaft

There are three sizes of shafts: Attack/Midfield, Defense, and Goalie.

Attack/midfield shafts are generally no more than 30" in length; defensive shafts, no more than 60" in length; and the goalie's shaft can be 56" or less. Shafts can be no more than 3.5 inches in circumference. The key characteristics of shafts are strength and weight. The shaft is usually the heaviest component in the stick system. The goal of most players is to get the lightest weight possible without sacrificing strength.

The most common materials used today are aluminum and aluminum based alloys. Shafts constructed of aluminum form the baseline of the strength/weight ratio selection criteria. Aluminum shafts are appropriate for all skill levels within the game, particularly beginners and young players.

Next up the strength/weight ratio curve are the aluminum alloys. These shafts are blends of aluminum and other metals in varying ratios. These shafts generally are lighter basic aluminum shafts by 10-15%, are more flexible, and have a higher strength/weight ratio. Alloy shafts have extensive field experience and hold up well in all game conditions. They are less likely to bend that a regular aluminum shaft.

Another, rather new, category are shafts made of composite materials, ranging from shafts made with cores of aluminum that are wrapped with a fiberglass matte exterior, to shafts that are constructed completely of high tech-ceramic, Kevlar, glass matte, and other aerospace materials. These shafts, as a category, have under-whelmed the lacrosse community for several reasons.

They do not carry the strength/weight ratio that was originally thought possible. As a result they are heavier and more prone to frequent breaks than aluminum and its alloys. Composites have not yet achieved consistency in manufacturing. As a result, performance statistics will vary from one batch of shafts to the next.

When these composites fail, they fracture or shatter, creating very sharp, jagged splinters that can cause serious player injury. These shafts, generally, are on the upper end of the pricing scale.

The next category of shafts is exotic metal blends. Most continue to use an aluminum base metal and add such exotic and high tech metals as titanium, beryllium and scandium as alloys to create shafts that generally are at the top end of the strength/weight ratio charts. These shafts are at the top of the price scale as well. Generally, this class of shafts, because of their price, is used by players who have decided to make lacrosse their game for many years and, as a result, have "invested" in high-end equipment. Other players have found that these shafts are the only ones that will withstand their style of play on the field.