How to Restring a Women's Lacrosse Head

Written By: Katharine Strong

Comments: 0

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

35 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

If your lacrosse strings are too tight, too loose, or just generally out of repair, your playing will be negatively affected until you can get a restring. Many sporting goods stores offer this service, but any women's lacrosse player can save themselves time and money if they know how to restring their own stick.

While there are many customizable ways to restring a women's lacrosse stick, this tutorial will set you up with the basics for one of the commonly used styles. This guide will walk you through the steps of stringing a pita pocket, which has a channeled center that provides better hold and release than a traditional pocket.

Before starting this guide, get familiar with the types of strings used for a restring, as well as how to tie a poacher's knot.

Tools

Step 1

Prep the nylon strings for the pocket with a poachers knot.
Create this knot at one end of each nylon.
There are two nylons for this stringing instruction.

Step 2

Tie a double knot on a sidewall string.
Make sure the lacrosse head is face down.

Step 3

Lace the string through the topmost sidewall hole.
Skip a hole.

Step 4

Thread the end of the sidewall-string through the loop made via "stitch."
Pull tight, towards the next hole.

Step 5

Repeat step 3 all the way down the side wall, skipping a hole each time.
Tie off at the end. Repeat for the other sidewall.
Ensure that the holes match up on both sides.
Stitches should be facing inwards.

Step 6

Knot the top-string on one end.
Thread the top-string through the topmost sidewall hole with the sidewall-string knot.

Step 7

Start each hole with pulling the string back to front.
Pull tight!
Feed the top-string through the 1st leather.

Step 8

Thread the top-string front to back.
Pull tight!
Make sure that the continuing string comes in front of the knot.
Start the same loop pattern on the next hole. (back to front)

Step 9

Grab one of the prepped nylons from step 1.
Thread the top-string through the nylon poacher's knot.
Finish the loop pattern by pulling tight. (front to back)

Step 10

Repeat Step 9 to tie in the second nylon.
Repeat Step 8 to tie in the second leather.
Pull through the top sidewall.
Tie off with a knot.

Step 11

Lace all the 4 strings through their respective holes at the bottom of head.
Do not tie off yet!
Push the leathers and the nylons to the desired pocket depth.

Step 12

Thread the pocket cross-string through both nylon strings.
For this manual, the pocket will be black.
Ensure that once pulled, both end lengths are the same.

Step 13

Wrap the cross-string up and around its adjacent nylon.
Bring both of the string ends towards center to form a twist.
Finish by wrapping the string around each nylon again.

Step 14

Repeat the twists and wraps in Step 13 until the end of the nylons.
Pull the ends of black cross-strings through the same holes the nylon strings are tied off at.
The pocket should consist of 8-10 twists. (The pocket tightness is based on the player's preference.)

Step 15

Thread the cross-string through the top of the leather.
The inner cross string will be blue for this manual.
Make sure that each end of the cross-string is of even length.
Bring the cross-string under the nylon and through the first twist of the black pocket string.
Lock the string in place by bringing it back around itself and pulling down.

Step 16

Wrap the cross-string around the leather, front to back.
Thread the cross-string under nylon and through the second twist of the black cross-string.
Repeat this pattern (steps 15-16) until each twist in the pocket has been threaded through.
Pull the end of the cross-string through the hole of the leather at the bottom.

Step 17

Thread the remining blue cross-string through the first loop of the sidewall string.
This will create the outer cross-string section.
Wrap the cross-string around the leather.
Twist the cross-string around itself so it's "locked."
Repeat this step, threading through each sidewall loop until the bottom.

Step 18

Repeat steps 15-17 to string the other side. (inner and outer cross-string)
Thread both of the ends of the blue cross-string through the same hole the leathers go through.
Knot the two ends together to tie off.
Repeat for the other blue cross-string ends.

Step 19

Thread the first shooting lace through the second hole down on the left side of the head.

Step 20

Weave over the blue cross-string.
Weave under the leather.
Weave over the nylon.
Weave under the black pocket-twist.
Weave over the nylon.
Weave under the leather.
Weave over the blue cross-string.

Step 21

Thread the lace's end through the second sidewall hole down.
Return the shooter-lace over the sidewall hole.
Create an opposite weave of over and under through each section.
Be sure to twist the lace around itself as you weave over and under.

Step 22

Tie off the shooter lace with itself, creating a knot over the sidewall hole.

Step 23

Cut off any excess lace, leaving about an inch.
Make sure to cut after the knot.

Step 24

Pull the 2nd shooter lace through the 5th or 6th sidewall hole from the bottom.
The position will be based on player preference.

Step 25

Weave the shooter lace under the cross-string.
Weave over the leather.
Weave under the next cross lace.
Weave over the nylon.
Weave under the center pocket strings.
Create an upside-down U shape to help form a defined pocket.
Pull the lace through the sidewall hole across from the starting point (5th or 6th up from bottom).

Step 26

Thread the shooter-lace back through the U-shape, inversing the over/under pattern.
Be sure to twist the lace around itself as done with the first shooter lace in steps 22-23.