Project Pinnacle: Weight

Listen up, Noodle Arms

We all know players that we would classify as Weight weenies or Aggro meatheads. They’re at different ends of the spectrum, but they’re exactly the same in their vigorous preferences. They all pick up a head, toss it up in the air, squeeze it and then buy it based on how much it weighs. The lighter the better so you can feel the ball and have the ultimate power of control. The heavier it is, the more damage you can incur upon your opponent. These kinds of players will not understand why I’ve ranked this head aspect so low. 

Also, you probably thought this was going to be about the scoop. You thought wrong, friend-o. Ask yourself this: How can you pick up the ball with any kind of scoop if you’re lugging around a cartoonish anvil or a hollow plastic whisper? 

Balance, as the Star Wars sequel and prequel trilogies have taught us with their paradoxical ransacking of the original films, is far more important than anyone could have thought. 

Somewhere along the line (I’d guess 2014ish), five ounces went from the industry ideal to the industry standard. It’s something that happens in every other sport - lighter is better. Except when it’s not. Until recently, lighter nylon compounds often lacked the rigidity of their modern counterparts. Occasionally you will see a newer company try to bypass this fundamental law of nature/plasticity and try to make the newest “lightest head on the market”. It’s sheer folly to even attempt this, but they know they can sell some units with that tag line so they try it anyway. As we know from the Stiffness article during Project: Pinnacle, the material is the master of design. 

Too much material and you get a cinder block; too little and you get a wet noodle. So, it’s not as if the weight is a defining identifier; it’s a proportional one. It’s also something that will vary wildly in terms of preference among the users, which is why that 5-ounce standard is actually pretty important. It gives every head a target to match or exceed in either direction. Lighter isn’t better when you have that standard to adhere to and heavier isn’t better unless that’s exactly what you are looking for in your lacrosse head. 

For me, I find the difference between 4.5 and 5 ounces to be minimal. I’d even go so far as to say a 5.5-ounce head wouldn’t bother me that much. I’m old, but not so old that I need to pay attention to the actual weight of my head over anything else. That being said, anything over 6 ounces does present something of a challenge, but not for the reason that you may think. For me, it’s about balance. I prefer to play with a medium-lightweight alloy. Anything in the scandium family of shafts, whether it be “just” Scandium (nothing you buy that’s labeled one metal is actually made of just that metal - they are all metallurgical blends, it’s just a percentage branding) or a Scandium Titanium (Sci-Ti) alliance. 

I used to play with much lighter shafts back in the day (Real C405 is still the GOAT) but now it’s just easier to buy Scandium(ish) models from two years ago and pay ⅓ of the cost. I’m sure a lot of you love Carbon, but I think there is something about growing up with alloy that makes it hard to switch. It’s like playing with a traditional pocket - it might be better in certain situations, but change brings fear of failure, so why risk it? 

The point being that if I play with a head that makes the shaft feel unbalanced, it throws everything off for me. See, I didn’t grow up playing with a shortstick; I was a defender. So, when I switched (in my second year of college, thanks outdoor boxla) I had to tape all the spots on my sticks for each offensive task. One tapering at the top for one-handed cradling, one ring for catching, one ring for passing, one ring for shooting, and a full handle with a thicc butt end for the bottom. I no longer play with all of those tape rings because I can feel where they should be. If the feel is off, everything else is off. 

A head heavier than six ounces just doesn’t work for me, not in a full field scenario. But a stick that’s 4.5 ounces is just light enough to make a similar impact. So, regardless of background or reason, my preference for weight is the industry standard of five ounces, give or take a few decimals. Which is the real reason why this aspect is ranked so low for me personally, but also why I can see a lot of you would look at it as a No. 1 or No. 2 ranked facet. Don’t be ashamed to be a weight weenie or a meat sack. Just, you know, make sure you’re prepared to be called out on it. 

Only two more entries to go in the series, so I hope you’re following along and building your head along with me. We’re about to jump headfirst into the most unpredictable college season in decades, and if you think I’m just going to be here talking about heads and musing on advice then you must be new.