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Tie Up Tuesday: Connor Wilson, Lacrosse All Stars Hawk-it Pocket
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Tie Up Tuesday: Connor Wilson, Lacrosse All Stars

Editor’s Note: Welcome back to Tuesday Tie Up from Epoch Lacrosse! Each week, we feature a guest lacrosse personality to help you see how the big guns string their heads. You’re sure to learn a thing or two, so pay attention! This week LaxAllStars.com’s own Connor Wilson shows off his work of art…

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James Miceli and crew at Epoch Lacrosse were nice enough to include me on a list of people who got the Limited Edition 382C green Epoch Hawk heads.

While many of my contemporaries threw in high mesh pockets or hung the head on their display wall, I had to take on a self-imposed challenge: String a Flip Naumburg inspired pocket in a Flip Naumburg designed head. And make it perfect. Flip takes his time with every pocket he strings, so this head deserved that same level of attention. If it’s perfect, I’ll call it the Hawk-it Pocket.

Flip is lacrosse famous for a number of different reasons, but inventing the Rock-it Pocket is as good as any, and the concept of that pocket was the inspiration for mine, with my own tweaks and twists thrown in.

The Rock-it Pocket creates a place for the ball to sit, usually right in the middle of the head, aka the sweet spot, and no matter what you do, a well strung Rock-it Pocket will hold and release the same way, and that is to say, very well. The Rock-it Pocket creates a “home” for the ball, and that ball definitely wants to go in its home. It’s not too good for its home at all.

So I totally stole the middle back and forth section from the Rock-it Pocket. I just had to. Sometimes things are just as good as they can be. And the double knotted middle channel allows for complete customization. The only change is that I used under-over double knots, whereas a Rock-it Pocket uses under-under double knots. Ok, so maybe everything can be improved on. That’s not the point.

The rest of the lower portion of the pocket is really just standard pita pocket side netting methodology, and is nothing special. One key feature is that the side leathers, #s 1 and 4, need to be relatively tight to keep the center spot for the ball, even in the key hole shaped Hawk.

But one huge difference is the top portion of the head, where the crosslace runs through the leathers. This area is very tight, and it holds the high pocket away from the plastic, to avoid lipping, even with a very high traditional pocket. It’s kind of like a coil in terms of function, but I hate coils aesthetically, and would never use one. I’m weird like that. So this was answer to the coil issue.

The end result is a pocket with incredible hold and control, a true, powerful release, and an unparalleled feel. I used grey leathers from Throne of String, and while they started out good, they turned great over time. You can pick corners, rip it from 15, and throw touch passes shovel style. I’m actually kind of proud, and more than a little surprised, at how well it came out in the end.

I took a little bit of what I know, some fundamental aspects of any good pocket, and a whole lot of inspiration from Flip to create this one.

It’s nothing ground breaking, it’s just really, really good. Phew. Self-imposed challenge complete. The Hawk-it Pocket is a thing. All homage to Flip.

Live. Play. Be.
Team Epoch