Welcome back, LAS nation. It’s Marty again. Let’s rap.
Like last time, I’m back to give more advice to the younger audience from a guy who’s been there and done that. It really is exciting to be collaborating with LAS and Lax Wax to bring you tips and advice from my life as a professional lacrosse player who’s always on the road.
Lax Wax has given me an awesome opportunity to represent their brand and to help Grow The Game. In all honesty, Lax Wax is a product you can’t live without. I believe that one of the most important things a player should do is take care of his lacrosse stick. In the MLL, being on the road and in airports so much, you have no choice but to just toss your stick in your bag and off it goes.
I began playing lacrosse in 8th grade when my father started the local city youth program. This was the first time both myself and many local city kids were introduced to the sport. If I was able to see some of these Lax Hacks back in the day it would have not only helped my game and knowledge out, but also every inner city player who was new to the sport.
Growing up, the “rattle” was always an issue, but one that I never fixed. I always played with a little rattle based on the fact I just never thought of fixing it or wanted to change anything. At that time I would only have one stick and it was all factory strung and setup. Once I grabbed a new stick off the rack, I never changed anything. I just played with it no matter how it was strung, I adjusted my game to work with it.
I can actually remember my freshman year of high school, playing in the state tournament. I came down on a fast break and sure enough, when I cranked one up and let it rip, the head flew off going further than the ball. To say the least, it was a little embarrassing and after that moment I have made sure it hasn’t happened to me since. Had I known about the importance of securing the head on tight, I might have been able to get my team a much needed goal and wouldn’t have looked so silly.
Nowadays, when it comes to keeping the head attached to the shaft, everyone I have seen, including myself, goes with both the tape and the screw. This allows the head to be tight and will eliminate any rattle so you will get a secure fit. When you’re out there laying the lumber you always want to be sure your head will stay secure and won’t come flying off your stick.
Also, since I was introduced to LaxWax, I’ve learned that instead of tape, you can put some LaxWax around the part of the shaft that goes into the head and that acts the same as tape. No one ever has tape anyway, so needless to say, this has worked in a pinch. Sign up to become an Insider at LaxAllStars.com using code “LAXWAX” at checkout and you can try a free tube for yourself!
Pro Tip: Always carry a back-up stick!
Part of making sure that you’re always prepared is carrying a back-up stick. I always make sure I have two sticks that throw, pass and shoot exactly the same way.
I ran into many issues throughout college where I would break my stick mid-game and have a backup that passed and shot differently. In the middle of a game, it is to hard to adjust to something like that. So now I take it a step further and make sure my gamer and my back-up function exactly the same. Having two “gamers” always on hand keeps be prepared for the worst.
Generally in the MLL, this is how it works for most of the guys. Every guy will have two sticks that throw exactly the same way. When one goes down, you can’t skip a beat, you just pick up the other one and get back in the game.
I can’t stress it enough, take care of your stick and it will take care of you!
