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dropped pita top string tuesday traditiona
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Top String Tuesday: Leathers with a Dropped Top

Over the past few weeks we have been digging into what I call the “dropped top string.”  Two weeks ago I strung up a Huron Top String and last week I showed you how to string a quick and easy Iroquois Top String.  This week I’m teaming up with the one and only, big Billy Nguyen to bring you a fresh take on the how and why one might string a pita or traditional pocket with a dropped top string.

If you haven’t seen it yet, Billy recently showed off his mean looking, Connor Wilson custom dyed, dropped trad pocket.  The second I saw his post, I couldn’t wait to sit down and hear all about it.  Billy explained, “I created the drop top strings after playing with one in a mesh stick over the summer. I’ve never seen it done before in a traditional.  Not only was it super functional, it was also still removable.”

Billy's New Rig
Billy’s Dropped Trad

After talking with Billy, I knew I had to try one for myself.  I decided to string up a Huron style Pita Pocket.  I love playing with a Pita Pocket and I love a stick that has a quick release, so I was pretty excited to test out this new approach.  What I found after playing with my own dropped Pita was that I was able to maintain the hold that you can only get with leathers while really reducing the time it took to get the ball out of my stick.  I think the pocket looks pretty unique, and I found that the depth of my dropped top allowed me to replicate the feel of playing with 4 shooters – my go to when playing with mesh – while only stringing up two.

My own take on the dropped traditional.
My own take on the dropped traditional.

One thing that I struggled with when stringing up my dropped Pita was figuring out a way to prevent the leathers from moving side to side without them being attached to either the top of the head or one of CW’s infamous tear drop top strings.  After messing around with a few options, I decided to use the two top strings, featured in the Huron Top String, to stabilize the leathers.  Once I had every thing in place it took me a few days to get the tension on the rail of the Huron pocket right.  At first, when I really ripped a shot, the ball would twang off the rail a bit too much for my liking.  It almost felt like hitting plastic.  I ended up having to adjust the tension of the two top strings to give the rail some slack, but once I figured the tension out I had a hard time putting this stick down.  I think next time I string something like this up I may test out Billy’s take on the Iroquois Top String Traditional.

If you think this may be a string job worth testing out, or you have your own unique spin on the dropped traditional, shoot us a line.  We love to hear from you and may even decide to show off your work.  Check back next week so a special spin on the Chenango Top String. Trust us… you won’t want to miss it.