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Wood Stick Wednesday: Traditional Lacrosse

Traditional Lacrosse, or “TLAX” as they are sometimes referred to, is a newer company in the lacrosse world, and they have a couple of plastic heads, some shafts, and some other gear available. What they’re known for though are their wooden lacrosse sticks. Traditional Lacrosse has been all over the US and Canada selling their sticks, driving interest in the idea of owning a woodie, and has quickly become one of the larger modern wooden stick makers, almost overnight. The company operates out of Akwesasne and they did a great job of selecting their brand name!

Traditional Lacrosse Wooden Sticks

traditional lacrosse

Last week, I talked about the old Mohawk Manufacturing Company sticks, and how they were mass produced. As I said last week, it can lead to a slightly lower overall quality, but as has been the case for decades, finding the RIGHT stick for you is what it’s all about. When you make thousands of sticks you get some slight variations, but even though Traditional Lacrosse sticks are made in larger numbers, the general balance and workmanship levels are quite high.

traditional lacrosse

I strung up the two sticks above. The one below was strung after purchasing it in Denver, CO at the 2014 World Lacrosse Championships. I strung the Pita six shooter a couple of months ago.

traditional lacrosse

Your typical, run of the mill wooden stick by TLAX is nice. They are well balanced, and the pockets are well strung, and spaced nicely. They don’t string a super deep pocket, but with a lot of work, you can break it in to a nice formed nest for the ball. It might never be a bag, but those can be tricky in woodies, so unless you can string your own, prepare for some break-in time with these! I would loosen the middle two leathers a little, then hit the wall for hours. Or use a wooden baseball bat to pound the pocket. See baseball bats ARE good for something! At the end of the day, these pockets are well strung, if a little tight initially.

Another thing you’ll want to consider apart from the pocket is shaving down the shaft of the Traditional Lacrosse sticks. They often come quite thick, and while this is great for strength and cross checking, it’s not great for offensive guys, or people who really want to catch and throw with their wooden stick. If you have no idea what shaving a wooden stick is like, check out the below:

This process will take you HOURS to get right. But when you whittle it down well, the difference is notable.

The face shape on the TLAX sticks is narrow, and it’s sort of a medium length. It’s not long like an old Mohawk Manufacturing stick, and it’s not short like a Mike Thompson stick. It’s sort of in the middle, maybe on the shorter end. It reminds me a lot of the Mohawk International Lacrosse sticks made by Mitchell Brothers in shape and size.

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One of the really interesting techniques that Traditional Lacrosse has employed is their custom program. They will laser engrave your name or logo on the side of a wooden stick, and while it’s not exactly traditional, it is pretty awesome. It’s a great gift idea, and the best thing is that the engraved sticks are still totally playable. In fact, they should be used… it’s what makes them special!

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Check out Traditional Lacrosse’ site for more products and info!

Traditional Lacrosse makes a great, basic wooden stick. If you’re looking to buy your first woodie, or looking for something you can use and beat up, TLAX is a great option. Their pricing is competitive, the product offering is very solid, and their custom program is truly unique in the world of wooden lacrosse sticks.