It’s a huge thrill for a young man to get his first real lacrosse stick (not the toy Fiddle Stix), but it does not have to be a huge expense for his parents. When I was in high school you had three choices for lacrosse sticks: STX had two models and Brine had one. Now the choices are seemingly endless. Don’t worry, you won’t have to take a second mortgage or set up a financing plan to purchase your son’s first lacrosse stick. There are actually a number of very reasonably priced sticks available from a number of different companies. I will not recommend one specific brand or stick, at least until I am offered an endorsement contract.

When shopping for your son’s first real lacrosse stick, make sure you ask for a beginner stick. All the major brands make a beginner model, some make two or three. These beginner sticks are shaped to provide a young player with an opportunity to learn how to catch, throw, cradle, and shoot. The more advanced (and much more expensive) sticks are pinched and make it much more difficult to master these basic skills.

The marketing geniuses at these lacrosse companies also understand that bright colors and graphics are a big draw to young players, and they offer a number of different color and graphic options. They are also trying to sell their higher margin, more advanced (more expensive) models too. You might consider ordering online or shopping without your son. Most beginner sticks are between $40-$100 and come already strung. A custom stick with an alloy shaft can easily run into the $200 range. This will not help your son become a better player until he has mastered the basics of the game. And he will have a much more difficult time mastering those basics with an advanced stick.

After your son gets his new stick, do him a favor and wrap a small piece of tape (athletic, duct, or even packing tape) around the rubber stopper and the shaft. This will prevent the stopper from coming off in your son’s hand, and it’s a nice place to write his name too.

Now encourage your son to get outside (away from the windows) and practice.