What inspired me to string an all black Nike Lakota U head with black lacrosse mesh and strings was when I first saw professional lacrosse player Matt Gibson ball-out with a murdered-out stick. Don't get me wrong, this setup is no means a replica of what Matt Gibson uses but it is what gave me the idea for the stick. My setup included a Nike Lakota U and Lax Room XPro Mesh, color black.
Nike Lakota U Lacrosse Head
- The Nike Lakota U weight is 8 oz & a great lacrosse head for any type of player. It is used by attackmen, LSMs, and midfielders. The width is definitely a characteristic that needed to be noted about the Lakota. This feature makes it easier for the player to catch the ball.
- Near the neck of the head, the head begins to narrow; giving the player more ball control. There are also many holes used on the side wall of the head for lots of options. This makes it very easy to find that perfect pattern for your Nike Lakota U that you are looking for when stringing up the Lakota.
- Durability is another key characteristic that was implemented in the design of the head. As stated before, I have seen every type of player use the Lakota with the exception of goalies. It is an all-purpose workhorse.
The Nike Lakota U Pattern & Stringing:
I actually strung up the head myself and achieved what I was looking for easily with the Lax Room XPRO Mesh. I wanted a pocket that threw true without any whip or snagging. Also adding some flair was high on my list of tasks for this head, so I put in a 9d triangle top string to liven it up.
Then my goal was to really feel the ball and to have optimal ball control in all of my playing motions. The ball tends to sit in the mid to low part of the pocket (right where I wanted it). This placement of the pocket allows for a nice shift depending on how you are holding the stick.
While throwing passes with this setup, I found it actually has an incredible amount of hold, which is nice for throwing fakes and ball security. I achieved that hold by having a tight channel to grip the ball. Building off of that, the pocket has a little more whip than I like because of that tight channel. Wrist action is key when using this pocket for the perfect release. Wrist, wrist, wrist, wrist.