Week 4

This week was different from the past few.   Instead of using mesh to string a head I went tradition stringing it with the method called traditional.  This way of stringing is much more challenging and time-consuming for the fact that it doesn't have the majority of the work done, as mesh does, but you essentially have to make the mesh.  You do this by weaving the cross-lace, or the small strings, in and out and tying them off to the leathers.  This allows for more ambiguity but also offers more room for mistake.  Traditional often has more whip and allows the person stringing to put more personal touches on the stick because they can change small details, but it takes much more time and it harder to do or fix.  It is also much harder to find directions on how to do it.  Because most people stringing heads opt for the mesh method, there is little material online for how to string one in the traditional format.  What often comes up are custom styles like the "Pitta Pocket" or the "Rocket Pocket" which are just stringer's custom variations on the traditional method.
The best source that I could find to string was by elacrosse.com.  This website offered pictures and directions on how to string the head.  This proved to be helpful because if I couldn't understand what they were describing then I could just examine the picture and do what I saw, which gave me a better understanding of what I had to do.  I also simply brought up pictures of traditionally strung heads on google and compared what they did and tried to copy them to come up with the same result.
I would also like to comment on my past heads, as I have gotten the chance to use them and really work with them.  The first weeks stringing has really diminished in quality, especially after playing in the rain.  From my experience with it, I am not a fan of the pro-mesh that I strung on it because it does not seem to keep it's pocket as well as basic hard mesh, and it is much easier to dirty.  It also seems to have less hold and is not as good for shooting.  Overall, I would not recommend this type of mesh, and may even restring my head soon because of how much it has deteriorated.