Video Breakdown: New NFHS Stick Stringing Rules

By | @lane_errington

On Monday, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced a series of rules changes for boys’ lacrosse, which will take effect in the 2015 season. The most widely discussed change thus far has been Rule 1-7-3, which relates to stick stringing.

From the NFHS release:

In Rule 1-7-3 concerning the crosse, any strings or leathers will be limited to a hanging length of two inches. In addition, any additional strings or laces (e.g., shooting strings, V channels) must be located within four inches of the top of the crosse. No more than one sidewall string on each side is allowed.

Kent Summers, NFHS director of performing arts and sports and liaison to the rules committee, described the change as one aimed at player safety.

"This revision will allow the ball to become dislodged more easily, thus reducing the risk of slashes and cross-checks used to dislodge the ball," Summers said. "This rule change will create more active play and improve passing."

Beginning in the 2013 season, the NCAA implemented a similar change, allowing shooting strings up to but not touching four inches from the top of the crosse. This effectively restricted the use of shooting strings to create a U- or V-shaped pocket.

Greg Kenneally of East Coast Dyes posted a video this afternoon breaking down the high school rule change and how it impacts players. Kenneally, a respected stick stringing expert and former player at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, calls the revision “a smart change.”

“If you’re going to have the rule at the highest level of play, it definitely makes sense through all levels of play so that it can be consistent,” he said. “Players shouldn’t be playing with [U-strings] all the way through high school and then have to change when they get to college.”

Watch Greg’s video breakdown below.

If a player fails to comply with the new rule, it is an illegal crosse and a one-minute non-releasable foul will be enforced. The crosse won’t be used during play and will be kept at the scorer’s table until the conclusion of the game.

It is important to note that these stick-stringing changes are specific to high school play and are not yet required at the youth level. For a free copy of the US Lacrosse Youth Rules and Best Practice Guidebook, visit our rules section.