Whip, explained.
Whip is the single most misunderstood thing about a lacrosse stick. It's also the easiest to feel as soon as you pick up someone else's stick at warmups. Here's the actual story.
What is whip?
Whip is how much the ball wants to dive downward when it leaves your head on a normal shooting motion. High whip means the ball wants to drop — great for hard low-corner rips, lousy if you're trying to throw a flat pass to a teammate. Low whip means the ball releases flat or even slightly upward — the goalie's friend, the feeder's friend, the beginner's friend.
You'll see whip described two ways:
- Low / Mid / High — what most retailers and brands use.
- 1-10 scale — what stringers and pro players use. 1-3 is low, 4-6 is mid, 7-10 is high.
What controls whip?
Whip is a stringing thing, not a head thing. Mostly. Three knobs:
- Pocket placement. A high pocket (ball sits near the scoop) gives more whip — the ball has more head to travel through and the shooting strings bite harder. A low pocket (ball sits near the throat) gives less whip per shot, though it does increase hold.
- Shooting strings. More strings, tighter strings, and shooting strings placed higher up the pocket all add whip. Loosen them or move them down and whip drops.
- Mesh type and tension. Stiffer mesh + tighter tension = sharper release. Soft mesh bags out, which often looks like more whip but really just means inconsistent shots.
Who wants high whip?
Outside snipers, certain dodgers, and FOGOs who pop the ball forward off the clamp. If your job description includes "rip a hard time-and-room shot from the wing," you want some whip.
Who wants low whip?
Goalies (have to throw flat outlets), feeders (have to throw flat passes), and anybody learning to throw. Low whip is the responsible choice for a kid's first stick — high whip will plant the ball at their feet for a year.
Who wants mid?
Almost everyone else. Midfielders, two-way attackmen, players still finding their game. Mid is the default for a reason.
Women's lacrosse: a quick note.
Women's heads don't have whip the way men's do. The pocket-depth rule requires the ball to stay visible above the sidewall, so there's no real "sag" for the ball to dive out of. Release angle in women's lax is controlled by channel shape and pocket tension, not whip. If a women's stick claims "high whip," what they really mean is a quicker, sharper release — not the same physics.
The most common mistake.
Beginners look at the pros' sticks, see crazy whip, and string their own that way. Then they can't throw a flat pass. Then they get worse at cradling because they're compensating. Then they hate lacrosse.
Whip should match the player's level. New player? Low to mid. Experienced shooter? Whatever feels right. There's no "real men play with high whip" — there's just "what works for your game."