Coaches: How To Buy A Shaft
All coaches want their players to be able to perform to best of their abilities, and part of that performance has to do with what gear the athletes are using. When looking at shafts specifically, there seems to be an infinite pool of options that makes picking a shaft and placing an order in an efficient manner appear next to impossible. In order to help coaches focus on the X’s and O’s rather than gear selection, here are the first steps to take in the search for the perfect shaft for your team.
Picking A Material:
At first glance, it can seem like all lacrosse shafts are alike, serving the same essential purpose. However, a closer inspection of shafts on the market reveals distinctions in material, engineering, and technology that have important performance effects for your players.
In today’s lacrosse world, there are 2 main types of shaft: a composite (made of carbon fiber) or an alloy (made of metal). Carbon fiber composites can be more expensive than alloy shafts, but they have some major advantages and benefits over their metal counterparts: they have a natural feel, they boast both impressive strength and a light weight, and they can take a lot of climate-based stress (they stay cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather). Carbon fiber shafts also have a longer playing life than metal ones, and they’re very resistant to dents and scratches. All in all, carbon fiber shafts have become increasingly prominent in the retail market, and there are tons of options to choose from.
Picking A Carbon Fiber:
While most lacrosse brands offer carbon fiber composites, the quality of the shaft isn’t the same from company to company. When selecting a new composite for your players, be sure to consider its features and technology. Epoch Lacrosse and their in-house engineering and design team take pride in their attention to detail and commitment to tech and engineering, and it shows as they lead the carbon fiber revolution with their shafts.
Epoch’s specialty is shafts, and their Advanced Carbon Layering (ACL) technology separates them from other brands. ACL allows engineers to control several aspects of the shaft’s performance, including flex, durability, weight and release point. Plus, the shafts are made in the USA, giving Epoch control over the manufacturing process and the ability to assure high quality. All of these features result in shafts that will not only survive the toll of practices and games but will raise the level of competition too. In addition, Epoch shafts are offered in a range of styles for all types of play, giving you the ability to maximize the potential of all players with one line of shafts. For example, the University of North Carolina women’s team equipped their players with Dragonfly Purpose shafts this year and went all the way to the NCAA Final Four.
Further, Epoch’s sales team and Bespoke services offer countless customization possibilities for your specific team or association with a fast turnaround time, making it easy for your visions of a shaft to become a reality.
Epoch’s carbon fiber Dragonfly line leads the industry with multiple flexes and geometries available that are guaranteed to satisfy even the most selective player. On the men’s side especially, the range of shafts, from the Dragonfly Select, Pro, and Elite to the Dragonfly Integra, covers a spectrum of weight and durability that’s tailor-made for all of your athletes. The Uniform Release Point and Torque Box technology in Dragonfly shafts provide maximum energy transfer and maximum recoil as well, continuing to make them some of the highest performance shafts in the game.