TopJLax

A while back we decided that it'd be interesting to take a look at what constitues good flow. Flow, a term you'll find passed around on US lacrosse forums by spotty teenagers like it was the only copy of playboy in the entire high school, originated from the description of hair residing in a buffon nature from the bottom of your lid, but has now become much more than its origins. What makes flow unique is that to different people it means different things. However in our TopJFlow series of articles we've been taking a look at what constitue good lacrosse flow in our eyes. Think of us as Vogue. If it's in Vogue then it is 'sooo hot right now'. We started with Part 1 on Helmets, and Part 2 was with Jerseys. Today we take a look at what goes on below the waist. And don't twist that.

So, where to start? Well the lower body is split into a few key areas. The first thing is shorts, then we have socks, and finally footwear. There are a few fashion accessories in between, but that is the general layout that we're going to cover.

A good pair of lax shorts are essential to any lacrosse player. Not only for comfort and style on the field but also for loungin' around with your bro's of the field. Whether it be your clubs shorts, or your favourite NCAA teams shorts, making sure you get a pair that fits you properly is essential. Go XXXL, go on, you know you want to.

In terms of branding short choice tends to follow the same rules of engagement as with jerseys that we detailed in Part 2 - Jerseys. That means, if you stick to the big names (Underarmour, Warrior, Nike etc) then you aren't going to have a big problem. We'd go so far as to suggest there's more flexibility with shorts since it's very hard to get them wrong (unless you make them like a rugby players shorts with your underarmour/cycling shorts creeping out the bottom). Little details rule....anyone notice the "Heels" on the back of the Carolina shorts in the main image? Nice touch.

WHAT NOT TO DO

There's really only one main rule with Shorts and that 100% percent of the time, with no exception, the shorts should be OVER THE KNEE. Not much far below, but they should at least kiss the bottom of the kneecap and maximise "bag" (aka baggyness). Stolen from the Will Smith basketball generation, you really should avoid short rugby length shorts, hey even footballers are catching on. Christiano Ronaldo loves a pair of baggy nike shorts. Fact.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO


Clean and simple will again lead to a classic lasting short. A stripe or two down the side, team logo on one side, a number on the other, and maybe the brand logo somewhere on the short are all you need. Avoid excessive print or patterns (think floral/hawaiian) unless it's for summer tournament teams when you can get away with being a little more ridiculous.

We've detailed a photo of Kyle Harrison wearing the Nike Iroquois Six Nation short in its un-printed state. One colour, simple, clean... just at the shortest end of what's acceptable in length, this is a classic base from which short design can grow.

The calf band is a controversial style item that really divides lax opinion. Muted for it's apparent "knee stabilising" abilities, in reality it is a fashion accesory for the detailed eye. Typically a white band (white black nike or underarmour logo) is the usual fashionable choice, although team colours (as below sported by Duke players) can also be applicable. We'd suggest you need to be a stud or clutch player to pull of this look - otherwise you'll get classed as a prime time gamma - "All the gear, no idea..."

Either way, if you go ahead and rock the calf/knee band... just make sure you're on your game and ready to take a little extra heat from your defenseman.

This may seem strange, but getting a good pair of clean socks is essential to maintaing a laxers flow, and you only have to look at the range of "lax specific" socks that are being sold these days to realise that manafacturers and the good sporting companies of the world are also appreciating the importance. A few quick tips:

1. If in doubt, go all white
2. Only wear black socks if you have some black in your kit
3. Ankle socks (no sock showing) ain't that cool
4. In absolutely no instances should you wear football socks (up to the knee).

The traditional "play it safe and don't get it wrong" way of wearing your socks is to go for mid-calf white socks, with a simple logo on the side, nike "tick", underarmour "U's"... align it with your uniform brand for added style points. If you want to mix it up we'd suggest the following:

The double swoosh


A trend that is sweeping the US at the moment is the double Nike swoosh. As shown in the picture this involves layering the nike tick, and can be done with either two of the same colour socks (white + white) or can be mixed (white + black). Reasons for doing this include:
1. My socks won't stay up otherwise
2. It cushions my feet
3. It makes my cleat feel snug
4. It avoids blisters better

In reality its just a fashion trend. But we like it, it's fly. Though likely there'll be haters.

A great question that tickled us on this topic: here

Lax specific in team colours

Adrenaline socks are just one of the custom brands sweeping the nation currently. They're awesome, after all they've got the silhouette of a laxer on the back so how can they not be cool? Get these in your team colours (white with stripes) and be prepared to look fly. Alternatively rock the rasta socks or even the black ones for a summer tournament just to mix things up.

Good American football or Lacrosse-specific cleats don't just give your ankle more support on your dodge, allow you to maximise your speed by weighing less than air, and stop you slipping around like a fool through traction designed for rapid acceleration and side-ways movement, but they look a great deal sicker too. They are slightly harder to get a hold of in the UK as most sport shops stock only football or rugby boots, but this means when you do get hold of them you are that guy on the field with that little bit more athletic credibility than anyone else (just make sure you have some skills to match it). Keep your eyes open at lax events for cleats at a reasonable price or check ebay if you don't fancy paying importation tax for getting them delivered from the states. 

Key differences to football boots are:

1. They are high top (ankle protection)
2. Studs - they usually include extra studs towards the front of the shoe to aid turning
3. They help you look like you mean business rather than fell into the sport from a footie field accidentally

As you can see from our lil' selection we think white cleats look better. This is not to say that black (or any other colour) don't look cool, but white couple with a fresh pair of socks make your feet stand out the most, and allow your fans and fellow players to really appreciate how damn fast you can make them move. This said, most of us don't have the luxury of playing on crisp astro-turf or carpet-quality fields, so they will get dirty much quicker. Now no one is impressed by dirty white cleats so take care of them and give them a clean after a game or practise.

Now onto some brands. Whereas we all love Warrior, remember that as they only deal with lacrosse, there is less money spent on developing technology than the likes of Adidas, Nike, Underarmour, or New Balance. Cleat technology also translates almost seamlessly between American football and lacrosse, therefore allowing the big companies over the last few years to apply their basic American football methods to lacrosse-specific lines, resulting in some truly cutting edge cleats. Both in quality and performance.   

The Little Details

Finally, the little details with your cleats matter. Get yourself a pair of luminous laces and support the HEADstrong Foundation, founded by laxer Nick Colleluori who was diagnosed with Non-Hodkins Lymphoma, a vicious type of blood cancer that he battled for 14 months before passin away at the age of 21 in November 2006. His memory lives on, and so does the good work of the HEADstrong Foundation.