Lacrosse Goalie Equipment and Gear Guide

Recommended Goalie Gear

The equipment you need to play Goalie

Welcome to the Lax Goalie Rat equipment guide section. I've compiled this set of lacrosse goalie gear as a resource for new goalies and parents who want to know what they need to play goalie.

Each year lacrosse companies come out with new and improved pieces of goalie gear but I try my best to keep this goalie gear guide as current as possible.

There are many great pieces of gear. So just because I list one or two doesn't mean its the only good one. Just the one I prefer.

Note: some of these are affiliate links meaning I make a small commission if you decide to click the buttons and purchase. Commission or not, I honestly recommend all these pieces of gear and if you've gotten value out of Lax Goalie Rat, I'm grateful for your support!

Lacrosse Goalie

Heads

STX latest goalie head is one of the best in the game. Perfect for pros, perfect for beginners. It offers great stiffness, face shape, ball handling, and durability. The top scoop is reworked to help better funnel balls inwards and the throat is redone to be more comfortable to grip. Checkout my full STX Eclipse III review.

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ECD creates some of the best sticks in the game and they crafted their goalie head for years. The result is amazing. Lightest head on the market and an absolute perfect head for the youth goalie (my recommendation). Still great stiffness but slightly less surface area (hence lighter than) the STX Eclipse head. Read my full ECD Impact review.

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After 20 years STX finally released version 2 of their iconic goalie head. They've stiffened the frame and added more sidewall stringing holes for better pockets. Overall, it is a stronger and more versatile head then its predecessor. Checkout my full STX Eclipse II review. The Ecplise 2 is a really the standard of lacrosse goalies heads right now. It's perfect for youth and for pro's.

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The StringKing Mark 2G is an excellent goalie head offering a lot of the same features as the Eclipse 2 with a light weight, good surface area and a lot of stiffness. Many youth and even pro's including Blaze Riorden swear by the Mark 2G.

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Lacrosse Goalie

Mesh

Lots of companies are putting out great goalie mesh these days including ECD with their latest mesh product called Impact mesh. I recommend 12 diamond. The larger diamonds 'grip' the ball better and provide less rebounds while making outlets easier. The semi-hard provides more durability and consistency with your pocket.

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Another great option is String King's Grizzly Mesh. Also in 12 diamond with semi-hard and semi-soft options. The Grizzly mesh is the lightest mesh I've found and yet is also pretty damn durable. String King offers a 90-day guarentee so if breaks within 90 days they'll send you another for free.

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Mesh Dynasty creates awesome mesh products and my favorite is the Desclipe mesh. Each mesh is going to have a little different feel and strechyness and I think this one combines attributes of hold and rebound control with durability very well. Many Mesh Dynasty mesh products are great and they are the favorite of pro stick stringer Mr. Wanderful.

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Lacrosse Goalie

GLOVES

My favorite goalie gloves on the market are these ones by Warrior. No company has mastered the thumb protection but Warrior's design is pretty good providing great protection with nice comfort. The gloves are pretty much broken in with 1 or 2 wears and are built to last. Very comfortable palms and a great clean look.

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Maverik's latest goalie gloves are also a great option for young and experience goalies alike. The thumb protection is solid and the comfort is there. Unlike other goalie gloves they have 2 hinges in the thumb providing more movement. Checkout my full review of the Maverik Max Goalie Gloves

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Lacrosse Goalie

Shafts

If you're looking for the lightest shaft on the market, look no further than the String King Metal 3. It comes in a few weights but the attack version at 135 grams is one of the lightest. If you like the feeling of being quick check out this shaft. Also played with this shaft for awhile now and durabilty is great.

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Perfectly weighted shaft for goalie play. Rounded edges that provide a great feel in your hands. The graphics and paint do tend to chip off with wear and tear but the durability of the shaft itself is very good. Read my full review of the Warrior Kryptolyte shaft. Available in attack and goalie lengths.

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Lacrosse Goalie

Chest Pads

I think the STX Shield 600 chest protector does a good job combining protection with mobility. The cardiac silhouette coverage floating chest plate offers additional heart protection (very important given the new 2021 chest pad rule). There's also a stomach pad for optional, additional coverage. I still feel very mobile with this chest protector.

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Great option from Warrior for chest protection. Meets NOCSAE standards. And although it appears bulky it actually fits very snugly and allows the goalie a good range of movement. It is on the heavier side but does provide a good deal of protection. Check out my Warrior Nemesis Pro review

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Many goalies swear by the bright green of the Unequal chest pad. Built with Kevlar this is easily the most protective pad of the options. It does tend to narrower in the design however. Which is great for shoulder mobility but not so great if you're a wider goalie and interested in protecting your entire torso. Full Unequal Chest pad review.

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Lacrosse Goalie

Helmet and Throat Protector

The current standard of lacrosse helmets. The Cascade S is the latest and greatest in both looks and protection. Comes in tons of colors and styles. Be sure the fit is perfect because loose fitting helmets can contribute to concussion fairly easily.

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While the S is the latest and greatest helmet, the Cascade R is also a solid option. It's more than sufficent in protection and because there are newer models you'll be able to find the R for a lot less money. but the R is more than sufficient and a lot cheaper. Features Seven Technology, a ground-breaking impact attenuation system to more effectively manage energy transfer from direct impact of shots. Also looks extra saucy.

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Required throat guard which attaches to the helmet to protect the throat and neck from shots. Cascade makes this model of throat piece in clear and smoke. You will need to drill holes in your helmet to install this throat guard.

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Lacrosse Goalie

Extra Gear

Given what's at stake, may be my favorite piece of gear. I definitely recommend goalies use an ice hockey goalie style jock as it provides much more protection than the average jock. I've gotten hit square in the package with a normal cup and I wish I would have been wearing this style.

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The other jock lacrosse goalies swear by is the Nutty Buddy. This jock disperses the force outwards (while other cups have the impact go inwards). The Nutty Buddy is not as bulky as other cups but still provides solid protection. For many goalies this cup is a gamechanger and gives the fealing of being protected. Review my full Nutty Buddy review here.

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Developed for baseball catchers, the Thigh Pro is perfect for lacrosse goalies loooking for sleek, comfortable, leg protection. You even get a little inner thigh protection which is important. FYI - padded pants are required for women high school and below. Use coupon code LGR for 10% off!

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Pro Slides are . a compression sleeve that give goalies knee and shin protection. They're perfect to avoid harsh bruises while keepking a goalie's lower legs mobile for running and making saves. Use coupon code LGR for 25% off your purchase!

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Lots of good options for cleats out there. But I recommend high tops as the additional material will give the ankle a little more protection in the event of a direct hit to that area.

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There's no easy way to say this. Getting hit in the shins sucks! It hurts and can ruin the enthusiasm and confidence of a young goalie. So until you're not scared of the ball strap these on to avoid punishment. Any basic soccer shinguard will do. Required for female youth goalies.

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The Lexi Shield attaches to the forhead of your helmet and helps prevent concussions by softening shots that hit you there. You can't really notice you're wearing it so it's really a no-brainer to use during practice. I don't think they're game legal yet. Here's a full Lexi Shield review.

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Lacrosse Goalie Training Gear

The equipment you need to train right

This section is dedicated to items that I use to train lacrosse goalies.

Most items are standards things that you use to train any type of athlete however some are very specific to the intricacies of a lacrosse goalie.

Same with the training gear, there are many great pieces of gear. So just because I list one doesn't mean its the only good one. Just the one I prefer.

These are all affiliate links meaning I make a small commission if you decide to purchase through my site. I truly recommend all these pieces of gear and if you've gotten value out of Lax Goalie Rat, I'm grateful for your support!

Lacrosse Goalie

TRAINING GEAR

One of the oldest and yet one of the best pieces of training gear. Foot speed is critical for success as a lacrosse goalie. Every lacrosse goalie warmup should begin with a session of jump rope.

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These oddly shaped balls are going to bounce in random directions and are perfect for incorporating into drills to improve a lacrosse goalie's reaction time.

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Lots of different exercises we can do with these mini hurdles to improve agility, explosiveness, and conditioning.

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Solid footwork is a fundamental of being a great goalie. I love to throw lacrosse balls at the goalies as they go through the agility ladder.

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Performing slow side shuffles with a resistance band is an exercise that’s going to build up the muscles in our legs and hips required for exploding to the ball during a lacrosse save.

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There's lot of different goalie exercises that where we can incorporate the heavy ball.

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Exercising with these is going to build your calf muscles into beasts. If you've never used these before you'll be sore as heck the next day. Helps a goalie's quickness and explosion to the ball.

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Taking shots with these foam balls is awesome because they float and go in odd directions. Really makes the lacrosse goalie focus on seeing the ball and moving towards it to make the save

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I use tennis balls all the time with goalies. With new goalies its a great way to build up their confidence before facing live shots. With experienced goalies its a great way to take it easy during a drill where they're getting a lot of in close shots.

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I have a few drills where we use colored tennis balls and the goalie must call out the color of the ball as soon as he/she sees it. Helps to keep mental concentration high while playing goal.

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Tie this to either end of the goal post and attach to the shooter to help goalies understand arc and angle play.

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Rolling out your muscles is going to help with flexability which will provide injury maintenance and also help increase strength.

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