What do coaches think about the 2010 NCAA head specifications?

Coaches seem to be in agreement: The rule is having little or no effect on the game.

It seems as though most coaches whose players use the new 2010 NCAA legal lacrosse heads agree that the rule has had little effect. Peter Lasagna, the Head Lacrosse Coach at Bates College, says that while he hasn't personally seen the effects of the new heads on his players this fall (during the off-season, coaches aren't allowed to work with their players under NESCAC conference rules), he has consistently heard that the new heads are making little difference to his players.

Noah Fink, the University of Texas men's lacrosse coach, says he hasn't seen any difference in his players this fall as a result of the new head specifications. Coach Fink's players have been able to adjust the stringing in their pockets to make the new heads throw and hold the ball just like the old heads do. It seems as though most college players have similarly been able to adjust their pockets to make them feel similar to the pockets in the old heads.

High school coaches have yet to see whether or not the new heads will impact the play of our teams. However, at the Texas high school level, most coaches seemed to have been against THSLL adopting the new 2010 head specifications. The main reason many of these coaches are against the rule is because they (and I) fear that players having to purchase new lacrosse heads will inhibit the growth of the sport. As coaches, how do we get new players to come out for our team when we tell them that their old lacrosse heads are no longer legal and that they'll have to purchase a new $100 head? That could be a deal-breaker for players (and the player's parents), especially for less affluent families.

The coaches in San Antonio asked THSLL to grant their teams a waiver to the rule for just this reason. Many programs in San Antonio are struggling to get off the ground and requiring each of their players to purchase expensive new equipment could doom the program if not enough families are willing to shell out the money.

Often times, older equipment will be donated to new programs that are trying to form a team. Eastside Memorial High School in East Austin is an inner-city public school that is trying to start a lacrosse program. Much of their equipment has been donated to them by local high school lacrosse teams. With the new head specification rule being adopted by THSLL, Eastside Memorial High School can no longer rely on donated lacrosse heads - they will be forced to purchase their own heads to meet the new head specifications, which is just another obstacle to overcome during the difficult process of trying to establish a team.

So if the heads are making little-to-no difference on the way the game is played, what good is the new rule? It's effective only in confusing lacrosse players, fans, coaches, and officials. While the new head specification rule has good intentions, will the rule have more negative implications than positive implications?