Shooting in Lacrosse: Long Pole vs. Short Stick

            In lacrosse, there are two different kinds of sticks.  There are short sticks, which are used by midfielders and attackmen, and there are long poles, which are used by the defensemen.  The short sticks are 42 inches long and allow for the midfielders and attackmen to have better control of the ball once it is in their stick.  The long poles, on the other hand, are 72 inches long and are designed to be able to give the defenders better reach in order to guard the offensive players.  It is a commonly known fact by lacrosse players that long poles, however, can shoot the ball faster than players with short sticks.  Why is this?  The reasoning can actually be easily explained by physics.  The difference in the lengths of the sticks directly affects the torque that is generated by the player who is shooting.  For the sake of making things simpler, we will assume that both shots are taken at the same angle and that both shots use the same amount of force.  Here are some sample calculations to better show this:

Short Stick

T = r F sin θ

T = (1.07 m) F sin θ

Long Pole

T = r F sin θ

T = (1.83 m) F sin θ

The force and angle from which the stick acts are equal, so the only variable in these equations is the length of the lever arm.  Since the long pole is longer than the short stick, a shot of equal force and angle will have more torque from a long pole than a short stick.  Here are some examples of long poles shooting that show just how much torque their sticks are able to generate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWo40aFz7l8