There are 3 attackmen per team on the lacrosse field at any given time during a game and they spend most of their time in the offensive zone, the third of the field closest to their opponent’s goal. Attackmen are primarily responsible for getting the ball in the back of the net, whether that’s through shooting it themselves or passing it to teammates in scoring positions. In both cases, attackmen need to create separation from the opposing team’s defensemen. They do this by using a combination of speed, deceptive footwork, and dodges. Our top picks of lacrosse heads for attackmen have features to support these functions.
- TLDR: Which lacrosse head should I get?
- Drivers and dodgers: STX Surgeon 900
- Stickhandlers and playmakers: Maverik Optik 3.0
- Ball-handling shooters: ECD Mirage 2.0
- Hot weather environments: Warrior Evo QXO
- Outside shooters: Epoch Integra Z-One
This guide is primarily intended to be for advanced lacrosse players. If you are looking for more basic information about lacrosse heads or the attackman position, check out our other guides on those topics:
Overview of lacrosse heads
Beginner’s complete lacrosse stick guide
Overview of lacrosse positions
Table of Contents
What Should You Look for in Lacrosse Attack Heads?
Because they are such a threat in front of the goal, attackers get harassed by defenders looking to knock the ball out of their sticks. They need to be fast on their feet, quick with their sticks, reliable with their ball control, and good at cutting and dodging to be able to get open to receive the ball, pass it to others, and take quality shots.
A lacrosse head that enhances these attributes will give them natural advantages over the opposing team’s defenders and goalie.
All of the heads on this list are top notch, and which one you choose will mostly depend on your preference for being more of a drive-to-the-net attacker, more of a shooter, or more of a quick-handed passer and playmaker. As always, different heads will appeal to different players.
Weight
As mentioned above, playing attack in lacrosse is all about quick bursts of speed: quick running to blow past your defender, quick dodges to get around the ones that you can’t beat with pure footspeed, quick passing to get a teammate an open look at the net, and quick releases on shots.
When you decrease weight, you get a bit of a speed boost with all of this. That’s why the most popular lacrosse heads among attackmen are usually the lightest ones.
Stiffness and strength
Many players, regardless of position, will tell you that stiffness and strength are a matter of personal preference. Some want the stiffest head they can find, while others find this relatively unimportant. For attackmen, added stiffness usually means a bit of a trade-off on weight. But what you do get with stiffness on an attack head is a bit of extra velocity on shots. Stiffness also makes your attack head a bit more durable so that it can hold up its shape longer over time, resisting stresses like hot weather, stick checks, and general wear-and-tear that can warp or even break a head.
Pocket placement
Regardless of which attack head you use, you can transform it to suit your needs with the type of pocket you choose. Each lacrosse head has a sidewall shape that’s optimized for one of 5 different pocket locations: low pocket, mid low pocket, mid pocket, mid high pocket, high pocket.
Lower pockets enhance ball control, keeping the ball in your stick more easily when you run and dodge. Higher pockets, on the other hand, have quicker releases and offer more velocity on shots.
If you like dodging and handling the ball, consider choosing an attack head that’s primed for low or mid low pockets. If, however, you consider yourself more of a catch-and-shoot attackman, you might want an attack head that’s suited for mid high or high pockets.
Many of the attack heads in this list can be bought as strung heads or unstrung heads, so these are good things to keep in mind when customizing your lacrosse head, whether you do so in the checkout cart or the old fashioned way with your own mesh and strings.
Face shape
Another factor in attack heads that will influence ball control and shooting is face shape. Attack heads with a tighter face shape will have better ball control and more accurate shots than wider heads. That’s because a narrow head has less room between the sidewalls for the ball to move around laterally while running, dodging, or shooting.
The only real downside with a tight face shape is that the narrow surface area makes it hard to catch passes. But if you’re a skilled player with lots of experience and hand-eye coordination, this probably won’t be a big concern for you.
Most attackmen agree that the best lacrosse heads for them are those with a tight face shape.
Throat design
Throat design, yet again, influences ball control, and different lacrosse heads have different throat styles. A short throat can enhance ball control on an attack head, since it allows the player to choke up on the stick a bit more, getting their hands closer to the ball. Offset throats on a lacrosse head can also be helpful for attackmen since they make it easier to keep the ball in the pocket.
Lacrosse heads with both of these features tend to provide superior ball control.
Scoop design
Even the best attack lacrosse head can’t completely prevent a defenseman from knocking the ball out of your stick. That means ground balls will be an important concern of yours as an attackman. If you give up a ground ball in the offensive zone, you obviously want to be able to snatch it up quick before the opposing team can gain possession and take the ball down the field the other way.
Unfortunately, narrow-faced lacrosse heads usually also have narrow scoops, which can give you a bit of a disadvantage when trying to pick up ground balls. The good thing about having a narrow scoop, though, is it means less overall material on the lacrosse head, which can decrease weight a bit.
Best Lacrosse Heads for Attackmen
STX Surgeon 900 Head
Pros
- Very Lightweight
- Shortened throat for added feel and control
- "Speed Scoop" for quick ground ball pickups
- "Channel Lock" tightly anchors mesh
- Legal for all levels of play
Cons
- Expensive
According to STX, “The Surgeon 900™ lacrosse head is our lightest elite head we’ve ever made.” Having the lightest head, or at least one of the lightest, will suit the elite level attackman who’s playing style involves lots of fast dodges, shot fakes, and other quick stickhandling maneuvers. To further enhance ball control during these quick hand movements, the Surgeon 900 lacrosse head also has a shortened throat design so that the top hand can rest as close to the ball as possible.
Keeping with the theme of quickness is the “improved Speed Scoop” technology, an STX patented scoop design that will allow attackmen to swiftly pick up ground balls in enemy territory before being swarmed by defensemen.
This lacrosse head also provides many benefits when it comes to stringing. One of the best head features around for offensive minded players is another patented STX design, the “Channel Lock,” which refers to the extra topstring hole in the middle of the scoop, which provides extra tension to really define the channel of the pocket, making this a consistent head with superior shape retention and smooth release. Precision passers love having that reliability of release, making it a bit easier to feed cutters even while on the run.
The other quirky feature is the dual sidewall rail design, which, along with the numerous stringing holes, allows for a wider array of stringing and pocket placement options on this lacrosse head.
The STX Surgeon 900 is one of the best attack lacrosse heads for the elusive ball carrier looking to enhance his speed-based play style.
Buying Options
Maverik Optik 3.0
Pros
- Shortened throat for added feel and control
- Deep offset for even more ball control and retention
- Legal for all levels of play
Cons
- Expensive
- A bit wide for attack head
According to Maverik, this lacrosse head is an ideal head for: “the driving dodger, feeding visionary or illusive finisher” and “those quickest around the crease.”
The Maverik Optik 3.0 attack lacrosse head therefore shares some characteristics with the STX Surgeon 900. Both are lacrosse attack heads that emphasize quick hands and are therefore two of the best lacrosse heads for the elite level attackman who likes to play close in front of and behind the opposing team’s goal.
As with most elite attack lacrosse heads, the Maverik Optik 3.0 has lots of stringing holes for providing creative freedom with unique configurations of sidewall strings. And like the Surgeon 900, The Optik 3.0 has a similar shortened throat design, for improved ball control.
One of the areas where the Maverik Optik 3.0 lacrosse head stands out a bit, though, is in its offset design, which helps with ball retention. It is also one of the wider lacrosse heads for attackmen, which won’t suit everyone’s tastes, but will make this a great head for cutters who like to catch and shoot on the run, since the wider head means more surface area for receiving the ball and hence a wider margin of error.
It might not have as much ball retention and accuracy as a lacrosse head with a tighter face shape, but the combination of wide head shape and the unmatched control that comes with a short throat and deep offset makes this a perfect head for the versatile offensive player who likes to do a little bit of everything around the goal: dodging, cutting, passing, and shooting.
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East Coast Dyes Mirage 2.0
Pros
- Lightweight
- Offset design to improve ball control and retention
- Stiffness and narrow face add velocity and accuracy to shots
- Competitive price for elite head
- Legal for all levels of play
Cons
- None
Described by East Coast Dyes as “the shooter’s dream,” this is a fantastic lacrosse head specifically designed for firing lasers at the net. Given ECD’s history as a manufacturer of some of the most popular mesh, shooting strings, and sidewall strings, it makes sense that they would make one of the best attack lacrosse heads for elite level lacrosse players who like to score high velocity goals.
The ECD Mirage 2.0 is a a great offensive head that will add more whip and more power in your shot, especially if strung with a mid high pocket.
Adding to the enhanced ball retention that comes naturally with a narrow face shape on a lacrosse head is the offset design that will keep the ball in your stick until it’s time to let it rip. Complementing the tight face shape, however, is the relatively wide mouth and scoop, which allows for outstanding ground ball control compared to most heads that have a tight face shape.
This is therefore one of the best lacrosse attack heads for high skill-level offensive minded players who want a stiff head with superior ball control and a scoop that makes picking up ground balls a bit easier.
Buying Options
Warrior Evo QX Offense
Pros
- Lightweight and stuff
- "Therma-Loc resin" resists damage and warping from heat
- "Loc-Throat" reduces stick rattle
- Legal for all levels of play
Cons
- Expensive
- Loc-Throat might inhibit fit on some shafts
Like many Warrior attack and middie lacrosse heads, the Warrior Evo QX O lacrosse head balances head stiffness with material designs that decrease weight. The Evo QX lacrosse head is made with “Therma-Loc resin” material, a new technology designed to keep your head stiff and prevent it from warping in hot weather, preserving the head and face shape over time.
Additionally, this lacrosse head features Warrior’s “Loc-Throat” technology, which reduces head rattle. This, along with the special material, makes the Warrior Evo QX O one of the best lacrosse heads for consistency of feel. Designed for a mid low or mid pocket, this is a good head for attackmen who want a quick release to their shots without sacrificing too much on ball retention.
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Epoch Integra Z-One
Pros
- Stiffness and narrow face add velocity and accuracy to shots
- Flex material for even more power on shots
- "Knot Lock Tech" for pocket shape retention
- Legal for all levels of play
Cons
- Flex material may be prone to warping
Another attack head with a special emphasis on material construction is the Epoch Integra Z-One lacrosse head, which is made with a special composite polymer that makes this one of the most stiff heads, while also introducing “flex” for extreme energy transfer on shots. It is a narrow lacrosse head with a tight face shape that will help maintain accuracy on those blisteringly fast shots, while also offering superior ball control.
The tight face shape extends to the mouth and scoop, so this may not be the best lacrosse head for ground ball pickups compared to the others on the list, but it’s still one of the best lacrosse heads on the market, especially for shooters.
Another strength of this lacrosse head lies in its abundance of stringing holes and its “Knot Lock Tech,” which adds a grooved design to the sidewall holes, making it easier to anchor knots in place and maintain the shape of the pocket over time, another factor that will lend more accuracy to passes and shots and provide improved ball control. A mid pocket or high pocket will give this lacrosse head a quick release as well, making it a lethal weapon for passing and shooting.
Buying Options
FAQs
Lacrosse heads are ultimately a matter of personal preference, but typically the best heads for an attackman are those that are lightweight and have a narrower face shape for improved speed, ball control, and accuracy.
We recommend the Epoch Integra Z-One for a shooting-focused lacrosse head, but there are plenty of other great options for shooters as well from other brands like East Coast Dyes and Warrior.
Most lacrosse heads are compatible with most lacrosse shafts, but there are exceptions. Some heads are designed with special locking mechanisms that will only work with hollow shafts, for instance. Other factors might also contribute to less than perfect fits. But in many cases there are tricks for improving fit, such as drilling an extra hole in the shaft or using tape to minimize extra space between the head and shaft