This article appears as part of the “Myth Busters” package in the September/October edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

Dylan Molloy defies physics in many ways. But you don’t need a bull-dodging, 220-pound attackman to demonstrate the malleability of lacrosse sticks.

Frequently, you’ll find players of all sizes tugging or pinching the plastic molded heads to widen or narrow the throat based on their function on the field.

But what about those indestructible handles? They bend too.

Most lacrosse shafts on the market today are made of metal or carbon. Youth players benefit from the lightweight consistency of metal shafts, often composed of titanium, scandium or alloys combining multiple metallic elements. Advanced players like carbon shafts because when you start your shooting motion, adding power and speed to your release. Different carbon shafts have different flex points.

Metal shafts tend to stay bent after bending, whereas carbon shafts are designed to snap back into their original form.