Just starting out or in ice hockey or planning to soon? Then you should follow this advice about making your first hockey stick one that works well for you. It is best to start out with an inexpensive wood hockey stick for your very first Ice Hockey Stick and it should have a basic or standard version of a blade, length and flex of the hockey stick.
Should you play with a Left handed or right handed stick? Using a right handed versus left handed hockey stick is not an automatic decision and it really comes down to which way feels more comfortable to you. One guideline is to choose a hockey stick so that your dominate hand is on top (i.e. a right handed stick for a left handed person). The best way to figure this out is to borrow one of each stick from friends, or your local hockey shop, and try them out. Choose the way that feels most comfortable to you.
The next thing to determine is the proper length of your hockey stick. If you have a stick that is significantly too long or too short, you will not be able to play to the best of your ability. How long is the right length? There is a general guide line that says that when you hold the hockey stick vertically in front of you with the blade end on the floor (or ice) that the top of the handle should be between your lips and your nose if you are in street shoes or around your chin if you are in your hockey skates. Expect to have to purchase a stick that is taller than you need (they only come in a 4-5 standard lengths) and that you will have to cut it to the correct length. Cutting a hockey stick is easy with a fine tooth blade (like a hacksaw blade). Your local hockey shop should be able to do this for you if you ask them.
The next thing is to choose the blade pattern that you are going to use. Every manufacture has different pro hockey player names for their blade patterns but all of the stock blades will come in just a handful of patterns. You should stick with a blade pattern that his a minor curve to is to that it is easier to learn good puck control on your forehand and backhand.
The last key thing to finding the best stick for you is to get one that has a flex (bending/stiffness) rating that matches your size, strength and ability. There are usually just a couple of standard flex ratings for each of the 4-5 sizes of sticks and you should go with the flex rating that is the standard one (ex: regular flex of 85 for senior hockey sticks) to start with. The goal of the right flex is that your hockey stick should bend a little when you are shooting so that when it unbends that is snaps back and flings the puck quicker to your target. Too much flex and your shot will be hard to control and too little flex (a very stiff stick) and you won't gain any advantage from the flexing action.
Now that you have chosen a great starter stick for you with the right blade, handedness, length and flex, it is time to prepare your stick. The first step here is to mark your stick to the correct length (as outlined above) or a little longer (you can adjust again if needed). Next you cut the stick to length with a fine tooth saw. My saw of choice is a hacksaw that works on wood and composite sticks.
Now you need to tape your hockey stick. You need to tape your blade to add some "grip" to it when you are stick handling with a puck. You can tape from toe to heel or heel to toe overlapping the tape a little each time you go around the blade. Next tape the handle to provide a better grip to the very top where you hold it. This is often done by wrapping the tape down about8 inches. The last thing to do on your taping job is to add a knob at the end to aid in keeping the stick from sliding out of your hand.
Now that you have skated through the process of choosing and preparing your hockey stick you are ready to get out and play! As you progress with your experience and skill you will develop preferences for the main hockey stick characteristics. Once you have a better idea of what you want in a stick, you can upgrade to a new one. Keeping your original hockey stick around as a spare is a good idea. Happy hockey! - 15266
Should you play with a Left handed or right handed stick? Using a right handed versus left handed hockey stick is not an automatic decision and it really comes down to which way feels more comfortable to you. One guideline is to choose a hockey stick so that your dominate hand is on top (i.e. a right handed stick for a left handed person). The best way to figure this out is to borrow one of each stick from friends, or your local hockey shop, and try them out. Choose the way that feels most comfortable to you.
The next thing to determine is the proper length of your hockey stick. If you have a stick that is significantly too long or too short, you will not be able to play to the best of your ability. How long is the right length? There is a general guide line that says that when you hold the hockey stick vertically in front of you with the blade end on the floor (or ice) that the top of the handle should be between your lips and your nose if you are in street shoes or around your chin if you are in your hockey skates. Expect to have to purchase a stick that is taller than you need (they only come in a 4-5 standard lengths) and that you will have to cut it to the correct length. Cutting a hockey stick is easy with a fine tooth blade (like a hacksaw blade). Your local hockey shop should be able to do this for you if you ask them.
The next thing is to choose the blade pattern that you are going to use. Every manufacture has different pro hockey player names for their blade patterns but all of the stock blades will come in just a handful of patterns. You should stick with a blade pattern that his a minor curve to is to that it is easier to learn good puck control on your forehand and backhand.
The last key thing to finding the best stick for you is to get one that has a flex (bending/stiffness) rating that matches your size, strength and ability. There are usually just a couple of standard flex ratings for each of the 4-5 sizes of sticks and you should go with the flex rating that is the standard one (ex: regular flex of 85 for senior hockey sticks) to start with. The goal of the right flex is that your hockey stick should bend a little when you are shooting so that when it unbends that is snaps back and flings the puck quicker to your target. Too much flex and your shot will be hard to control and too little flex (a very stiff stick) and you won't gain any advantage from the flexing action.
Now that you have chosen a great starter stick for you with the right blade, handedness, length and flex, it is time to prepare your stick. The first step here is to mark your stick to the correct length (as outlined above) or a little longer (you can adjust again if needed). Next you cut the stick to length with a fine tooth saw. My saw of choice is a hacksaw that works on wood and composite sticks.
Now you need to tape your hockey stick. You need to tape your blade to add some "grip" to it when you are stick handling with a puck. You can tape from toe to heel or heel to toe overlapping the tape a little each time you go around the blade. Next tape the handle to provide a better grip to the very top where you hold it. This is often done by wrapping the tape down about8 inches. The last thing to do on your taping job is to add a knob at the end to aid in keeping the stick from sliding out of your hand.
Now that you have skated through the process of choosing and preparing your hockey stick you are ready to get out and play! As you progress with your experience and skill you will develop preferences for the main hockey stick characteristics. Once you have a better idea of what you want in a stick, you can upgrade to a new one. Keeping your original hockey stick around as a spare is a good idea. Happy hockey! - 15266
About the Author:
Come join Fred at Hockey Stick Expert where he enjoys wring about ice hockey terms like Hockey Sticks Lie and Ice Hockey Stick Lie.
