How to choose a hockey stick

Choosing a hockey stick is not an easy undertaking, so many professional players to a large extent order production according to their tastes and required priorities. As for ordinary connoisseurs of this sport, the doors of brand stores are open for them, where each of them can choose the model of a certain cost they like. How to choose a hockey stick and choose the right sports equipment for the game? What should you pay attention to, and what parameters of choice are most appreciated by fans of this sport? Which sports equipment companies should you look out for?

Companies with the best quality golf clubs

Before choosing the right hockey stick, you should understand that when purchasing sports equipment, you must first of all pay attention to the company's sports brand. After all, it is not for nothing that famous athletes use proven brands of manufacturers. Do not mistakenly assume that the athlete will only use the equipment paid for advertising purposes for the game.

All goods of well-known brands and sports brands, in a priori, have a high quality workmanship, the maximum safety margin of the product, which makes it possible to use the purchased sports equipment for more than one season. With the average cost of a branded product from 8000-16000 thousand rubles, this is an important point.

What brands of sports equipment should you look for when choosing your custom hockey stick:

• Bauer;
• CCM;
• Easton;
• Fischer;
• Warrior.

The truth is, when choosing your hockey stick, pay special attention to the features of each product, structure and convenience for each buyer and customer.

Hockey sticks and their types

Hockey sticks can be of two types: solid and prefabricated. Let's conduct a short excursion introduction story.

Solid hockey sticks

These sticks are widely used by professional ice hockey athletes. They are properly balanced, but often carry the increased weight from amateur equipment. Thanks to their proper design, they allow more precise control of the hockey puck and improve the speed when hitting it. Usually they are made from a single piece of wood, lightweight aluminum alloy, carbon fiber. New developments in composite materials are often applied to improve the physical performance of hockey equipment.

Pros:

• a large and varied assortment and a huge run-up in prices, which allows an ordinary person to become the happy owner of the coveted product;
• clearer and more precise control of the puck in its movement;
• reinforced and powerful blow to the puck;
• increased use of a sports item;
• there are no restrictions on use depending on the weight and age of the player.

Minuses:

• if the product is damaged, the stick cannot be repaired and requires a complete replacement;
• requires a more careful choice when purchasing, since a bad choice will not allow you to upgrade a hockey stick to your preferences and desires.

Prefabricated sticks

This type of golf club is well suited for novice hockey players and amateurs of this sport.The structure of sports equipment consists of two parts (handle, hook), fastened with a special resinous glue. Thanks to this structure, sports hockey sticks have a wide range of imagination and use of various materials for their manufacture. For any novice hockey player, the prefabricated type of golf clubs allows trial and error to choose their own individual character of sports equipment.

Pros of prefab clubs:

• a great opportunity to assemble an individual type of club for your needs;
• a variety of materials are used for manufacturing;
• in case of damage, the broken part changes, which significantly increases the time of using the sports object;
• profitability of the financial plan.

Cons of the assembled putter:

• this type of sports equipment is not intended for tough play;
• The adhesive used in the assembly creates stiffness and loss of control of the puck during play.

The listed types of clubs are individually selected according to their requirements and parameters.

Principles of club selection by parameters

The main criteria for choosing sports equipment.

Material

The material from which the stick is made greatly affects the characteristics of the gameplay, cost, durability of a sports object:

1. Tree. This is not the most durable material, noticeably heavy, but affordable in terms of its price characteristics to all sectors of society. These sticks allow you to control the course of the game, the puck, and are handy when honing your skills. In inexpensive budget options, there are wooden handles, which makes the shell of the game heavier, but adds reliability and strength.
2. Aluminum. This type of metal is mainly used on the cuttings of the product of composite models. The metal is lightweight, relatively strong, but lacks the required elasticity, which makes it difficult to control the puck. In addition, the cost of aluminum significantly increases the cost of a sports item. Joining the metal to the nib often does not provide a secure fit, which reduces club performance and reliability.
3. Carbon fiber. This material is a combination of the elasticity of wood and the lightness of aluminum additives. Great for the production of individual parts of the club, casting one-piece composite parts. These products are well-used by professional players and beginners alike, as increased accuracy and puck control is a major factor in winning. The negative factor and moment is the high cost and lack of reliability of the tool.
4. Material - kevlar. This material reduces the weight of the sports tool well, extends the life of the club, is strong and flexible. Just like CFRP can be added to the composite material, this improves the strength of the sports equipment. Used well on the hook and great in solid cast hockey sticks.
5. Material - titanium. It is not a cheap component in a sports tool, so it is more suitable for professional hockey players. Metal is used as a composite additive, which improves strength and reduces weight. Great for making club feathers.
6. Material - ABS plastic. This material is used to make inexpensive budget clubs. Increases strength and wear resistance and gives good puck control. The disadvantage is fragility in the cold.

Depending on where the sports equipment will be used, it can be concluded that for serious games it is necessary to use clubs made of composite materials, for training - a wooden base of the equipment.

Stick length

When choosing a club, pay attention to the length of the projectile. This factor increases usability well. Therefore, there are some options to choose from. In an upright position, the stick should reach the tip of the player's nose, and with skates on, the level of the neck and collarbone.

Often, to facilitate the choice, markings are used according to the age and weight of the player:

• Youth (or yth) 106-114 cm - this marking is intended for children from 4-7 years old with an allowable height of 120 cm.
• Junior (jr) 119-132 cm - this designation indicates the use of sports equipment by children from 7-14 years old with an allowable height of 113-150 cm.
• Intermediate (int) 137-145 cm - this marking is more suitable for young men from 13-17 years old with a height of 129-170 cm.
• Senior (sr) 142-165 cm - this designation belongs to adults with a height of 170 cm.

Depending on the location of the player on the match field, there are some recommendations:

• for goalkeepers, the stick shank must not exceed 72 cm and the hook up to 39 cm;
• defenders play with clubs from 160-165 cm and 32 cm with a wedge. The tip of the handle of the sports instrument should roughly touch the athlete's mouth;
• for the attacking squad - the clubs must be no more than 150 cm high, therefore the clubs are created with a shortened neck. In appearance, it should not exceed the level of the athlete's collarbone.

The next principle of choice is flexibility.

Projectile rigidity (flexibility)

The player's weight is strongly tied to this parameter. The more, the stronger the impact on the puck will be, which indicates the need for the strength of the sports product. To do this, the markings use the Easton brand scale, where the specific load on the club is calculated. Other markings can often be used. We present some labeling of these indicators:

• Flex - clubs for children and juniors with a weight category of 40-52 kg, additional marking Jr 20 and Yth 15;
• IntFlex - sticks for teenagers 50-66 kg. Optional = marked with the inscription Light 30;
• Whip or Mid - for players from 65-77 kg and indicate the softness of sports equipment;
• Reg (aka Regular) - the most common sports equipment for players from 73-88 kg;
• Stiff, Pro or ProMid - hard clubs for a player's weight of 93-103 kg;
• X-Stiff (second name ProStiff) - the most rigid products from 110 kg and above;
• players from 115-125 kg are prescribed the marking of Stiff-sticks with X's.

Hook and its shape

This indicator of finding a hockey stick can only be approached when playing professionally, but you should not dismiss it. Knowledge will not hurt and will improve the result of the sporting event.

First of all, look at the side of the bend of the sports equipment. For a right-hander, the feather blade should be bent to the left, for a left-hander, vice versa. If the club is for children and teenagers, the purchase of straight blades is allowed.

If you carefully examine the bends of the pen, you will notice that they are significantly different and have their own number. Depending on the abilities and priorities of each player, such a bend has its own individual meaning and convenience when playing. Examples of marking:

• with a toe bend (toe) - this bend is ideal for driving the puck on the ice, but with a throw or "feint" of the bypass, it brings a loss of the puck;
• heel - perfect for high throws and work with the back of the hook, it makes it possible to take the puck after passing without the possibility of loss;
• middle (mid) - a versatile approach and the middle of accuracy and strength.

Depending on the type of club, in compound clubs, it can be standard or narrowed, so you need to carefully approach the choice of the handle width. The difference in appearance is that a simple hook is needed to control the puck, a narrow feather is needed for a strong blow.

As for the shape of the blade of the feather, the location of the player on the playing field also matters. Square blades are more suitable for those who are at war with an opponent at the side of the "defenders", in other cases, preference should be given to a round hook.

In some cases, manufacturers offer a square blade with straight cut corners, which becomes an alternative to the two listed options.

Stick and selection for purchase

Summing up the above, you can emphasize for yourself the main directions of choosing a sports instrument - a club.

1. For children and adolescents, sports equipment with the "yth" marking made of a variety of composite materials is perfect.
2. For physically developed teenagers - you can consider the manufacturer's version with the designation "jr".

In both these cases, the sports equipment must be “soft” and correspond to the weight and height of the athlete.When choosing a hook, you should limit yourself to purchasing a round blade without bends on one or the other side. You can entrust the choice of the bend to the child himself.

For athletes with no experience in playing hockey, wooden or composite sticks are suitable, which will be correctly selected for the player's weight and height. It can be recommended for novice hockey players to choose a model for "attacking" - having a short handle not higher than the collarbone in an upright position with a slight bend of the feather. You can accept for purchase, a small toe curl of inventory and a medium bend.

When choosing a tool for the defender, pay attention to the length of the club, which should be up to the owner's chin. Consider a wide square hook with good stiffness as indicated by the manufacturer.

For a defensive player on the playing field, consider purchasing a standard length stick that reaches the player's chin. When doing this, pay attention to the large, wide-looking square-shaped hook. Pay particular attention to good strength sports equipment with good rigidity. Higher grade sticks are allowed to allow the athlete to hit the puck hard. A physically developed player will be just right for purchasing sports equipment made of composite durable materials, which will increase the life of the club.

Paying attention to these listed principles for choosing sports hockey equipment, you can choose the right tool for victory and bring convenience in every hockey game. Since the choice and variety of brands and products is huge, depending on your financial capacity and approach to this sport, you can correctly and tastefully purchase a hockey stick.