subject: How To Choose An Ice-hockey Stick [print this page] Whether an ice-hockey stick is suitable for you depends on your height, personal preference, whether you're a skilled player or a new hand, and so on. And the following suggestions may be helpful to a beginner on how to choose a suitable ice-hockey stick.
First, you should think about the length of the stick. Generally, the length of the stick should be chosen according to your height. Therefore, to figure out how tall your stick needs to be, put the toe of the stick down on the ground right at your feet. The top of the shaft should end at your nose. If the stick is longer than you need, you can cut it shorter according to your height. In other cases, for example, if you act as a rearguard in the game, the stick can be a bit longer so as to defend a larger area; if you are a vanguard, maybe a shorter stick is more suitable in that you can dribble or shoot more flexibly.
Next, you should consider which is better, a composite stick or a wooden one? There are two kinds of ice-hockey sticks: one is made of wood, the other is composite (the combination of metal and other materials). Composite sticks are lighter, more durable, and hold a more consistent flex while wooden sticks are a bit heavier, tend to break more easily, and wear out faster. Generally, the wooden sticks can not change the stick head (blade) while sticks made of metal materials can. If you are new to the sport, you probably don't need to purchase a composite stick, which is more expensive than a wooden one. But if money is not a problem for you, it is quite another thing.
Last but not least, there comes to the question of how much flex you need the shaft of the stick to have. To test the flex of the sticks, you can turn the face of the blade towards the floor and push on the middle of the shaft. Generally, the harder a stick is, the faster the puck will be hit, but a hard wooden stick breaks easily. Therefore, the better choice is that you can choose a stiff stick but with a little bit flex so as not to break easily.
If you have solve the above problems in choosing an ice-hockey stick, perhaps you had better visit as more specialty hockey stores as you can, which will offer a larger selection of sticks for you to choose from. Hope that you can choose the right stick that suits you.
