Stick

Question
Rob
I am an older guy playing rec. hockey. I have always used a long stick. Its funny as I am one of the shortest, and fattest guys on the team, but my stick is the longest. I just like the reach, but my shooting and stickhandling is compromised. I think my body type-very stocky with my gut in the way-makes it harder to use a small stick.
Lately, just playing pick up games, I am getting the puck takeen off me more. I think I must look like an easy target-small chubby guy long stick with puck -very tempting.
Should I just use a smaller stick until I get used to it? I am 5'7", 240 lbs. I work out in my garage with my son  and I take shots with a tennis ball. Any advice for 'training' in there for adapting to a smaller stick? Thanks!

Answer
Barry,

Well, hum, I guess if you don't mind, I am going to shoot from the hip here.  Loose 50 pounds!
I say this because there is nothing more annoying then a person that lost weight, like did...50 pounds.  Yes it true, I too am 5'7" and I weighed 335 and now I am 188.5   I lost it by taking a pill called Bupropion.  It was originally designed for people that smoke to help them cut the addiction of smoking, but they found out that it also make people loose weight.  So I have been taking it for the last year and a half.  I can actually bend over and tie my shoes without having to take a break...:D  The only draw back to this pill is that you will have a lot more of an active sex life.

As for your "hockey" stick...where do I start?  Well, back in 1993, I met a coach who was coaching a Russian team and "ALL" of the stick were cut to the height of there your heart is located.  Too me I thought that this height was too short, and I told him so.  But his response was..."What's the most important thing in hockey?"  I told him skating and he said, this is why I cut their sticks.  It forces them to keep the deep knee bend to catch the puck and to have maximum speed with their stride.

For me, one of the things that I found is the longer the stick "2 inches" above the height of my nose, the better shot I had and it allowed me to get more leverage on the puck.  The reason why your shout needs work is because of your technique might be off.  So let's work on that to see if we can improve your shot.

First, please don't take this the wrong way, but I am sorry to say, most hockey players work the stick, rather than letting the stick work for them.  So, let's talk about mechanics of shooting a wrist shot.  Have you ever seen one of those little kid's toy that you normally find at the park called a titter totter, where each kid sits on each end, which allows each kid to go up and down...right?  

Well, the whole thing about making this toy work is due to a couple of principles in leverage and mechanics.  Well, at the center of this teeter totter is a point called the fulcrum, in which each side allows the kid to use leverage to pick the other kid up in the air...right.  Well, let抯 say you move the fulcrum more towards the kid on the left.  This will mean that you will need two kids on the left to pick up one kid on the right.  This is due to the moving of the fulcrum from center.

Well this works the same when you shoot.  The bottom hand on the stick is the fulcrum point.  Which means, the more you move your bottom hand towards the top hand you will need more force on the top to make that puck fly on the bottom. Follow me so far?  Well, the by separating your hands as well, will allows you to use less force to make the puck fly the same speed as if your hands were closer together.  Less work, means that when you add more force at this point, you get greater volume of speed behind the shot.

The other part of the shooting technique is the flex of the stick.  The slower the number, the more flex you have and the larger the number, the less flex you have.  So which flex is correct for you?

First, stick flex should be selected on height of the player, not height of the stick.  Here's some basic rules you can use for height and flex selection.

Under 5' tall: 50 flex
5' to 5'6: 65 flex
5'6 to 5'9: 75 flex
5'9 to 6'2: 85 flex
6'2 and above: 100 flex

Now, let's talk about the actual flex of the stick.  The stiffer the stick, the less energy is transferred into the shaft of the stick the less speed you have.  The more flex in shaft, the more energy is transferred to the shaft, the faster the shot will be.  Now, everyone wants a fast shot...right.  Ok, so which is the best flex for your height?  The best way to test that flex is by placing your lower hand on the middle of the shaft and add just a little pressure to the shaft.  Then take the top hand and pull up a little.  If the shaft bends allowing the upper hand to move about an inch, this is the flex for you.  Too much flex is not good and too little flex is just as bad.

If you get a stick that is too long and you cut it, you change the actual flex point which is located at the center point of the stick.  If you cut the stick, in reality, the flex point doesn't move, it just means now that the top hand is closer to the flex point which makes the flex point now higher on the shaft.  This has changed the "Kick Point" of the stick.

Okay, what is kick point, If you like doing snap shots; you want a low kick point (aka flex point, more towards the lower end of the shaft.  Which means that is you take a long stick and you cut it, your hand now moves down the shaft which means you have set the kick point lower then the center.  Great for snap shots!

If you like doing slap shots or one timers, then you need a mid-kick point, aka: which means the flex is in the middle of the shaft.  Now remember, if you take a long stick and cut it to fit your height, then you have transferred the flex higher and forcing you to have a lower kick point....get it!.

So how do you get a middle of the road kick point without cutting the stick?  Shoot with a long stick, which will not change the flex, or buy a junior stick.  Yes, I have used junior stick so this way it provides me with a mid-kick point and then I don't have to worry about cutting the stick.

Okay, those are the three things you need to worry about when you take a wrist shot. So, let抯 add all three things in your shot.  First, when shooting a wrist shot, always position your skates in the direction of the goaltender.  Then make sure that the puck is placed behind the linear line located about two inch behind you heel of the skate.  To do this, you will have to place that bottom hand more towards the top hand of the stick.  This will allow you to reach the puck behind.  Now, the more you place the puck behind, the longer the distance is to the linear line three inches in front of your skates.  This is the area of maximum force during the shot.

Now, as you move the puck forward, the bottom hand starts to separate the distance from the top hand moving down the shaft.  Side note: Have you ever seen kids hold an empty paper towel roll on the bottom hand, in which it is placed down the shaft?  This keep the bottom hand from grabbing the shaft as the hand moves down the shaft.  This bottom hand should always have this freedom of movement when you stick handle or shoot.  The only time you grip the shaft is at the release point when you are at maximum force (two or three inches in front of the skate)

Now, once you start this forward motion, you start to add increasing downward pressure to the shaft as you near the release point.  At the release point, both hands should be located away from the body, with the bottom hand locked at full extension and the top hand needs to pull back towards your body.  This is called a 損ush and pull?technique allowing the bottom hand to act like a fulcrum and the top hand being the top hand in the driving force.  

By adding weight to the shaft and the pulling back if the top hand increases the shot by ten folds.  Kind of like a compound bow with all of those cables and pulleys which will also increase the speed of the arrow at the force point as well.

Once you follow through with the push and pull, rotate the shaft so that the front of the blade points to the target in which you want the puck to go.

Now, with as slap shot, it the same type of pressure on the shaft and same type of release point, but with a slap shot, you are shooting more across your body, that the balance knee has a deep knee bend to help add driving force once you make contact with the ice (2 inches behind)

Last, when you are following through with a slap shot, you need to move that non-balancing leg back to act like a counter weight.  This will keep you from falling forward during the release. However, try not to puck up that back leg.  Keeping that back leg will force you to have a deep knee bend, thus a stronger and faster shot.

I hope some of this help
Rob Lopez - CEO / Commissioner
Pass the Puck, Inc. / University Ice Hockey League - Mexico
www.passthepuck.net / www.toroshockey.com.mx