hockey stick

Question
Rob,

My son is 9 years old and a Squirt player. He has been playing hockey for four years now. We know how to measure the length of the stick but how do you determine the flex of the stick?

Answer
Cindy,

Thanks you for writing.  The flex is designed to allow the player to add pressure to the shaft of the stick, which in turn gives the stick a "Compound Bow" effect on the shot.  As you know, a compound bow has pulley's on each end with two sets of strings.  So, when you pull back on the string with the arrow, there is a lot of resistance.  However, at a certain point, the pulling become more relaxed and easier to pull.  Once you let go of the arrow, the arrow is sent at it's normal speed until it reaches the effect of the pulley's.  Then the arrow will increase it's speed ten time faster then normal.

This is the same property of the flex of the stick.  The lower the number, the more flex.  The higher the number, the less flex, the stiffer the shaft will be.  How, in order for a hockey player to take advantage of the flex, during the shot, the player adds pressure in a downward motion which will cause the shaft to bow inward towards the direction of the ice due to the added down pressure on the shaft.

As the player follows through the shot, the bow in the shaft starts to straighten and the puck accelerate faster then normal.  However, This is a technique that needs a lot of weight on the shaft in order to bend the shaft to make the flex work.  Generally, you would see a player taking advantage of the flex of a stick around the age of 13 years old.  So why do stick manufacture's make junior sticks with flex?  Well, as you well know about how to size the stick, some players don't want to buy a large stick and then cut it because then it will change the flex point of the shaft.  All sticks are designed with a flex point in mind.

But if you cut the stick...say 6 inches off the end, in reality, you have changed the flex point 6 inches higher then it normally will be.  Well, in reality, the bottom hand now drops 6 inches below the flex point.  But now the perfect flex point is now closer to the cut end.

So, thus defeating the purpose of the flex.  But, a lot of players that are old, buy junior sticks because the flex point of the stick is at the correct height, so they don't have to cut the shaft.  So to make a longs story short, at your son's age, flex in reality isn't that important until be gets around the age of 12 or 13 where he will be able to make the flex in that stick work.

For your son, I would recommend an 85 flex and have him worry about technique within the shot, rather than worrying about the flex.  He just doesn't have the body weight to make the flex work. Well he might if he's 5 ft 7 inches.  Then he will have the weight to make it work.  I have seen some pretty big squirts throughout my 30 years of coaching.  I just keep wonder how they can afford the hockey and pay the food bill.

Rob Lopez - Commissioner
University Ice Hockey League - Mexico
www.passthepuck.net