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Stick length & at-home shooting vs. on-ice

Buckst3r

Buckst3r

Registered User
Jul 26, 2013
45
0
Dallas, GA
I'm new to playing hockey and have a question regarding stick length.

I'm 5'7" 165 lbs. and prefer my stick to be at the bottom of my chin, approximately 52-53 inches.

If I'm shooting at home with a shooting pad (obviously without skates on), will this be a dramatic difference from how my shot will feel on the ice a few inches taller with skates on? Thanks beforehand for any advice anyone has to offer. :help:
 
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'Dramatic' is relative, it depends on how good your technique is, how adaptable you are and how picky you are. Given the height difference though, I would say that you will likely notice the difference. Whether or not that will end up hindering you as you transition, no one can say for sure.

If you want to try and match the height difference, you could do a few things:

- cut the stick to your length preference when you are on dryland, buy a wooden/comp extension and put it in (heat gun ofc) everytime you go play ice
- construct or use some sort of booster platform that mimics skate height
- buy a new stick
 
The only difference I see between shooting in bare feet and on skates is the lie of the stick. Because of that, when I shoot at home, I tend to be a bit more upright. When I'm on the ice, I bend my knees a bit more . It helps if you have a dual lie curve like the P14/E28/E3/E36.
 
Onetimersniper28 said:
The only difference I see between shooting in bare feet and on skates is the lie of the stick. Because of that, when I shoot at home, I tend to be a bit more upright. When I'm on the ice, I bend my knees a bit more . It helps if you have a dual lie curve like the P14/E28/E3/E36.
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There's no such thing as a mechanical 'dual lie'. It's called a rocker. Easton has resorted to marketing a rocker.
 
Yeah I have a stick that I cut down for use at home for stickhandling and shooting. Otherwise my normal stick length feels way too long when I'm in bare feet or shoes.
 
what i did for a on feet practice/ball hockey stick was take a stick and cut off the height of my skate holders (plus blade length) it ended up being about a 3 inch difference
 
I appreciate the replies guys. As I mentioned I'm 5'7" and on bare feet, a 52" stick was perfect while shooting at home but my composite sticks I use on ice were all 60-61" and it was a significant difference. That being said, I went and bought a saw & mitre box to cut off 5" (the measured distance of difference with skates on) on my composites.
 
Buckst3r said:
I appreciate the replies guys. As I mentioned I'm 5'7" and on bare feet, a 52" stick was perfect while shooting at home but my composite sticks I use on ice were all 60-61" and it was a significant difference. That being said, I went and bought a saw & mitre box to cut off 5" (the measured distance of difference with skates on) on my composites.
Click to expand...

Be careful ! You don't want to end up with a 120 flex stick.
 
Onetimersniper28 said:
Be careful ! You don't want to end up with a 120 flex stick.
Click to expand...

And there in lies the problem. Depending on how picky you are you may have to change the flex too!

Unless you are beastly strong, you may want to try a friends intermediate stick. They start out at ~65 flex and ~56-58" in length. Cutting it to 52" will still put you up into the high 70's or low 80's.

I am 5'10", a beginner and use a 70 flex intermediate cut down to ~75 flex and my wrist shots are way faster than when I use a stick I have a hard time flexing.

No matter what, just practice, practice, practice and make sure your stick is a reasonable length. The correct equipment helps a lot but nothing makes up for hardwork.
 
AWESOME TOPIC.

I would suggest that you mimic the height of your stick and elevation you are off the ground from when you are on ice to when you at home. Last year I changed my game to mimic more like Crosby. Try to get lower, so I cut my stick shorter. It really changed my game positivel I feel.

However recently I felt sooo awkward on the ice and its simply because at home i was doing a bit of stick handling w the same size stick but on my sneakers.

So off. Blades get me up to 2 inches off the ground, and I use a small stick. You take away those 2 inches and its a differ feel on ice
 
Yeah I also attempted to use a shorter stick that I use for stickhandling/shooting at home in an actual game and it was a nightmare. I gave it a go because many on here advocate a very short stick, but i felt so off balance that I felt like I was playing intoxicated. My puck handling and control is one of my strengths as a player, but the "shorter equates to better control" concept doesn't work for me. I need some length and range.
 
silkyjohnson50 said:
Yeah I also attempted to use a shorter stick that I use for stickhandling/shooting at home in an actual game and it was a nightmare. I gave it a go because many on here advocate a very short stick, but i felt so off balance that I felt like I was playing intoxicated. My puck handling and control is one of my strengths as a player, but the "shorter equates to better control" concept doesn't work for me. I need some length and range.
Click to expand...

There's a sweet spot for the length of your stick. If it's too short, you won't be able to pull "great moves" (doing a toe drag from one side to the other side of the defenseman's body). If it's too long, it will slow your hands down. For me, my sweet spot for stickhandling is right under my nose.
 
I fixed this by always wearing inline skates while practicing in the basement so the stick sizes and distance to the puck/ice is the same.
 
Or you can buy some Skaboots for $30 (hockey monkey). They are attachments that you put on your skates so you can walk around in them inside or outside
 
IMO it's better to elevate yourself and use the same length stick for off ice work vs. cutting down a stick/bare feet. It more closely resembles what happens on the ice. Same height off the ground/same length stick = more effective practice.
 
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