Just like there are right and left-footed soccer players, there are right and left-handed hockey players. The difference is that as a hockey player, you must purchase a hockey stick that corresponds to your handedness, meaning "right" or "left". This guide will walk you through the essentials of holding a hockey stick correctly, covering everything from handedness to blade taping, length, curve, and flex.
Determining Your Handedness
Most people hold the hockey stick to the left of their body in their starting position, with their right hand on the top of the shaft. This is called left handed, or "left". When it comes to hockey sticks, the difference between right and left is determined by the blade. A player with a "left" handedness plays with a blade where the toe, or the tip of the blade, points to the right when holding the stick in front of you.
If you have never held a stick before, it is not clear whether you should purchase a hockey stick with "right" handedness or "left" handedness. However, right-handed players typically play with left handedness. This can be explained by the fact that the right hand is always the body part holding the top of the stick shaft and provides both power and control with and without the puck.
If you are still unsure about which handedness you feel most comfortable with, you can simulate the feeling with a regular stick or why not a broom. The arm you feel most skilled with when trying to hit something in front of you, or sweep something off the floor, is often the arm you want to hold the top of the hockey stick shaft with when playing. If it happens to be your left arm, you should choose a right handed stick and vice versa.
When you buy a hockey stick online, you can make the choice yourself on the product page whether you want a left-handed or right-handed stick. Regardless of which hand you choose, you will get exactly the same good properties in the hockey stick - both in terms of the stiffness, thickness, and kickpoint of the shaft, as well as the angle, shape, and structure of the blade.
Read also: Choosing the Right Hockey Stick Size
Hand Placement for Optimal Control
Strong hand placement on your stick can really take your game to the next level. When you first learn to play hockey, it is important to position your hands for optimal control. As you advance your game, you’ll afford yourself a little bit of flexibility with your placement and you’ll likely develop quicker reflexes which will assist you in moving quickly through skills.
As a rule of thumb, you can bring your right hand in line with or below the grip line and the left hand stays at the top of the stick. If you decide to drop the right hand below the grip be ready to dribble in or stand in a more athletic stance with knees bent. The left hand should be the controlling hand with a firm grip on the stick. The right hand should be loose on the stick so that turning over the ball doesn’t require the right arm to turn completely over.
This hand placement is particularly useful for:
- All forms of dribbling but especially Indian dribbling where you find yourself moving over the ball frequently, adding skills or changing directions quickly.
- Push passing where it is easy to transfer weight into your passes with a lot of control and strength through the hands.
- If you are receiving on the move, then this is a good style of grip to use so that you can immediately go into your dribble.
This style of grip will make full sprint dribbling a little hard but if you raise your right hand halfway up the stick you should be able to maintain control and increase your speed. For long distance passes or hits, if you struggle to bend from your knees and find yourself folding over at the waist, then you may want to bring your right hand higher to promote a safer back position.
Stick Length
Standing without skates on, hold the stick close and parallel to your body. The length should be vertical when measuring. It should come to the bottom of your nose. On skates it will be right around the chin area. Having a stick that is too long or too short, believe it or not, will drastically change the ability to control anything to do with the puck.
Read also: Unleash Your Fastest Shot
If the player out grows a stick quickly, there’s an option to buy a ‘plug’ to extend the stick a few more inches and get the most out of it.
How To Tape A Hockey Stick Blade - Howies Hockey Tape
Blade Taping
The moral of the story for taping the blade is from heal to toe. Just ONE layer of tape at a time. White or black won’t make a difference. Neither will taping the toe or not taping the toe.
Curve and Flex
Flex is not really that important at a younger age as most young players have a hard enough time figuring out how to properly hold it, let alone use the flex on a shot. The curve should be researched as to what specifically you want to do with it. Much like golf clubs and degrees, each curve has a specific thing it’s good at. Finding the curve that works best comes with time and practice. Most of the time in the beginning of a young hockey player’s career, a flat blade or slight, gradual curve is sufficient.
Lie
It depends on how long you like your stick and where you want to carry the puck and shoot from. Typically, you are playing hockey in an imperfect scenario, meaning that the puck might be a little further away or a little closer. What I like to do is cup the puck slightly in most, if not all situations with the puck. That gives me more contact with the ice even with a rockered blade.
Here's a general comparison of lies across different brands:
Read also: Comprehensive Hockey Stick Taping
| Brand | Lie Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Easton | Fairly Accurate |
| Warrior | Varies |
| Bauer, Reebok, CCM | Similar Numbers |
This hockey stick for children is made by Warrior and is an extremely light and durable stick at the same time. With updated blade technology and a shaft with a low "kick point," you get both good puck control and can shoot quick and well-directed shots.