puckpilot

http://q30innovations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NEWS_NeuroshieldV2.pdf

I could be totally off base, but to me it sounds like you feel like you're giving everything you got to get the win, sacrificing the body, showing up to every game even when you may not feel up to it, but it doesn't sound like the rest of the team is as committed. It sounds like you're the guy, or one of the few guys, pulling the cart, while the rest are taking a free ride and waving to the pretty girls on the sidelines and getting the smiles. Do any of your teammates come up to you during or after the game and say thanks for bailing them out or thanks for keeping us in it? Cause it sucks to be underappreciated. I've been on teams where I work my ass off forechecking, backchecking, lift sticks to save goals, spring guys left and right by threading passes through multiple defenders, but nobody says a damn thing unless I'm on the score sheet. (I'll leave the gripes about missed assists for another time) While the guys who are seagulling all night, taking 2.5 minute shifts, and are like minus 4, get the nice game because they scored a couple. Stuff like that makes me not want to play, or at the very least it makes me not want to care. On the other hand, I've been on teams were everyone works their butts off, win or lose, and we may lose a lot, but there's a we'll-get-them-next-time type of attitude. It never feels like you're the only one that gives a crap and that makes it still fun to go to the rink. My 2 cents

I don't have any specific knowledge, but generally speaking, you can't count on skates having the exact same fit from generation to generation. Sometimes, the differences are minimal. Other times, the differences may be dramatic. Higher end skates are higher end for a reason. The materials tend to be lighter, the boots are yes stiffer, but also, the internal liner will generally be made of better material, and the steel may be better too. Maybe check out youtube for reviews on the skates. You can usually suss out information from there.

If your body needs time to adjust to the cold, why not get dressed early and go sit outside the dressing room in the cold so your body is adjusted by the time the game starts? it might look like your balling your eyes out before a game, but it might be a simple solution if it works.

Not jaw dropping, but I got a Trigger 3D for 20% off.

Don't know much about the Warrior pants, but I'm 5'5 175lbs 32 waist, and I'm a small, too. If it helps any I'm currently wearing Bauer vapor pants.

I primarily use low kick sticks. My main stick right now is a Trigger 2, but I also have a QRE, QRL, and a 1X. My secondary sticks are a 2N Pro and a 1S. I also have a Supertacks 2.0. Any way, I have too many sticks. To me, the feel of shooting changes with each type of stick, and that change in feel can trick you. I have one of those sports radars, and I take it to the rink from time to time. I also occasionally take video of myself shooting to see the flaws in my form. With that said, sometimes I shoot, it feels like I got all of it, but the video and radar tell me otherwise. On the flip side, sometimes I shoot and it doesn't feel like it's anything special, but the radar and video show me the shot was at the high end of my range. And any shot that hits the post or crossbar always feels like it's harder than it actually is. After keeping track of the data, I realized, for the most part, as long as I'm using proper form, the average velocity of my various shots doesn't change no matter what stick I use. My snapshot is still my snapshot and my slapshot is still my slapshot. For me, what does change is comfort/quickness of the release and the firmness of the hosel. Obviously, I have to make minor adjustments when using different stick because of the change in kick point, but for the most part, I use the same techniques. So from my perspective, there really isn't a trick to maximizing power. Just use proper technique and things will fall into place. My 2 cents. It's worth what you paid.

If you're having heel slippage in a skate that's a half size smaller, that might be an indication that you're still in a improperly fitted skate. Just a though. Have you tried other lines? Have you tried superfeet to stabilize your heels? For me, when I was growing up I skated on skates too big. I wear 7.5 shoes and was in size 6 skates in my teens. Over the years I went smaller and smaller. I'm in size 4.5s now. My last pair of skates were 5s, and when I went to 4.5, I began having stability issues. Thought it was user error but changed my profiling to a simple 12' and that fixed things for me.

How many other skates have you tried on? Before you settle on anything, make sure you've tried on every skate you can get your foot into. From my limited experience, scanners get you into the ballpark, but it's up to you and your fitter to get you dialled in. Sometimes the scan can be off. With that said, its genaerally better to go a bit small than a bit big. With small you can have the skates stretched and punched out to accommodate your foot. But what you can't do is shrink a boot. Also as a skate ages, the liner will compress and wear, and you may gain about a quarter size. So yeah, be a princess about your skate fit. You never know how what you'll find. I've tried on skates that were OK but then the next skate turned out to be perfect. Because, you don't want to deal with all the foot problems ill fitting skates can cause. You did a smart thing measuring your own foot to be sure about your sizing. For me, I use this sizing chart. http://www.hockeytutorial.com/uncategorized/ice-hockey-skate-sizing-chart-width-and-length/ According to the chart, you're between a 10.5 and 11.

Why would it make you glide backwards? Blades that are pitched forward don't make you go forward.It's not like you're standing on a hill on rollerskates. Shifting weight and pushing off what gets you moving. Think of it this way. Your foot is level with the ice.When you pitch your blades to put your foot in a neutral position, the flat of the blade is still flat to the ice. Everything else may be tilted in between but those two things will be parallel.

Do you notice a difference between your CCms and your Bauers? Generally, CCMs are pitched forward a bit more than Bauers. Any way, if you want to be more on your heels, changing your pitch would be one of the first things to try.

For me, I care, but I don't care, if that makes any sense. Yes, it can be a little irksom when you know you had 4 assists, but they only credit you with one. But I have better things to do than fire off emails to get credited. My pee-pee is small but not that small.

If you goto the ice warehouse website, they list the length of all their sticks there. Not alway 100% accurate, but from my experience, at worst only off by an inch. Otherwise, as mentioned, use an extension. Unless it's an insanely long extension, there won't be much of a difference in feel, especially if you use a composite one.

From what I've seen Intermediates have the same blade size as seniors. Yes, their shaft dimensions may be slightly smaller, but if the stick feels fine to you then don't worry, and don't over think it. Plenty of adults use intermediates.

There were/are things I do to address the forward flex issue. First I stopped using the top eyelet. Second, I began practicing not using the top two eyelets and I eventually went down to not using the top three eyelets during practice. Found it strengthened my ankles and made it so I didn't have to tighten my skates as much. Third thing I did was start using two laces on each skate during games. One for my bottom eyelets and another for the top eyelets, still skipping using the top eyelet. This allowed me to better control the tightness of my skates. Fourth, I went back to using one set of laces per skate when I found a lacing method that gave me good lateral stability, great forward flex and great heel lock. Something you could try. If interested here's a link to a post with pics describing what I did.

Hahha, no worries. You just gave me a bit of a scare. The market can be tough, and Cyclone has been around forever. It'd be sad to see them fall by the wayside. Any way, if you find the right fit, you should be able to get your skates profiled and ready to go all in the same day.

Here are a couple of my favorite basic balance drills. This first video is full of drills you can try, but the video will start on my favorite one in the video, a one foot glide while bending the knee up and down. The second video drill I find helps me with balance in my stride. It helps to make sure I'm transferring my weight properly and that I'm getting a real good knee bend. A lot of imbalance stems from standing too tall. If you have a proper knee bend, the tougher it will be for your opponent to knock you over. If you want to be a better skater, start with the basics. I know how tempting it can be to want to start with some of those more fancy drills, but IMHO, it's better to spend the time strengthening your basics before jumping ahead. Why? I see a lot of people at the rink try to do advanced drills before they are ready. I mean they can barely do a forward cross over without falling, but suddenly, they want to start trying backwards scissor kicks like Pk Subban. What ends up happening is they end up learning how to do a bastardized version of the drill, and all it does is reinforce improper technique and bad fundamentals. The more solid your fundamentals are, the easier it will be for you to pick up on those more advanced drills and the less they'll feel like they're out of reach. A couple of years ago, I noticed a new guy at my local stick and puck. He could barely skate. It was obvious he was just starting out, and he was flopping everywhere. One of the guys that frequents the stick and puck session is a coach and gave him some basic tips on skating and later on shooting. The guy just worked on those basics over and over. In a year he was executing nasty slide turns and snapping shots bar down. Now this isn't saying he doesn't still have stuff to learn, but if I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd been skating for years, not just one year. Any way, my 2 cents. It's worth what you paid.

Where did you hear that Cyclone Taylor's is closed? I just checked their website and there's no indication of closure, and this past summer, they made a big advertising push, with give-aways and stuff. I was in one of their locations last week. If you want to hit up one of the Vancouver shops for fitting, I'd recommend Cyclone Taylors and the Hockey Shop. Unfortunately, the hockey shop is going to be closed from the 13-18 while they relocate back to their original location. Another place is Ice Level Sports. I don't have any actual experience with skate fitting with them, but I've heard lots of good things. I've gone to them for sharpeninngs and eyelet repairs. They were solid on those fronts.

I'm still using it. When I first switched, I noticed a significant difference, but in terms of performance feel, I chalked it up to new steel. I did notice a significant improvement in durability. Nicks were the exception rather than the rule, even when I kicked the steel posts under the bench. After a while, I stopped noticing any performance benifits. But then, the shop screwed up my sharpening and I had to go back to my old steel for a bit. Noticed the durability difference immediately. Old steed didn't hold a good edge as long. Didn't really notice a performance change until I went back to my Step steel. For me, the true difference in performance was very subtle. I realized the edges felt crisper, like I had more control on how the edges gripped or didn't. The old steel felt a little more sloppy. Then again, it could all be in my head. Any way, the difference in cost was $80 vs $100 Canadian, and for me, it was worth it just for the edge life and durability, regardless of any performance benifits or not.

The retail Ribcors are lowkick sticks similar to Vapors and QRLs, BUT, each stick has its own characteristics that make it feel unique. For example, I find Warrior sticks in general load up easier, and I can really feel the slingshot effect. With my Trigger 2, I don't get the same feel when I shoot. I think the reason is that the kick point on the QRL line's is lower than the Ribcor line. I find the secondary soft spot in the handle allows me to more easily bow the stick. I find it doesn't really affect where the stick is kicking though. I have an older generation ribcor. It kicks similar to my Trigger 2, but that soft spot near the handle does change the feel of when I'm shooting.

I do this too, and I find it definitely helps. My sticks rarely chip at the toe. And when they do, it's because I wasn't diligent in retaping once the tape wore away. I have sticks that are several years old and when I strip the tape, other than a few surface scuffs, the blade is almost new. I also run strips of tape up the shaft, top and bottom, to protect the slash zones.

Funny thing, my story is kind of opposite to yours. For the longest time, I used stiffer sticks, like rebar stiff. Didn't think the stick mattered beyond weight because, well, I sucked regardless. Quick wristers and snaps were pretty sad all around, so relied a lot on slapshots for anything at a distance. Then one day I picked up a 55 flex for giggles, just to see what it'd be like. Suddenly, accuracy and power on snaps and wristers went up, and everything just felt right. Personally, I like the lag. For me, it feels like I can decide to shoot first, and then while in mid-shot, I can read the goalie, decide where it's going, and adjust to get it there.

I wear 7.5-8 shoes and size 4.5 skates. When I got my current skates, I came down from a size 5. Took me a little while to notice that I was more unstable and my foot was sliding out from under me with my underpush in my cross overs. Blamed it on user error. So spent 6 months working to correct the issue with little improvement. Then last April, I tried changing my profile to a 12' +1, and it made the world of difference. I'm in a 13' +1 profile now, and after 6 months, barely notice any loss of agility. Only notice the positives now.

From what I've read, the Ek365 has the same blade as the EK60, so puck feel should be similar. Having used both sticks, personally, I like the QRL better. The main reason is because it plays more whippy, so I can load up shots a lot easier and quicker. But not everyone likes that whippiness. One of the reasons you may be having difficulty stickhandling could be because of the difference in lies. Every stock CCM stick I own has a higher lie when compared to most other brands. So the CCM may play a little longer than it actually is, and thus affects your stickhandling. The lie could also be why you're not getting as much power on your shot. Lower lie, a little more difficult to get over the stick and generate whip. Any way the stock QRL should have the same lie as the Sherwood, so you should be good either way in that respect. My 2 cents. It's worth what you paid.

The Jetspeed and the Vapor are the lines that are meant to be more form fitting. With that said, I'm 5'5 and I wear 13" 1Xs and I don't find they restrict my movements. As for looks, sorry man, not everyone can look slim and trim like an NHL player. Different body types means different looks. Worry about being properly protected. I'd rather be the ugliest looking guy on the ice that the prettiest dude in the hospital. And if you really want to look good, dangle a defenseman and tuck one under the bar.