2.5 inches makes a difference

[RadioGaGa 162]

So, after hockey Sunday...one of the guys says to me. "Your Stick is cut too short." I have an Easton, with the end plug out...basically to my upper lip (off skates). He says..."put the end back in"

So, I put the 2.5-3 inch butt end back in...I scored 3 goals tonight. All pretty decent ones too (I usually get tap in garbage goals) I stick handled better, took passes better...made passes better.

Do you think it's a mental thing (or just luck)...or was I using a stick that was too short? I'm 5'9", and was using a stick that was 54" from heel to open end.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I'm 5'11ish, and my stick is 54" as well. I like it, could be luck, could be confidence. I found shooting better with a longer stick, stickhandling better with a shorter stick. That's usually the rule of thumb anyways. If it's working keep it, if you find your having trouble, change it. It's all about what works.

[DeI 18 0]

I think that it's just a mental thing. The only way length of the stick really affects the way a player performs is if it is extremely short/long. 2.5 inches shouldn't make much difference.

[All Torhs Team 0]

everyones dif., I am 5'10 and my stick is only up to the bottom of my chin! and i love it. so everyone is used to there own kinda thing. It is wierd that you scored three goals the next time though. some say that its because your hunched over so much that its bad to have such a short stick, but i like it because i bend my knees alot when i skate so it fits fine during games. do what works is all that matters.

[cobrAA 0]

i think 1 inch maybe 1.5 but higher than this...it is for sure making a difference

i used to play with shorter stick...but once i started playing contact i needed to have my head up...with the short stick i was using...i couldn't have my head up all times...and i was so bending my back that i always used to have pain in the back

now it took a while to stickhandle better...but with the kind of body size i have...i'm no where a finess forward(even if i only like the finess of hockey and not the contact aspect...)

[RadioGaGa 162]

Well...whatever it was...it felt damn good to get 3 today. One on a clean breakaway too.

[flaming_june 2]

funny how i had a goal a game when my sticks were too short, and only 1 assit in 3 games when i had the right length afterwards.

[cougarscaptain87 12]

im 6'2'' and i still use a stick the height of a sl without an endplug, everyone tells me its too short and i love it, its definatly all mental if you ask me.

[hunter4oz 0]

My sticks are right below my chin. if you want a short stick, my buddy uses a stick that is about the middle of his chest on him. hes about 5'11''. hes still got a pretty good shot, and he can stickhandle good too with it. it amazes me

[Fury of One 6]

I'm 5'11" and I use a stick cut to my upper lip on feet so it reaches a little under my chin. For a while, I used a longer stick, but I had more back pain, go figure. I think with a shorter stick, it forces you to bend your knees more and forces you to skate to be in the right position rather than using your stick as a crutch.

[asdfa 0]

it's not all mental, because the length of a stick will affect how your blade sits on the ground. it also depends on how you skate, so everyone will have different lengths that work for themselves

[twistoffate19 0]

With my OPS I dont even cut them. They are perfect lenght for me stock like that. I'm 6'0'', and love the "full" stick.

[hockechamp14 0]

it's not all mental, because the length of a stick will affect how your blade sits on the ground. it also depends on how you skate, so everyone will have different lengths that work for themselves

the guy probally noticed that your lie was off or something on the ice, and so it is more helpful to have a longer/shorter stick to fit with the lie.

[flaming_june 2]

im 6'2'' and i still use a stick the height of a sl without an endplug, everyone tells me its too short and i love it, its definatly all mental if you ask me.

i disagree, it is not all mental.

a lot has to do with the lie of the stick and your curve too. if you use a heel curve, you'd want the puck on the heel most of the time and therefore lie and length of the stick needs to be congruent so that when you skate, you have enough of the heel of the blade on thce ice to handel the puck proplery.

check out crosby's stick, its way shorter than normal, but the lie of his blade lines up perfectly with the way he stickhandles.

okie, it looks like everyone has already pointed it out.. sorry.

[whbd18 0]

Im 5'7" and I dont cut my OPS at all anymore,I actuallyadd a 1-1.5" plug to my sticks now.

[echi24 1]

for me alot of times just giving something new a try will work really well in contrast. i know its mental for me, because sometimes my coach will say, your stick is too long, use your backup, and the next few passes or shots i make seem to magically be more accurate and crisper. but its really just mental i think, i usually end up going back but sometimes trying something new gives you a new sense of confidence

[iceholes 0]

With my OPS I dont even cut them. They are perfect lenght for me stock like that. I'm 6'0'', and love the "full" stick.

me too... its nice to just tape it and go...

But lately xn10's have had enormous ends, that needed trimming... and I think my stealth had to take out the composite plug and add an inch...

Trilage, synergys , xxx, and previous XN10's... and all my easton shafts have been perfect

[wickedwrister 0]

2.5" makes a huge difference. .5" can too. I have heard stories about Yzerman getting a half dozen sticks and cutting them in 1/4" increments until he picks the one he liked.

[chippa13 1844]

I use a fairly short stick. I find it gives me more power on my slapshot because I'm getting more weight into the shot since I am more over the puck.

However, noone can say what is the right or wrong length of every stick. Each player is so different and so many factors go into determining what is the proper stick length for each person.

[lee92 2]

i just bought a reebok woody blade for my synergy shaft, and since the hosel on the blades shorter then usual, the stick only goes up to about slightly above my chin off of skates...so right about shoulder/collarbone level on skates. i bought a vapor xx, and cut it down to that height too but haven't used it...if it's a no go, i got countless plugs i can stick in. i'm only 5'9-5'10 by the way.

[LetsGoWings13 0]

well im 5'7" and i use a senior xn10 that i took out the plug and cut one inch off but its a little bit shorter than i like it. I like it to be about 1.5-2 inches above my eyebrows.

[notorious#29 0]

2.5" makes a huge difference. .5" can too.

I agree with you. Even if it is just a mental thing, I find that if I am playing with a stick that's even a 1/4 of an inch longer or shorter, I just can't seem to do much of anything.

[Jim A 4]

wow..2.5" is a huge jump..even now..one of my sticks is about 3/4 of an inch shorter and I can tell a difference immediately when using it as it forces me to bend the knees a lot more...if I start with it..I'm ok..but if I change..it takes a couple shifts..

[LkptTiger 1]

Wow...a lot of guys using some (comparatively speaking) long sticks. I'm about 6' and I usually cut my sticks down just below my collarbone (barefoot).

[Chadd 916]

Wow...a lot of guys using some (comparatively speaking) long sticks. I'm about 6' and I usually cut my sticks down just below my collarbone (barefoot).

I'd lose 20% of my shot velocity if I did that.