Short Stick = Amazing

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

Yes, sorry, I realized that what I said was wrong after I got into bed last night. What I should have said is that the moment of inertia of a long stick is larger since the "heavy" blade is farther away from the pivot point where your hand is. So it takes more torque to move the stick.

you speaka my language :) does the q stand for what i think it does?

[qmechanic 17]

Yes, sorry, I realized that what I said was wrong after I got into bed last night. What I should have said is that the moment of inertia of a long stick is larger since the "heavy" blade is farther away from the pivot point where your hand is. So it takes more torque to move the stick.

you speaka my language :) does the q stand for what i think it does?

Yes, I'm a physics graduate student and q = quantum. Hockey is my way to relax. :)

I was thinking about the torque question and with the longer stick, the moment of inertia increases but the lever arm also increases so you can apply less force for the same torque. You might think that the effects cancel out. However, the moment of inertia scales as length squared where as the lever arm only scales as length. Of course, one should always plug in real-life numbers to check...

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

i had a quantum test today myself. i know how it feels LOL.

and i had thought about the stick torque problem a while ago. when you cut the stick, the balance point moves further down the shaft... away from your hands. you'd think that would make it harder to stick handle... the COM is further away, and so the moment of inertia is greater! of course it depends on how heavy and how much was cut off and all that, but it's another case to consider.

and weve outed ourselves as nerds.

[Abubaca 0]

and weve outed ourselves as nerds.

Why yes, -yes you have. :P

But hey Puck it, you're in Raleigh, eh? Where do yo skate, and for who?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

check your PM

[hockeyplaya97 0]

http://images.sportsline.com/u/gettyimages...01_1024x768.jpg

Apparently, Modano agrees. Must be under his armpit for crying out loud.

WTF kind of stick is that???

[TBLfan 25]

dolomite.

[strosedefence34 178]

i play defence and my stick comes up to about my adams apple. Love it and wouldn't have it any other way

[James 0]

is that an ak27?

it looks like a OPS painted to looklike an AK27

[jestrs 0]

It is a Dolomite like TBLfan said. It is painted in the stars and stripes for Modano breaking the American-born player scoring record.

[Jarick 5]

Quick update,

Decided to take out the wood plug on my stick, it was up to my eyes in skates before, now it's just a bit below my nose. I'd say it was 57" with the plug and 55" without. Yes, I'm short.

Stickhandling was better in warmups and in game, normally I lose control moving through traffic but I actually pulled off a lot more. Passing didn't seem to be affected, had a good passing game but not all that different. Shooting was a lot different, I really had to stay low while shooting instead of being more upright. Didn't seem to be much change in velocity, but I seemed to hit the corners better. Big thing for me was that I just felt more in control of the puck.

Tough to say, it still feels a bit short, maybe a 1" or 3/4" plug would be a bit more comfortable, but it's an improvement.

[jestrs 0]

Shorter sticks give you more control.

It is like driver shaft length in golf. Yes a 46" shaft will hit it farther, but a 44" shaft will put you in the fairway more.

[Adam91 0]

Hey guys,

I usually use a shorter stick but lately I have found it to be too short, off ice when I stickhandle it seems like a perfect length but on ice I find it too short since I skate farely upright. Stickhandling is one of the main parts of my game so I'm a little worried about messing with my sticks.

What would you recommend I do?

Do you think I should try to skate my hunched over/deeper knee bend? or go with a slightly longer stick?

[TBLfan 25]

bend your knees and you will notice a huge improvement in your skating.

[Adam91 0]

bend your knees and you will notice a huge improvement in your skating.

Its not like I skate totally upright and dont bend my knees at all, Im just saying Im more of a straight up skater as opposed to deep kneed bend. You still recommend I change my skating style before my stick length??

What do others think?

[TheBert 0]

You will skate much better/more efficiently if you get into a deeper knee bend. But if you don't do that, but still want a shorter stick, you'll have to find a blade that's a higher lie. A 5.5 - 6 blade should do it.

[Jarick 5]

Another update, took a wood stick I had lying around and chopped off another couple inches so it would be just under my chin in skates, or about 4" shorter than normal for me.

Took it to the shooting range, found that I could really get a lot more accuracy than my longer sticks. Reason being, instead of striking the puck on a horizontal plane, it was more vertical. In other words, the puck was closer to me and I was shooting through it rather than behind/to the side of it. So that part was great, and for the most part my shots were much improved.

Going to bring both my really short stick to the next couple games and play around in warmups, maybe take a couple shifts. This has been a pretty enlightening thread...

[TBLfan 25]

bend your knees and you will notice a huge improvement in your skating.

Its not like I skate totally upright and dont bend my knees at all, Im just saying Im more of a straight up skater as opposed to deep kneed bend. You still recommend I change my skating style before my stick length??

What do others think?

It couldn't hurt, the lower you get the better of a skater you will be... But keep in mind that's almost a natural response from me since I coach beginner adults and I hear "I'm just an upright skater" excuse all the time. In case you took it that way, no offense meant.

[jestrs 0]

Most people think they bend their knees. When you show them video of theirselves skating they cannot believe how straight their legs are.

[joelnmich 0]

Agree with jestrs....it's even more pronounced at the end of shifts and the end of a game.

[chippa13 1844]

Hey guys,

I usually use a shorter stick but lately I have found it to be too short, off ice when I stickhandle it seems like a perfect length but on ice I find it too short since I skate farely upright. Stickhandling is one of the main parts of my game so I'm a little worried about messing with my sticks.

What would you recommend I do?

Do you think I should try to skate my hunched over/deeper knee bend? or go with a slightly longer stick?

Don't stick handle off ice with a stick the same length as you use in skates. You will get used to what in effect is a longer stick that way.

[Rustpot 1]

Hey guys,

I usually use a shorter stick but lately I have found it to be too short, off ice when I stickhandle it seems like a perfect length but on ice I find it too short since I skate farely upright. Stickhandling is one of the main parts of my game so I'm a little worried about messing with my sticks.

What would you recommend I do?

Do you think I should try to skate my hunched over/deeper knee bend? or go with a slightly longer stick?

Don't stick handle off ice with a stick the same length as you use in skates. You will get used to what in effect is a longer stick that way.

I'm 6' and I use this junky plastic blade floor hockey junior stick my girlfriend bought on a whim in my apartment.

I tried a slightly shorter stick and I was whiffing the hell out of the ice, even with it being only 2" shorter. I ditched it to the bench and went back to my long bastard, hit the crossbar on a backhand from the dot right after.

I'd give it another go, but I just don't want to cut any of the shaft.

[kovalchuk71 212]

You have to make sure you adjust the lie when you make your stick significantly shorter.

[flyerman 0]

You have to make sure you adjust the lie when you make your stick significantly shorter.

Amazing to me what a little difference makes in length.

I cut off only about 1/2 inch and played 2 games last night, and the stick feels completely different -- better stickhandling and control for sure, weaker slappers and less reach, though.

Before I cut it down this little bit, the wear on my blade was perfectly even. Last night, I notice the wear is now towards the front- (toe) half of my Coffey blade. With just a 1/2 inch cut...

So following this logic, I am going to cut down my Easton Synergy ST Gaborik a bit more and see if the blade lies better for me (with the current length, the lie is (way) too high for me). Of course, this is where the size of the rocker (e.g. radius/lie proflie) comes into play. The Gaborik has a much more pronounced rocker than the Coffey, so we'll see how much difference, if any, cutting the stick down will actually make for me. The Coffey has been my beloved curve, but I really like the ST stick (feel and balance is awesome) and the Gab banana is pretty righteous too -- so we'll see how she does after a little more tinkering.

[Hockeydog 8]

It is like driver shaft length in golf. Yes a 46" shaft will hit it farther, but a 44" shaft will put you in the fairway more.

I actually found more distance with a shorter driver. The longer shaft gave me less control and distance because I hit the ball more squarely with the short shaft. But that exact thought is why I cut down an old woodie so it hits just below my adams apple in skates. I plan on trying it this weekend, which is why I drug up this thread !