left or right stick?

[jazz4all 9]

guys, im a left hand writer, do i supposed to use right handed, or left handed stick? currently i play with left stick..but it feels weak with right hand on the top stick, whenever i holding it single handed..im still new in these hockey thing.. need help..

btw, whats your opinion about choosing stick? i heard that beginner need to use wood stick to develope arm strength. does it true? my friend overs me a CCM V40 wooden stick..

[stefanmoscow 0]

Am lefty as well. as i have much more fine control in the left hand i use a right stick, meaning right hand down.

with respect to wood i am not to convinced. think control and technique are much more important than strength. Find to develop that easier if your arms are not tired from a heavy stick.

[Ahriman 1]

Lefties are suppose to be right, righties are suppose to be lefties in hockey goes the theory.

[chk hrd 164]

Lefties are suppose to be right, righties are suppose to be lefties in hockey goes the theory.

Where is that rule written...use what ever you feel most comfortable with. One school of thought is the dominate hand goes on the bottom for power, one says top for power, one says top for fine movement, blah, blah, blah. If you don't feel comfortable with the way you are holding the stick then you won't be able to do anything. When I coached little kids I always tried to tell thier parents to get a straight blade so the kid could switch hands and figure out what was more comfortable. You can even get a good idea by just having them pick up a stick off the floor. They will grab it the most natural way for them.

I'm guessing you are pretty new to hockey and still feel unconfortable and week because of impropper technique. Most new players try to sweep the puck by pushing instead of using thier hands like levers. Find someone who knows what they are doing and ask for help.

As for wood, you develop arm strength by exercising. If you are new to the sport you will get no bennefit by using a $200.00 OPS over a $30.00 piece of wood. There are alot of oldtimers who still use wood and do just fine.

[jazz4all 9]

@chk hrd

so wooden one will be much better for beginner? ^^

bout hand, just like ahriman said, is it left= right stick vice versa, do you find it true?

[WSjo22 1]

A good one that I have used with little kids is to lay a straight blade stick on the ground and tell them to pick it up....Whatever hand they reach to pick it up with goes on top....I'm a right handed writer but rather ambidextrous and if you had me do this I would use my left hand as it feels more natural to me so thats why I shoot right handed

[srv2miker 0]

Typically, lefties will use a RH stick so that if they need to hold the stick in one hand (say, on a power move or a poke check) then the dominant hand will be holding the stick.

Having said that, my brother (whose Father and brother both are lefties and shoot right) shoots right because that's how he learned how to play. The fact is, use what's most comfortable.

[furlanitalia 1]

Yah, while it isn't a written rule it, logically it makes sense. Although my dad and brother are both righties, and right handed, while i'm a lefty, and right handed. Although I golf right handed, and play lacrosse left lol.

[Jarick 5]

If you have absolutely no preference (i.e. never played golf, baseball, etc), I would probably put your dominant hand on top for better control.

As for the stick, I would choose a lighter wood stick. Try and find one that flexes a bit when you push down on it in a hockey stance. My favorites for the money are the Sherwood 5030, Bauer One40/One55 and Montreal 4400.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Yah, while it isn't a written rule it, logically it makes sense. Although my dad and brother are both righties, and right handed, while i'm a lefty, and right handed. Although I golf right handed, and play lacrosse left lol.

75% LH to 25% RH in the NHL tells me there's something correct about the theory.

[Bucky25 0]

I read somewhere a while ago that there are many more LH shooting Canadians & Euros and RH shooting Americans…

This does fit w/ the overall trend in the NHL of more LH shots. The theory was that a lot of American kids grow up playing baseball and are taught to bat RH, thus having an influence on their handedness in hockey.

[furlanitalia 1]

JR I never realized it was that lopsided.

[Hockeydog 8]

I am right dominant but have batted, swept a broom, golfed, and played hockey left handed all my life. No reason why, just how I did it from birth. In Little League they tried to make me hit right handed!! After half a season without even decent contact I just walked up to the plate left handed. The coach yelled " wrong side" but I ignored him and got a hit off the 1st pitch. He left me alone after that.

Jazz4all, I ask which way do you sweep a broom? Which way do you rake leaves?

Go with whichever way your body naturally likes to swing things.

[jazz4all 9]

hmm.. what im sure about is my left hand is the strongest when im doing poke checking. T.T im gonna try a RH stick this sunday. but i think it would be good if i can get used to on both hands LOL ^^

[Leafsrule16 5]

Lefties are suppose to be right, righties are suppose to be lefties in hockey goes the theory.

Im a lefty too but i shoot left, its the only way i can get any control of the puck, i can shoot just as hard right handed but i cant am it at all and i can barely hold the stick it feels so awkward, ive been using left since i can remember

[numberthirteen 0]

hmm, seems to be 75% Right, 25% Left the way in Europe. I'm guessing this is because the players got to pick what is natural when they first start playing (at least i did). I know a lot of people who were kids when ice hockey boomed in my area (90s) were taught to shoot left if they were right and vice-versa by coaches and players.

[JohnnyCanuck 0]

There is another (heresay or rumour I don't know) That Canada has more left handed golfers per capita than any other country in the world.

the theory goes on that in the states people teach their kids to swing right handed, and that would translate mechanics-wise to being LH in Hockey.

In Canada people probably are more prone to picking up a hockey stick before a bat or a golf club, and hence it is more accepted to be a lefty in golf here, also much more clubs as hand me downs, creating more lefties.

This would also bear out the stat of Canadians in Hockey being the dominant place of heritage for more NHL'ers and thus lending support to JR's fact of approx 75% of the NHL is LH.

interesting stuff.

I myself Bat Left Handed, Golf Left handed, Play Hockey Left Handed, yet I throw with my Right Hand, and Handwrite with my Right Hand. My father and brother on the other hand are all righthanded in everything they do. My Grandfather writes lefty and does everything lefthanded.

I guess there is no magic formula, just what feels best...

[K9 Unit 1]

i agree with the dominant have on the top of the stick...u do get better control but shots might take awhile to get used to...but for me (i'm a righty) my left hand is ABSOLUTELY useless, so i shoot right but for some reason i can switch hit in baseball. but anyways use which way feels more comfortable for you and by the sounds of it you should shoot right

[jazz4all 9]

but, what kind of side effect if im lefty n im using LH all the way? seeing on hockey basic, im supposed to use RH right? im about to borrow a RHS from my friend. but im sure it would feel awkward...

[JohnnyCanuck 0]

Dude, grab a LHS and a RHS and just try them and see which feels better.... go with that, screw the side effects etc... Unless youa re 5 and just starting out in the game you are not going to the NHL and you are probably just playing for fun like the rest of us ;)

[jazz4all 9]

hahaha! that right ^^ but, i think its better to try em both. i already played from last november, once a week. guess its not too late huh?

[gxc999 7]

One of the biggest benefits of dominant hand on top is a better backhand shot and pass. That helps a lot on breakaways and penalty shots. It's also a huge benefit for stick handling, faceoffs, poke checking etc

[jazz4all 9]

do you think its bcoz better strength on wrist?

[Darshu 0]

do you think its bcoz better strength on wrist?

Yes. In theory, you should be able to stickhandle effectively with only your top hand.

[Ahriman 1]

I'm not gonna even try digging up any statistics on this but in the days of straight blades, weren't the majority of players left handed as well? Combine that with most people being right handed writers, I'm sticking to my theory :P