left or right stick?

[Larry54 243]

Most children are encouraged to use their right hand for writing, which probably originates from the left-hander's problem of smudging what he's writng since we write from left to right. Smudging is less of a problem today since we no longer use fountain pens but the tendency of encouraging right-handedness continues since a lot of today's devices are traditionally designed and optimized for right-handers (scissors, can openers, etc.) So I don't believe it has anything to do with being born with a naturally stronger hand. One side will only be as strong as you train it to be.

So whatever side you choose, whether it's because it feels more comfortable from the start or just an arbitrary choice, it will only become as strong as you train it to be. I'm right-handed for everything but I play guitar right-handed and that requires more left-hand strength for fretting. When I sweep or shovel, I alternate.

Just choose the side that feels more comortable and stick to it and it will become your strong side from training it and developing the muscle memory from practising it.

[Steve_v3 289]

Left or right should be based on what is more comfortable.

If you are just learning a wood stick would help you feel the puck a lot more. Thus it should help with your stick handling and shooting.

[jazz4all 9]

Left or right should be based on what is more comfortable.

If you are just learning a wood stick would help you feel the puck a lot more. Thus it should help with your stick handling and shooting.

whats the diff between wood and composite stick then? what makes a wooden stick have a better feel for the puck?

[-knowlzey- 0]

Left or right should be based on what is more comfortable.

If you are just learning a wood stick would help you feel the puck a lot more. Thus it should help with your stick handling and shooting.

whats the diff between wood and composite stick then? what makes a wooden stick have a better feel for the puck?

Comparison: Imagine throwing a golf ball on your wood deck, them throwing a golf ball on your asphalt driveway. Wood it's barely gonna bounce, asphalt it'll bounce really high. When you receive passes on a composite stick, if you don't take the pass correctly it'll bounce off your stick (not as drastic as the golf ball on asphalt, but it will be a bounce). If you take a pass with a wood stick, the wood naturally takes the pass better. This is the same with stickhandling. Wood sticks are better for most people for passing and stickhandling, but are far worse for shooting.

[jazz4all 9]

hmm i think a wood one is a good option. does it really matter on weight?

[TBLfan 25]

We've had this discussion a lot. If I had my choice, dominate hand on top... but it's never felt comfortable and I just can't do it skating out. It's all about comfort, there are advantages and disadvantages to both but remember it all depends on how well you can build strength and coordination in the upper hand, whether it be the dominate hand of not... obviously, for most it will be easier to build strength and coordination in the dominate hand.

I think that those numbers in the NHL are off, I think it's a little more LH dominate. With more US players coming into the NHL, it may balance those numbers out, a little more.

[RadioGaGa 162]

JR I never realized it was that lopsided.

It hardly gets talked about, but every year around Deadline time....all the Insiders point to the Righties as being commodities...especially on the PP from the point.

[K9 Unit 1]

JR I never realized it was that lopsided.

It hardly gets talked about, but every year around Deadline time....all the Insiders point to the Righties as being commodities...especially on the PP from the point.

back in like 07ish...i was still in hk but i was watching hockey highlights, and i thought all the lefties from all the other sports must have started playing hockey coz it was soooo LH dominant but now...theres starting to be soooo many RH prospects

[Clark12 0]

I'm from the school of thought that you play with whatever hand you are most comfortable with. I write with my right hand so by the logic on here I should be using a left handed stick, however I have always shot right.

I don't know weather its a culture difference in the UK but in all games that require using a left or right handed piece of equipment most people tend to use a club/stick/bat in the same hand as they write (e.g. a RH person would use RH equipment and a LH person would use LH).

I borrowed a left handed stick and stick handled a bit during the breaks in practice last season and it felt totally weird to the point where I physically couldn't use a left handed stick. I will definitely be sticking to what I feel comfortable with and not going by the general rule of thumb. I will however if I ever have any kids that play hockey, give them a straight blade stick and let them choose what is most comfortable.

What suits one person isn't always the same for others (and thats why MSH exists)

[skater32 0]

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

I don't think that is true because i write RH and i shoot RH and my backhand is very very strong.

[metalwinger13 1]

with me i write right handed and do alot of things right hand or leg dominate, but when it come to hockey i shoot left, swing a bat left, but can golf badly from either side. my dad is left handed and swings right handed and shoots right. I remember when i was younger getting into sports, my dad just gave me a bat, showed me how to stand then ask which way was more comfortable...

[yrhmblnr8r 69]

I'm right handed but shoot (and bat and golf) left. Dominant hand on top just feels more comfortable.

That said, I know a guy back home who taught himself to play goalie on his off hand. There were 4 boys in the family and not a lot of money so when his father came home one day with a new blocker and trapper that he got on sale he didn't have the heart to tell him they were off hand.

[1stLiner91 0]

i can play with both left and right hand, but my stick handling with a lefty stick sucks

[Steve_v3 289]

hmm i think a wood one is a good option. does it really matter on weight?

No not really.

As you progress at all of your hockey skills and upgrade your stick you'll appreciate the benefits of a composite stick. IE: weight, more power, and quicker shot release. You may actually like a wood stick better. Best bet is go with whatever works best for You.

[vitaminZ 0]

Im right handed and play hockey right handed. If I could start over I would probably switch

[jazz4all 9]

hm.. about LH and RH statistic, in here, jakarta, indonesia, there are only 2 LH players. me n one of my friend ^^. the others using RH even though they hv right hand dominant. some said that they learn the wrong way, bcoz they supposed to use a LH. but, i think comfort is the most crucial point about selecting sticks.

although im a left handed, i feel comfy using LH stick. but, still, i really2 wanna learn the correct way. i think its more like habbit. correct me if im wrong.

[Larry54 243]

I write with my right hand and play hockey right-handed. If I could start over I would probably switch to writing left-handed. That way I could improve my stick-handling by leaving my stick-handling right-handed. :lol:

[Globalz 1]

when i grew up i just chose the one that i was comfortable with and it is true that i dont have godly hands i still can hold my own and i have a easier time shooting aswell.

[jazz4all 9]

after i tried RH stick, here's the conclusion....

LHS, i can do stick handling much better but quickly getting tired of it.

RHS, not good at stick handling but better power on holding on one handed and also im not getting tired so easily...

guys, what do you think about it? if i keep with LHS, is it possible to generate my right hand strength? and if i use RHS, will it take a quite some time to practice stick handling with it?( considering i feel much better doing it with my right hand on the top). im a left writer...

[chippa13 1844]

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.

One of the biggest determinants in whether a player is left handed or right handed in hockey is how old they are when they start playing. The younger a person is when they first hold a hockey stick, the more likely their dominant hand will be the hand at the top of the stick. The older they are when they start, the more like their dominant hand will be the bottom hand on the stick.

[Jarick 5]

By "stickhandling much better" do you mean you have more control? If so, I'd go with that. You can build up strength relatively easily with repetition, but having more coordination is a huge plus. Especially if that's your dominant hand.

Have you tried shooting with both sticks?

[dsjunior1388 81]

What I noticed was of the players who have scored 700 goals in the NHL, 4 shot right (Hull, Dionne, Howe, and Gartner) and 2 shot left (Gretzky and Esposito) plus Mike Bossy, who I think it's fair to say would have been in the club, also shot right. Also, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman both finished just shy of 700, and both shot right, but then again so did Messier and he was a lefty. I'm too busy (read: lazy) to pore over the entire 500 or 600 goal clubs and make a list, but I would be curious to see how that would break down.

[K9 Unit 1]

What I noticed was of the players who have scored 700 goals in the NHL, 4 shot right (Hull, Dionne, Howe, and Gartner) and 2 shot left (Gretzky and Esposito) plus Mike Bossy, who I think it's fair to say would have been in the club, also shot right. Also, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman both finished just shy of 700, and both shot right, but then again so did Messier and he was a lefty. I'm too busy (read: lazy) to pore over the entire 500 or 600 goal clubs and make a list, but I would be curious to see how that would break down.

i think its more important to know which hand was their dominant hand...then you see which side they shot from

[jazz4all 9]

By "stickhandling much better" do you mean you have more control? If so, I'd go with that. You can build up strength relatively easily with repetition, but having more coordination is a huge plus. Especially if that's your dominant hand.

Have you tried shooting with both sticks?

yeah. when im using LHS, as my dominant hand on the bottom, my shot is a lot stronger then when i used my RHS. ohh...im sooo confused. almost all of hockey player here in indonesia uses RHS. i dont know why. but they are right writer. and thats absolutely not using their dominant hand on the top. but they are very good players.

is it easy to train my right hand strength? or hv anyone had the same problem as mine?

[K9 Unit 1]

By "stickhandling much better" do you mean you have more control? If so, I'd go with that. You can build up strength relatively easily with repetition, but having more coordination is a huge plus. Especially if that's your dominant hand.

Have you tried shooting with both sticks?

yeah. when im using LHS, as my dominant hand on the bottom, my shot is a lot stronger then when i used my RHS. ohh...im sooo confused. almost all of hockey player here in indonesia uses RHS. i dont know why. but they are right writer. and thats absolutely not using their dominant hand on the top. but they are very good players.

is it easy to train my right hand strength? or hv anyone had the same problem as mine?

traditionally, the top hand is meant to do the stickhandling but i've noticed the ones that are righty's and shoot right they use that right hand to stick handle too...now i don't know if there's any real difference between the two but that might explain why their still not bad players