Going to lighter flex?

[B-Nads 0]

I've gone to lighter flex sticks this year since I am not doing many slapshots anymore. I thought it would go well, but it isnm't...feels like I don't get a fast response when doing wristers and snapshots. I used to shoot 100 or 105 - went to Reg CCM and TPS. Anyone else have trouble with this transition? Think I'm going back to stiff.

[gxc999 7]

I've gone to lighter flex sticks this year since I am not doing many slapshots anymore. I thought it would go well, but it isnm't...feels like I don't get a fast response when doing wristers and snapshots. I used to shoot 100 or 105 - went to Reg CCM and TPS. Anyone else have trouble with this transition? Think I'm going back to stiff.

It's about changing your shooting technique a little. There are two methods, powering through it and waiting and loading. Higher flex sticks respond better to method 1. It's kind of complex. Ask me or Chadd in pm.

[K9 Unit 1]

try slowing your motion down a little and let the stick do the work

[LivHockey84 0]

to me it has always seemed like wit the lighter flexes you have to almost shoot down to the puck and let the stick just whip like hell and get the most lag as possible.

[gxc999 7]

The above posters are spot on...

[Chadd 916]

With a lighter flex you have to feel the stick load and release, not just whip your hands as fast as you can. Work on the form with very little speed/power and increase until you can feel the stick work.

[gxc999 7]

With a lighter flex you have to feel the stick load and release, not just whip your hands as fast as you can. Work on the form with very little speed/power and increase until you can feel the stick work.

Exactly! Start by going through the motion slowly and with no tension, but just before you release, focus on finishing the release quickly, like you are snapping a whip. It works!

[mack 44]

I say go back to what's comfortable. Shooting's one thing but feeling the whippiness during passing or stickhandling may be mental, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Gorilla 4 lyfe.

[gxc999 7]

I say go back to what's comfortable. Shooting's one thing but feeling the whippiness during passing or stickhandling may be mental, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Gorilla 4 lyfe.

I find that I shoot harder in games with stiffer sticks but in practice with whippier sticks. I just rush too much in game to load right, usually.

[flyweightphantom 1]

I find the same that in games i shoot much better with a stiffer stick but I have to put much more arm strength into it. I hate the feeling though of whippiness when catching passes thats the worst.

[Bucky25 0]

I say go back to what's comfortable. Shooting's one thing but feeling the whippiness during passing or stickhandling may be mental, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Gorilla 4 lyfe.

I find that I shoot harder in games with stiffer sticks but in practice with whippier sticks. I just rush too much in game to load right, usually.

And you may have less time to let it load in a game. That is what I find anyways. Through trial and error I found a 90-95 flex to be good for me. Luckily I'm a gleep and have to add wood plugs to my stick so a 100 flex becomes the 90-95.

[K9 Unit 1]

I find the same that in games i shoot much better with a stiffer stick but I have to put much more arm strength into it. I hate the feeling though of whippiness when catching passes thats the worst.

i love that, makes me feel macho

[B-Nads 0]

LOL - macho, macho ma-han...

I always used 90 or 100 Ballistik or S TPS. I do exactly as Chadd and the guys have said - I power through my shots, and use more arm strength than weight shift to generate power int he shot - I like having a quick relseas. It feels like the stick is working against me with these lighter flexes, and I know it's a technique issue - this is true of every aspect of my game except dressing room beers - my technique there is exemplary - lol.

I try the slow-down on the ice this evening and see how it feels...league was called off this weekend due to a tourney, so I'll have a few days to try it out before heading to the shop and buying a couple 100's.

Thanks for the help, guys.

Brent

[Jarick 5]

I found going to light in flex caused so much lag in my shot that they were getting blocked and stopped too easily. I was letting the stick do too much work and not focusing on the arm snapping (or release, whatever you call it). Going back up in flex required more strength but it also had a quicker release and more power.

[Chadd 916]

I found going to light in flex caused so much lag in my shot that they were getting blocked and stopped too easily. I was letting the stick do too much work and not focusing on the arm snapping (or release, whatever you call it). Going back up in flex required more strength but it also had a quicker release and more power.

Where you shoot from is another major consideration. If you're in tight most of the time, that slight lag can be problematic. The farther out you get, the quickness of the release is less important than the velocity.

[Jarick 5]

Yeah I typically use the stiffer stick with the P92 when I'm getting more looks from closer to the net...quicker release and that curve just seems to accelerate it even more. I get most of my goals from wrist/snap shots from about 20-25 feet out.

[mack 44]

I think I scored from that far out once. I don't get my eggs at the grocery store; I get right up in that chicken's ass and wait.

[gxc999 7]

Yeah, too whippy of a stick is not good. If you're stick is flexing beyond a certain point, you will actually be losing energy.

[tamtamg 12]

Yeah, too whippy of a stick is not good. If you're stick is flexing beyond a certain point, you will actually be losing energy.

I've read the exact opposite. Use the whippiest stick you can w/o breaking it on a regular basis. http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/bio...hich-stick-best

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

Yeah, too whippy of a stick is not good. If you're stick is flexing beyond a certain point, you will actually be losing energy.

no. wrong. diminishing returns, yes. losing, no.

[Chadd 916]

Yeah, too whippy of a stick is not good. If you're stick is flexing beyond a certain point, you will actually be losing energy.

no. wrong. diminishing returns, yes. losing, no.

And there is always an issue of theory versus practice. There are a lot of tradeoffs when using a really whippy stick.

[Law Goalie 147]

The old-school curl-and-drag wrist-shot works wonders with a whippy stick - it also helps to solve the problem of blocked and foiled shots, since you're shifting the puck and stick in two dimensions as you shoot, and you can time your release to hit the holes in the defender. Change the shooting triangle!

[thejackal 46]

I find a whippy stick is a lot better on half-chances where u dont have time to set up or to put a little extra mustard on tough one-timers.

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

Yeah, too whippy of a stick is not good. If you're stick is flexing beyond a certain point, you will actually be losing energy.

no. wrong. diminishing returns, yes. losing, no.

And there is always an issue of theory versus practice. There are a lot of tradeoffs when using a really whippy stick.

laws of the universe, theory on message boards. i can see how this can go either way.

[tareatingrat 4]

I wish I had a whippy stick to test when I had access to a radar gun. The best I could manage was with an old Easton Stealth (100 flex Sakic). My 102 flex ONE95 was lower by about 4-5mph no matter what I did.

I'm 6' 1" and about 230 lbs, and I just feel like I can shoot harder (wristers, anyway) with my 87 flex X:60 shaft/blade combo. Tried a 77 flex one time and didn't find it too bad, until I switched back, and realized I couldn't get as much on the puck with the really whippy flex.

Really, the radar would be about the only way I could think of to test your shot that wasn't just subjective.