Tapered shafts that flex like a "true" taper

[OldNSlow 3]

Found this, which answers some of my questions and indicates that I had wrong assumptions.

"Further, the kickpoint actually comes from the shaft/stick. Tapered blades have nothing to do with a low kickpoint except that they are used in shafts that are engineered to have a low kickpoint."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...12203710AAL0S7q

If this is correct, it means that a tapered shaft with a mid-kick point doesn't release a shot quicker than a standard shaft with the same kick-point.

[Chadd 916]

Found this, which answers some of my questions and indicates that I had wrong assumptions.

"Further, the kickpoint actually comes from the shaft/stick. Tapered blades have nothing to do with a low kickpoint except that they are used in shafts that are engineered to have a low kickpoint."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...12203710AAL0S7q

If this is correct, it means that a tapered shaft with a mid-kick point doesn't release a shot quicker than a standard shaft with the same kick-point.

It is correct that the blade has nothing to do with the kickpoint. It is not correct that a mid kick standard shaft and mid kick tapered shaft will have the same release. Despite having similar kick points, the tapered shaft will load more easily and allow for more power with the same amount of effort. Obviously, as you come closer to maximum effort the difference is reduced and/or eliminated.

[OldNSlow 3]

Despite having similar kick points, the tapered shaft will load more easily and allow for more power with the same amount of effort.

Can you please explain this to me? If the shaft flexes in the same spot (and the shafts have the same flex rating), I don't see how the tapered loads any different.

[TBLfan 25]

The short hosel of the tapered blade will affect the kickpoint. The hosel on blades are extremely stiff.

I generally go up in flex for a standard or high kickpoint shaft.

[Chadd 916]

Can you please explain this to me? If the shaft flexes in the same spot (and the shafts have the same flex rating), I don't see how the tapered loads any different.

A tapered shaft that has not been stiffened will load more quickly at the bottom. Tapered shafts that have been stiffened through the tapered area in order to lower the kickpoint actually seem to perform more like a standard shaft in my experience.

The short hosel of the tapered blade will affect the kickpoint. The hosel on blades are extremely stiff.

I actually liked the long wood hosels on the t-flex blades. It added a little more whip.

[HattrickSwayze 3]

I actually liked the long wood hosels on the t-flex blades. It added a little more whip.

One of the best shooting combinations I've used so far was my 75 flex Dolomite shaft with a long hosel tapered blade. It loaded up so much better than with the short hosel blades, because it moved the kickpoint a little higher up. That thing shot lasers.

[Jarick 5]

Another nice thing is that short hosel blades lower the weight of the blade end of the shaft and can improve balance.

That 1-on-1 with the defenseman quick snapper the goalie can't react to is EXACTLY how I scored this goal last Friday. That was with a long hosel tapered blade (Harrow 300) in a tapered shaft (TPS Response R2, not sure the kickpoint).

Just swapped the blade for a short taper TPS blade, so we'll see how that affects the shooting/kick/etc. That's a pretty interesting theory.

I do remember I had a shorter shaft with a longer wood plug that I was convinced had a better flex/load to it because of the wood end plug, but who knows.