practicing with stiffer stick

[mtc 0]

is it smart to sometimes practice with a stiffer stick to make your shots stronger?

[RussianDangler15 0]

I dont really see how that would help make your shots stronger. The way I see it you'll still be putting the same amount of energy but you'll just be getting less flex. IMO Just train with what you use in games.

[Chadd 916]

Practice with the same make/model/flex you use then you play. That's the only way to get a feel for how the stick loads and releases. Practicing with a stiffer flex will develop a lot of bad habits and result in broken sticks. If you want to get stronger, spend 20-30 minutes a day working on your wrist and forearm strength.

[mfd1068 0]

I dont really see how that would help make your shots stronger. The way I see it you'll still be putting the same amount of energy but you'll just be getting less flex. IMO Just train with what you use in games.

I would agree with the above post. I tape 4 pucks to a stick and practice wrist and snapshot with it for 50-100 reps. It really helps develop wrist and forearms. There are many exercises that will assist you in developing your shot with more power.

[fatwabbit 93]

I actually use the same flex and model, but when stick handling I tape some coins to the end of the shaft just above the blade. Added weight works out the muscles, and when you use the stick without the weight later on everything seems really light and easy.

[JTully317 11]

Also try using a wrist roller (old shaft with rope and weight attached). It will build your forearms up like crazy.

[s_franchise 5]

Also try using a wrist roller (old shaft with rope and weight attached). It will build your forearms up like crazy.

thats what i use its helped my shots a lot, while maintaining the same flex. ive thought about increasing just dont want to buy an expensive stick to try it.

[S'land9.16.7 6]

I cut my sticks down when I use them in driveway, so that they come up to relatively the same spot on my chest as if I would have skates on. The difference is only about maybe two inches max but it does make them a little stiffer. I feel it'll take less energy to get shots off on the ice if I do this but who knows.

[SolarWind 23]

I cut my sticks down when I use them in driveway, so that they come up to relatively the same spot on my chest as if I would have skates on.

I was seriously thinking about giving it a try otherwise I'm not getting a heck of a lot of carry over from off-ice to on-ice in terms of shooting accuracy :(

even started a thread about it a while back but nothing really insightful came up.

just don't have that many sticks to experiment with since they're all high end

[GSH13 0]

I was seriously thinking about giving it a try otherwise I'm not getting a heck of a lot of carry over from off-ice to on-ice in terms of shooting accuracy :(

even started a thread about it a while back but nothing really insightful came up.

just don't have that many sticks to experiment with since they're all high end

It may just be a personal thing on my part, but I like to keep strengthening exercises separate from skill stuff. Wrist curls, wrist rollers, etc in the gym and "skill" stuff with some normal old sticks.

I used to be very particular about my off ice sticks and always wanted them to be proportionate to my on ice sticks and have the same curve and flex. Within the past few years I've switched to varying the sticks I use for off ice. Mix of curves, heights, etc. Even with the green biscuit I feel like the carry over from off-ice to ice can be mysterious and consistently using the same stick during off ice makes it worse. It seems like a backwards way of approaching it, but for me, varying what stick I use during off-ice builds up a more "generic" muscle memory compared to getting used to the same off-ice stick. No matter how similar the stick is to what you use on the ice it's never quite the same.

[thorbs 2]

I'm pretty sure doing anything with a heavier than normal puck wouldn't benefit you greatly. If you look at any other sport, like baseball, football, soccer, etc., they don't train with heavier than normal implements, they train hard in the gym and play their chosen sport as much as possible.

[Chadd 916]

I was seriously thinking about giving it a try otherwise I'm not getting a heck of a lot of carry over from off-ice to on-ice in terms of shooting accuracy :(

even started a thread about it a while back but nothing really insightful came up.

just don't have that many sticks to experiment with since they're all high end

Are you practicing in inline skates when you are doing off ice stuff? There is a huge difference in energy transfer when wearing shoes as opposed to skates.

[SolarWind 23]

Are you practicing in inline skates when you are doing off ice stuff? There is a huge difference in energy transfer when wearing shoes as opposed to skates.

just shoes - shooting in my finished basement (carpet flooring), so in order to use inlines I'd have to think of an appropriate surface to shoot off...

agree on the weight transfer, but I "thought" (might want to videotape myself to confirm this) that my form is fairly close both off & on ice, so the hope there was that the skill would be directly transferable. But unfortunately it doesn't appear to be the case :(

[Chadd 916]

just shoes - shooting in my finished basement (carpet flooring), so in order to use inlines I'd have to think of an appropriate surface to shoot off...

agree on the weight transfer, but I "thought" (might want to videotape myself to confirm this) that my form is fairly close both off & on ice, so the hope there was that the skill would be directly transferable. But unfortunately it doesn't appear to be the case :(

Sounds like there's extra resistance from the floor as well. That also makes it easier to load the stick.

[dayroc 0]

- Use same stick (or at least the same flex)

- Need to make the stick the same height on shoes as the same as on ice (what i do is use my ice sticks but i grip it 1-2 inchs lower - so for the summer i re-tape it the same as i would for ICE but just 1-2 inches lower).

- Shoot at min. 200/pucks a day. Try to do a lot more

Remember shooting isn't just about the physical act of shooting. It's also training your muscle memory and confidence so you can instinctively get a quick shot out.