Breaking Tons of Blades...Bad Form?

[gate_hack 0]

Hey guys,

I posted a little while ago about me breaking a ton of sticks...well it keeps happening. So far I've gone through an ST (1 hour), S13 (2 hours), SE16 (1 hour), and now my latest warranty replacement, an ST after about 2 or 3 hours of use. I haven't used any other sticks in between these, it has just been a 2 month cycle of broken stick -> new stick -> broken stick ... The sticks aren't breaking on the shaft, 3 of the 4 just cracked horizontally across the center of the blade, and the SE16's blade broke in half.

I'm 6'2 195 and I have played competitively throughout my life, so I think I have pretty good form. I started working out a lot a few years ago when i got to college and have gotten a lot stronger, but this stick breaking thing just started this year. I take a lot of slappers, but not really any more this year than in years past. I've read a lot of stuff about this and hear some people talking about bad form and breaking a lot of sticks, but I can't really figure out what's going on.

I put a pic of my latest blade...the crack is easier to see on the back

Thanks

[BureKovy 20]

I would say the likely cause is the blade you are using is too low of a lie

[HockeySavants 5]

How far out is the stick from your hip when you shoot? Sounds like what BureKovy says that you're not using the right lie. The blade should be flat as possible when it touches the ice and if it's off centred you will end up cracking the bottom part of the blade with ease.

[gate_hack 0]

How far out is the stick from your hip when you shoot? Sounds like what BureKovy says that you're not using the right lie. The blade should be flat as possible when it touches the ice and if it's off centred you will end up cracking the bottom part of the blade with ease.

That makes sense... I'm using an Iginla curve. I don't know if you noticed though the crack is not happening on the bottom of the blade, but on the blade face itself. It seems to be most predominant in the exact spot where the puck hits the blade when i shoot.

[Chadd 916]

You're making contact with the puck near the toe of the blade?

[gate_hack 0]

You're making contact with the puck near the toe of the blade?

no it may just be one of the pictures making it look like that...the crack runs pretty evenly throughout the blade, with the main breakage right in the middle-center of the blade

[ktang 34]

Maybe you're compressing the top edge of the puck into the ice? If so, that 90-degree corner would concentrate all of your force into a very small area, so the near-instantaneous pressure would be high enough to break through the blade's outer layer: similar to a ball-peen hammer's being able to dimple metal.

[interpathway 9]

that 90-degree corner would concentrate all of your force into a very small area, so the near-instantaneous pressure would be high enough to break through the blade's outer layer

This.

Was notorious on the Sherwood 5030 blades. Putting a lot of force into the ice (not inherently bad as it is an effective loading technique) like ktang said has your closed curve compressing the frozen puck's top edge into the rock hard ice. Something's gotta give, and it's usually the composite. Especially after repeated use.

[gate_hack 0]

This.

Was notorious on the Sherwood 5030 blades. Putting a lot of force into the ice (not inherently bad as it is an effective loading technique) like ktang said has your closed curve compressing the frozen puck's top edge into the rock hard ice. Something's gotta give, and it's usually the composite. Especially after repeated use.

I see. That makes perfect sense. So does that mean I should just stop hitting down on the puck so much? I also realized I keep my sticks in my car they are probably cold when I go to use them.

[innotastic 12]

i think they're suggesting using an open face curve, so that the angle of the blade to the puck doesn't cause the edge of the puck to dig into the blade but rather contact the sides flat. this does mean you have to adjust to a new curve and a bit different follow through. a pretty extreme fix but it makes sense.

[interpathway 9]

The more you can hit through the puck the better.

Load the stick on the ice behind the puck, and try to sweep through the puck from there on out.

Try it as a two step process. Load the stick, release the stick. Just don't load the stick on top of the puck too much and you should notice some improvement in durability.

[HockeySavants 5]

Don't golf swing your stick and push through the puck when you shoot, so that your arms are out in front of you.

I'd suggest a Kovalev/Spezza curve

[Chadd 916]

I see. That makes perfect sense. So does that mean I should just stop hitting down on the puck so much? I also realized I keep my sticks in my car they are probably cold when I go to use them.

I went to a lighter flex and focused my motion on going forward instead of down. Taking less of a backswing will help as you won't have as much impact on the blade. There are a number of ways to address it, but you want to reduce the impact down into the ice and puck.

[gate_hack 0]

Don't golf swing your stick and push through the puck when you shoot, so that your arms are out in front of you.

I'd suggest a Kovalev/Spezza curve

thanks. funny you say that about golf...played d1 for 2 years and have played my entire life. golf righty and shoot lefty though

[interpathway 9]

thanks. funny you say that about golf...played d1 for 2 years and have played my entire life. golf righty and shoot lefty though

That awkward moment when you realize you could be playing in the NHL if you picked up the other stick. #sportinggoodsstoreproblems

[gate_hack 0]

That awkward moment when you realize you could be playing in the NHL if you picked up the other stick. #sportinggoodsstoreproblems

you got that right..looking back at it now I wish so much that I had chosen to play competitive hockey instead of golf...going to a school with a good D1 hockey team only adds insult to injury.

[cooperalls 4]

I used to crush blades like that too. As Chadd said, consider backing off a little on stick flex, concentrate your swing through the puck, not quite as so much down into the ice. The second best advice I can give you is: get older and weaker, and only play beer league/drop-in...haven't broken a blade in years.

[HockeySavants 5]

thanks. funny you say that about golf...played d1 for 2 years and have played my entire life. golf righty and shoot lefty though

I'm ambidextrous but prefer to shoot right in hockey but golf left (but I putt right).

Sometimes it gets a bit confusing haha.

For some reason my left slap shot is amazing but my right wristers are better.

When I play baseball, my left swing has more left but my right has more accuracy. So it's easy how they connect.

It is funny seeing the look on people's faces when I get back on the ice shooting with a lefty stick when I was using a right the one before.

[Powerfibers 8]

Your dominant eye might play into this.

[ktang 34]

To the OP: maybe you can use your usual technique and curve, but with the puck a couple of inches forward of your usual spot. So, as interpathway says, you would still load the stick and release it, but you wouldn't contact the puck until slightly later, when the blade is less hooded. Your shaft and blade might load a little bit more when it contacts the puck due to the puck's inertia.