Confused on curves.....

[noupf 42]

Ive gotten myself all confused about what curves are good for certain types of players. Can I get some opinions on what each curve is good for? I play foward, have a strong wrister and a big slap shop, but i'm not a fancy stick handler. Currently using the hall / Sakic curve, but I find my shots sailing over the net with my wristers. Slappers and one timers are ok, but I feel like I could do better. The wristers sometime flutter a bit too as I try to rip them from far out. I'm usually shooting on the rush or very high slot 15-20+ feet out so my quicker guys can go for the rebounds and loose pucks.

So what i see available in eastons charts are the......

Hall / Sakic

Iginla ( not a fan of the short and low height of the blade )

Zetterberg

Getzlaf

There are other curves, but nobody seems to stock them......

Thanks guys !

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

You are missing the following curves:

P2 - Cammalleri {S19 and ST only} (Shanahan)

P6 - Parise (Drury)

P8 - Roy / Gaborik (SE6 only)

P9 - Heatley

P33 - Chara.

Based on your issue, I would go with the P4 Zetterberg curve (formerly the Modano/Forsberg). This is the straightest curve Easton offers (or at least what I have used ha). It will definitely help to keep your shots down. You can also change you stick flex if a curve change doesn't solve your problem. Hope this helps.

[sickwilly 37]

So much of this is personal preference. You could always work on your form/trying to shoot lower with the Sakic (Try to follow through a little lower and make sure you're rolling your wrists over as you shoot). When I converted to the Sakic, it helped me to actually shorten my follow through and to envision myself getting the puck to leave the stick a little further back than with other patterns that are less open.

That being said, if you're looking to change patterns, you may want to try something with a nice curve that's a little more closed. If you're open to other brands, the RBK p38/Datsyuk might be a good one to try. I also like the p88/Kane/Lindros, but find the blade a little short. If you can find any, the TPS Afinogenov is a wicked curve that's pretty closed as well.

[Quasitd 1]

I used to have this problem as well, I moved to the Zetterberg curve myself, then every few months I would try a slightly more open curve. I ended up setting on a Vanek from warrior(no more siiigh) - after the practice though I recently found myself moving between a Datsyuk and a Parise depending on how I feel like playing any given night..

I think Sickwilly's advice might be the best thing if you aren't happy with your options. Otherwise The Zetterberg what I would call a base curve, which isn't to be disparaging on it. It is a great curve! It has nothing as a strength or weakness in my mind other than it just doesn't have any particular strength! From my own from my own experience I can say that. Once you get used to it and try other curves, you can start to see the plus and minus of each and maybe makes it easier to find a curve for your own playstyle.

[noupf 42]

Thanks guys.............You guys nailed it on the head. I was thiking Zetterberg the whole time. I like the open toe on the Hall, but I'm rarely down close where I need to roof it and the open toe seems to hurt my long wristers. So, thats why i was leaning towards theh Zetterberg.

A buddy of mine picked up a bauer one80 and has the stamkos curve. Its looks almost like the Zetterberg but has just an ever so slightly more open toe than the zetterberg.......at least it appeared to in my eyes. So I was thinking about trying that one too. Either way, both curves were much more straigh and less open than the Hall...............

[Andoy 5]

Noupf: For open faced curves you must focus on rolling your wrists to keep your wristers down. Otherwise, they will keep sailing over the net.

Otherwise The Zetterberg what I would call a base curve, which isn't to be disparaging on it. It is a great curve! It has nothing as a strength or weakness in my mind other than it just doesn't have any particular strength!

I think its strength is its versatility!

[Chadd 916]

Thanks guys.............You guys nailed it on the head. I was thiking Zetterberg the whole time. I like the open toe on the Hall, but I'm rarely down close where I need to roof it and the open toe seems to hurt my long wristers. So, thats why i was leaning towards theh Zetterberg.

A buddy of mine picked up a bauer one80 and has the stamkos curve. Its looks almost like the Zetterberg but has just an ever so slightly more open toe than the zetterberg.......at least it appeared to in my eyes. So I was thinking about trying that one too. Either way, both curves were much more straigh and less open than the Hall...............

With a little practice you can roof from the top of the crease with the Zetterberg too.

[Vet88 674]

1+ for the zetterberg curve. I coach a 16 year old who uses this curve and be it 2 feet or 20 feet in front of the net, he will stick it in the top corner every time. You may also want to check out the Bauer PM9 curve or Warrior Savard or Rbk Modano. I've used them all and they are very similar to the Zetterberg.

[Scopes 4]

From my experience, using an open style curve (Dury/Staal etc.) you can let the stick do the work for you, the puck will go up. With a closed blade like the Zetterberg, you'll find right off the bat that you actually have to work to get the puck up higher (more snapping/scooping depending on where you're shooting from). I have heard closed curves like the Zetterberg help with backhanding, but I have not had any issues giving backhand sauce passes or roofing it on the backhand with a Drury. It's all about learning to play with your current pattern.

If your shots are going high really focus on rolling your wrists on the release, finish with the face of the blade pointing downwards at the ice and hopefully you'll see some improvements on the height of your shot.

Good luck!

[Chadd 916]

Keeping your follow through low is the most important thing when shooting low, it will also help prevent opening the face of your blade too much. You simply can't leave the face wide open and follow through low.

[nisselrm 22]

A few things to consider:

1. You need to determine where on your blade you release the puck within your shooting motion. By doing this you can determine what types of curves to consider.

2. Reflect on your technique. Give yourself some time with your current pattern and if you're still unhappy consider what improvements you would like to achieve and adjust from that standpoint (depth, loft etc) best of luck in your search

A few things to consider:

1. You need to determine where on your blade you release the puck within your shooting motion. By doing this you can determine what types of curves to consider.

2. Reflect on your technique. Give yourself some time with your current pattern and if you're still unhappy consider what improvements you would like to achieve and adjust from that standpoint (depth, loft etc) best of luck in your search

[gxc999 7]

Noupf: For open faced curves you must focus on rolling your wrists to keep your wristers down. Otherwise, they will keep sailing over the net.

I think its strength is its versatility!

Yup.

Keeping your follow through low is the most important thing when shooting low, it will also help prevent opening the face of your blade too much. You simply can't leave the face wide open and follow through low.

Indeed. It just takes practice and what helped me the most was simply reminding myself to keep it down. The only place I really found a pm9 type curve to give me an inherent advantage was on a backhand pass. That's like because I simply don't practice them much.

[sharks25 9]

I would go to the heatley if I were you. Going from a somewhat deep curve with the Sakic to the pm9 could be a big adjustment. The heatley is pretty closed but has a similar depth and curve to the sakic. It's pretty versatile like the pm9, but it does have a smaller sweet spot.