Goalie stick selection

[ktang 34]

OK, new goalie getting equipment here. I used to rent or borrow equipment when needed to fill in. I just got some 2nd-hand equipment, and I'm filling in the rest.

How do you figure out what paddle length and lie to get for the stick?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Unfortunately it's all based on your stance and style. With that in mind if recommend you start with 26" and adjust from there.

The Twigz foam core sticks from goalie monkey are an inexpensive way to try various options before you find what you like and start paying more.

[bunnyman666 445]

Opti is correct- start with 26 and go up or down from there. But which is a true 26"? Monkey has a pretty good guide on what the "real" paddle measurement is.

Buy Twigz or whatever is on sale.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Yea the paddle length is a bit of a crapshoot. Even two of the exact same model Twigz Timber (all-wood) sticks at 26" were different. Had better luck with foam core sticks at least being consistent WITHIN the brand.

As far as comparing BETWEEN brands, GoalieMonkey (and most other retailers) will have a conversion chart like this:

Most retailers seem to use the same measurement as the "monkey measurement" as well. Why the manufacturers don't use that standard as well is baffling to me.

[ktang 34]

Thanks for all the replies and information. I will try to get a 26" goal stick later. For now I am using an old Vic that my son and his friends have been using for street hockey:

- the paddle has been cracked, reglued, and taped;

- the shaft is starting to crack;

- there is a nice tape donut at the end; and

- the blade bottom's fibreglass has been worn off and the blade is delaminating at the bottom.

It works!

I looked around here, and there are only 26" and 27" available.

[bunnyman666 445]

Bloody fuggin' hell, Kev!!!!

I wish you were in the continental US, I'd bloody well send you one of my Reeboks. Calgary is nowhere near a border; otherwise I would send it to a border friend...

A little household epoxy mixed with graphite powder would give you some extended life; even glass baloons mixed with epoxy would help. Wrapping with fibreglass tape would help, as well.

[Law Goalie 147]

Morning Kev--

Good moment for me to haul myself out from under my rock...

I posted a fairly thorough (read: needlesly long) How-To Guide on this a while back: How do I select the right size of goalie stick? (paddle height)

The thumbnail version is that you should size the paddle to your butterfly, not to your stance-- that is, unless you plan on making stick-saves on your feet. The paddle should be short enough that you can hold your blocker in a comfortable position in an 'active' butterfly (hands up and in front of you, as in the stance, rather than clamped to your sides as in the passive/blocking BF) while keeping the stick-blade A) centred and B) tilted back somewhere between a 3-iron and a 7-iron, though a 9-iron is still within the OK range; if your stick is tilting into wedge territory in this sort of BF, your paddle is too long. Conversely, if holding your stick-blade at a reasonable angle (and centred) pushes your blocker hand uncomfortably high (typically, you'll feel it in your lateral deltoid), that's an equally good sign that your paddle is too long.

Ignore the numbers and measurements: they only become relevant when you A) have an ideally-sized reference stick, and B) need to buy something quickly or online.

Why all the emphasis on 'too long'? First, because as you're discovering, it's really hard to find smaller paddles at retail. (The above guide has, for reference, some sizing for pro-issue sticks: e.g. Price uses a 25" paddle.) I have no idea why that is the case, but it is. Second, because, in my experience, the problems of a too-long paddle are far, far more significant than of a too-short paddle. To compensate for a very short paddle, the goalie has to do a number of things which are, in themselves, largely beneficial: holding the blocker hand further in front of the body, getting into a deeper shot-ready stance before the release, etc. Of course, a ludicrously short, Tyke-sized paddle will trip you up, but I've used 23" paddles borrowed from the 'goalie room' at my local rink for coaching, and it hasn't effected my demonstrations in the slightest; every fraction of an inch above 25" compromises my hand-position significantly.

Hope that helps!

[walkerdb7 20]

Any electing to use a 1 piece stick instead of a foam core?

If so, how do you like it?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

You mean a composite? I started with that but hated the pingy feel when the puck hit it. Then I tried wood. Liked the feel, hated the weight. Foam core we the sweet spot.

[zeke-j 0]

Speaking of sticks......I have used a stick with the infamous CURTIS CURVE for the past three years and love the design....BUT my arsenal is coming to an end.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE with this Curtis curve design to them???

Any brand would do!

I have even considered trying to warp the handle but am fearful of attempting that.

I play the 'paddle down' style of goal, and it has saved my bacon countless times.

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY REPLIES...!!

[IPv6Freely 2092]

eBay if you're lucky. Nobody makes them anymore. 

[bunnyman666 445]

There was a company that was supposed to operate in the old Christian hockey factory, but it seems that has not materialised. Yes, I want a Curtis Curve, too ☹️

 

It is not merely warping the shaft, each layer of the shaft is cut in that curve, then laminated. Wood sticks are basically plywood construction. You could ruin 1,000 sticks trying to reverse-engineer that Curtis Curve. 

 

* correction- the turned-up shaft IS warped, but it is each layer. And that takes a FAIR bit of tooling to do consistently.

[ktang 34]

The old Vic is about to fall apart for good, so I got a CCM 760. It looks like an all-wood stick. I got the 27" paddle version; I think that I can saw the paddle down if 27" is too much.

 

I just need to figure out how short to cut it. Chin height? Top of sternum?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Generally you don't cut goalie sticks. Because they're sold by height, the shaft should already be at the ideal length for proper balance.

 

That said, it seems guys are cutting 2-3" off for better puck handling these days. I think it was Price doing it that started guys trying it. I've been meaning to give it a go. Once I'm back on skates I may give it a shot.

[bunnyman666 445]

Some goalie sticks have too long of shafts, like a few older Warrior models, but in general- the shaft length is optimised for the paddle length. I tinker with my paddles a fair bit, so my sticks are a bit tall. I cut about 2" off of my spare stick and I still haven't tried it out on ice. My puck play sucks in general, and I don't know if cutting it down would do anything for me.

 

Something else to consider- how tall are you, @ktang? I am 5'8.5" and a 25" paddle fits well (with noodling). If you are around my height, you may be shaving the paddle, anyway. If you shave the paddle, you may be needing to cut it down for balance. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Shave the paddle? What does that mean?

[psulion22 402]

I'm a Bauer composite user and don't think I could use anything else.  The weight difference alone is a big benefit.  But the Bauer composites have an asymmetrical shaped paddle.  The front face is flat and the paddle has a little twist at the shaft.  I find it helps with hand placement and stability.

 

As far as paddle length, I'm strange but it is all preference after all. I'm 5'9", but was much more comfortable going from a 25" to a 26" paddle.  (or 26.5 to 27.5 in Bauer).  Going to a longer paddle was recommended to me by a coach at a camp because I tended to get tripped by, or even sometimes land on, the stick with a shorter paddle.  Low shots sometimes would also get through or under my stick.  I went out that afternoon and bought a longer stick for the next session and those things stopped happening in the same drills.  I also haven't found any corresponding loss of closure up in the elbow/armpit area or feeling that my arm is too high.  In fact, it's much more comfortable and natural.

 

Now is the time of year that the new gear comes out and the old gear goes on sale.  If you find Bauer sticks that end in .5", you need to take 1.5" off the length to make it comparable to other brands.  So if you find a 27.5" Bauer, it's really a 26" and a good starting point.

[bunnyman666 445]

5 hours ago, OptimusReim said:

Shave the paddle? What does that mean?

 

I shave parts of it down, reshape, and tailor it to my needs. But if the paddle is too tall, I shave or cut it down to fit (i.e. a 27" paddle and I want a 25", as the 27" paddle wood stick was $50 off and there were no 25"-ers left). It can be done on either foam or wood core sticks. Quite a few pros shave paddles or reshape them. 

[ktang 34]

I got an all-wood goalie stick just so that I could shape, shave, and cut the paddle to see what would work for my body proportions etc. I am 5'8" and getting old and stiff, so we'll see if longer or shorter will work.

 

The stick's balance point is almost on the grip point, but if I cut it I think I can re-balance it with lead weights under the tape at the end.

 

Maybe once I figure out what paddle length works for me I will try a composite stick next year when things are on sale again.

[SirJW 207]

On 6/2/2016 at 8:28 AM, OptimusReim said:

Shave the paddle? What does that mean?

 

The goalie on my team has always done this, I think he likes it a half 1/2" shorter on one side for grip or something similar. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Gotcha. Was a bit confused. In my head I was like... if you didn't like the paddle length why not just buy a different size? Makes sense if you want to tweak, or do like @SirJW said and try different grips.

 

I cut a trigger into one of my old wood sticks. I THINK I liked it, but being a heavy as hell wood stick i couldn't be 100% sure. I need to do it to one of my foam cores. 

 

 

[bunnyman666 445]

On June 6, 2016 at 11:35 PM, SirJW said:

 

The goalie on my team has always done this, I think he likes it a half 1/2" shorter on one side for grip or something similar. 

 

Some shave off 1/2" (or more) to get the paddle flat on the ice for paddle-down play, though the grip can be enhanced, especially in paddle-down play. 

 

I had no idea all of the things that goalies do (or have done in the case of a composite stick) until I started playing goal. The trigger also helps with paddle-down. I do my own version of the Hasek, King Henry has quite an interesting paddle design (square on top), and Ryan Miller ALWAYS takes an angle grinder and/or belt sander to the top of his paddle. It all is personal preference. 

 

I have to say, myself, that if the Curtis Curve still existed, I would probably not monkey with my sticks as much; shaving a paddle is certainly cheaper than new tooling for a Curtis Curve.