If you start to shorten your stick when should you change flex.

[Beflar 55]

Forward. 5'11' 215 pounds in socks

Have a 87 flex stick.  Great snap shot.  Needed to improve stick handling.  So I shorten stick.  Improved stick handling but my snap shot took a hit unless a really muscle it.

Can I get the best of both worlds if a drop stick flex.  I have tried 77 flex before and it felt really whippy but if I shorten it...  I usually buy Bauer Nexus in the $318 or $250 range so it would be a costly experiment.

Has anyone else tried this?  Thoughts.

 

[SirJW 207]

Experiment with a cheaper stick. 

Edited November 8, 2019 by SirJW

[puckpilot 312]

There aren't any guarantees that it will feel exactly the same, but theoretically, yes. How much you need to drop depends on how much you cut off the stick. When you shorten the stick you lose leverage to flex it. So if you drop down in flex, it will make it easier to flex the stick with the given leverage you have with the current length.

 

If you want to get down to the math of it. I did some research a while back and made a post about it. 

 

 

[z1ggy 81]

Did you use the same exact stick in 87 and 77 flex? I don't find massive differences between the two flexes if I go to the store and flex on some different ones in the same stick. I've found for sure though some brands have much stiffer profiles than others. The new Sherwood sticks play at least 10-15 flex higher than rated, compared to CCM & Bauer. I find flex profile matters a lot too - My old 85 flex RBZ felt way more stout during shots than my 85 flex DT4 and my QRL.

 

There's no reason you need to go spend $300 to do an experiment. I've used 85 flex for a really long time but recently moved down to 77 and I'm never going back to 85. My shots are actually more powerful now than before and I haven't noticed any reduction in "quickness" of the release. I'm sure it's slower, but... we're talking tenths of a second I'm sure. Makes 0 difference to a guy like me playing weekend pick up and beer league.

[caveman27 208]

I usually cut off about 6 to 7 inches since I'm 5'6". I have to muscle most everything to avoid a flub: passes, wrist shots, snap shots, slap shots.

[psulion22 402]

Depending on how much you cut, your hand positioning may be causing as much of the issue as the flex.  If you cut the top, and keep your hands the same distance apart, your bottom hand isn't in the same place anymore.  The fulcrum has changed and you're not getting the same leverage on the stick.  At 215 lbs, you should be able to use an 87 flex stick.

For example, I recently cut my sticks by about 1/2" but I left my bottom in the same place it was, moving my hands closer together (I marked it with tape just to see).  My shot is much harder now because I'm getting more flex and lever action.  I can actually feel it.

Edited November 8, 2019 by psulion22

[start_today 781]

12 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

 At 215 lbs, you should be able to use an 87 flex stick.

Then so should Kessel and Ovechkin.

Different people and different playing styles use euipment to suite their needs. We are pretty far away from X weight =Y flex, or if you use a lighter flex you need to go to the gym.  

[psulion22 402]

32 minutes ago, start_today said:

Then so should Kessel and Ovechkin.

Different people and different playing styles use euipment to suite their needs. We are pretty far away from X weight =Y flex, or if you use a lighter flex you need to go to the gym.  

Yes, true.  I now use a 70 flex because it's offered as a Sr option.  My comment was more in relation to the fact that he had been using an 87 flex successfully before cutting.  So if it worked well before, changing the flex by a few points shouldn't be a problem at his weight, particularly with how how performance has completely changed.  That's why I'm suggesting mechanics and leverage may be more in play than flex.

[VegasHockey 1284]

15 hours ago, start_today said:

Then so should Kessel and Ovechkin.

Different people and different playing styles use euipment to suite their needs. We are pretty far away from X weight =Y flex, or if you use a lighter flex you need to go to the gym.  

I am 190lbs and I always used an 85 flex stick until I recently dropped to 75 flex and then a 70 flex.I have found that at 70 flex the stick does almost all of the work for me when it comes to loading it for shooting and there is very little things I feel I must compromise with. Puck battles and faceoffs are a little bit tougher with a softer stick as is catching extremely hard passes. At first i also felt teh stick was less responsive but after I adjusted to a stiffer blade with the lower flex it felt great. 

[the_game 452]

Grab a cheap pro stock stick with a lower flex.

[colins 246]

 

A $20 extension puts you back to a longer length if you cut too much, so I wouldn't worry about it being too expensive an experiment.

You give up shooting leverage and some mechanics when going significantly shorter, adjusting flex can get you part way back but it's still something you have to spend a good bit of time on to re-learn and adapt to. Crosby can't shoot like Laine but he manages to do pretty well for himself all the same right.

It's more a case of what style do you want to play and what's the best tradeoff for handling and puck protection and passing vs. shooting to compliment your playing style.

 

colins

 

[Beflar 55]

On ‎11‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:44 AM, the_game said:

Grab a cheap pro stock stick with a lower flex.

So this is what I ended up doing.  I managed to get a 2019 TRUE AC9 ACF prostock for $179, 75 flex Marner curve (Sakic).  I was looking at getting a Bauer 2n for $224, so to get a real one-piece that normally goes $300+ for $179 made me happy.

Tried it out today and could not be happier.  It does feel a little different being a shorter stick but the shots are booming again.  Not sure how much this has to do with the stick being new and having that new stick pop but...

One thing I was not expecting was my wrist shot(which I never use...) was a lot better with the lower flex.

So long story short.  I shortened my stick about the distance from my mouth to my chin and lowered the stick flex to compensate and couldn't be happier.

Thank you all for the excellent replies. 

 

 

 

 

 

[the_game 452]

Improved stick skills aside, just curious if you actually saw any improvement in your skating?

That was the biggest improvement I saw, shortening my stick pulled my body down so to speak. Knees were bent more, ass & hips pulled down, center of gravity lowered, overall hockey 'posture' improved.

[caveman27 208]

On 11/8/2019 at 1:31 PM, psulion22 said:

Yes, true.  I now use a 70 flex because it's offered as a Sr option.  My comment was more in relation to the fact that he had been using an 87 flex successfully before cutting.  So if it worked well before, changing the flex by a few points shouldn't be a problem at his weight, particularly with how how performance has completely changed.  That's why I'm suggesting mechanics and leverage may be more in play than flex.

I wish I knew more about flex. I bought a Reebok Sickick shaft with 110 flex a couple of years ago because it was "on clearance" and I thought to myself, "What a deal!". I cut off 7 inches from the top and put on a carbon fiber replacement blade. It's the complete opposite of whippy. 😹

[Beflar 55]

9 hours ago, the_game said:

Improved stick skills aside, just curious if you actually saw any improvement in your skating?

That was the biggest improvement I saw, shortening my stick pulled my body down so to speak. Knees were bent more, ass & hips pulled down, center of gravity lowered, overall hockey 'posture' improved.

Funny you should ask.  Long story short, yes.  Now I'm convinced that a good knee bend is the most important thing in skating.  I hear some players in the NHL don't even know what their skate profile is, probably because their legs are so strong it does not matter.  

Good knee bend is hard on the thighs thou...  It is killings me but I'm getting stronger by the week.

[puckpilot 312]

19 hours ago, Beflar said:

Funny you should ask.  Long story short, yes.  Now I'm convinced that a good knee bend is the most important thing in skating.  I hear some players in the NHL don't even know what their skate profile is, probably because their legs are so strong it does not matter.  

Good knee bend is hard on the thighs thou...  It is killings me but I'm getting stronger by the week.

I totally agree about the knee bend. You get that down and everything gets a little easier. Better knee bend gets you better balance. And better balance makes you more stable for things like crossovers. The more stable you are the more power you can generate in your shot. And it goes on. 

[colins 246]

 

The knees bend accordingly to maintain balance, but what you guys are describing is a hip hinge. The key to skating is in the hip hinge, as opposed to the knee bend. As described by the_game when he says 'ass and hips pulled down'. 

Beflar - you should lookup some hip hinge exercises and practice those and see how that translates on ice and helps your posture without putting all the load on your quads. Then come back and let us know!

 

 

[Beflar 55]

3 hours ago, colins said:

 

The knees bend accordingly to maintain balance, but what you guys are describing is a hip hinge. The key to skating is in the hip hinge, as opposed to the knee bend. As described by the_game when he says 'ass and hips pulled down'. 

Beflar - you should lookup some hip hinge exercises and practice those and see how that translates on ice and helps your posture without putting all the load on your quads. Then come back and let us know!

 

 

Googling it now.  Thanks.