Jump to content
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Slate Blackcurrant Watermelon Strawberry Orange Banana Apple Emerald Chocolate Marble
Sign in to follow this  
cause4alarm

the balance point

Recommended Posts

About 25 years ago, someone told me that the point along the shaft where you can balance a stick is also where to place your bottom hand for a slap shot. I tried it out and it was true (at the time).

Just now, I located the balance point on my two-piece stick and found that it was quite lower than where I would put my hand for a slap shot, which I suppose means that this stick is relatively bottom-heavy, i.e., the weight is biased toward the blade.

Then I checked again with an OPS and for that one, the balance point and bottom hand spot were fairly close--the balance point was maybe just a touch lower than where I'd go for a slap shot. 

So what does this mean? Is this balance point thing I heard complete BS?

Wood sticks and composite sticks have completely different weight distributions, right?

55395c_lg.jpeg

I'm just posting this picture of an Easton aluminum for aesthetics.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Composite sticks have different balance points based on the kick points, blade weight, etc. If you're taking clappers your hand is going to be lower in general but you don't want it too low to where your hands are too far apart. Take the Nexus, it's a true mid-kick stick. The kick point is made to flex in the middle, where your hand would be when taking a hard wrister or slapshot. If the balance point is lower than that, it doesn't mean you'd want to move your hand lower because you'd be out of the sweet spot for that kick point.

With the new construction and tech that's behind the new sticks, balance point has less to do with hand placement and more to do with the feel of the stick and puck. If the balance point is too low on a stick, it may feel harder to stick handle because the majority of the weight is closer to the puck. Hope this helps.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, cause4alarm said:

About 25 years ago, someone told me that the point along the shaft where you can balance a stick is also where to place your bottom hand for a slap shot. I tried it out and it was true (at the time).

Just now, I located the balance point on my two-piece stick and found that it was quite lower than where I would put my hand for a slap shot, which I suppose means that this stick is relatively bottom-heavy, i.e., the weight is biased toward the blade.

Then I checked again with an OPS and for that one, the balance point and bottom hand spot were fairly close--the balance point was maybe just a touch lower than where I'd go for a slap shot. 

So what does this mean? Is this balance point thing I heard complete BS?

Wood sticks and composite sticks have completely different weight distributions, right?

55395c_lg.jpeg

I'm just posting this picture of an Easton aluminum for aesthetics.

Sounds more coincidental than by design.  A heavier blade would change the balance point without changing the flex profile, a more tapered hosel would move the flex point down and the balance point in the opposite direction.

As an aside, my dad was a HS baseball coach when I was a kid and always had equipment catalogs.  I remember when the Easton shafts showed up in those, I thought they were so cool.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In addition to the above - hockey isn’t golf in that you have your hands in the exact same position for different shots and have time to approach the ball. Ideally you want to be able to get your shots off from a variety of hand/body positions as the play unfolds dynamically. 
 

TLDR: Whoever fed you the hold at the balance point idea, fed you nonsense. 

Edited by Cavs019
  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...