Size and flex of hockey stick
- We’ll go over the different categories and which one is best for you.
- Remember high flex numbers means a stiff stick, low flex numbers means a soft stick.
How to check you have the correct or right length or height hockey stick?
- Without skates on holding the stick up against you with the toe of the stick on the ground, the stick should come up to you around your chin and nose, with skates on it should come between top of your shoulders and your chin.
What happens if I shorten my hockey stick by cutting it?
- Cutting your stick will increase the flex rating on it, a general rule is for every 2 inches you cut off, you increase the flex by around 7 (the more you cut off, the stiffer the stick will become)
What is flex on a hockey stick?
- Flex is how much the stick is going to bend when pressure is applied to it or how stiff the shaft is, most of your power when shooting comes from the flex of the hockey stick.
What flex hockey stick should I use?
Youth sticks
Ages from 7 years old and up, around 4’ 0” height, and roughly 60lbs and there stick length will range from 44” – 47”
Flex rating is around 30-45
This flex helps younger players to develop their skills and small or thin shafts to allow for a good grip
Junior
Ages from 6-12 years old, around 3’ 9” – 5’ 0” height, and roughly 50 – 110lbs and there stick length will range from 50” – 54”
Flex rating is around 50-60
Intermediate
Ages from 11-16 years old, around 4’ 6” – 5’ 3” height, and roughly 110 – 170lbs and there stick length will range from 56” – 57”
Flex rating is around 60-75
Seniors
Ages from 13 year old and above, around 5’6” height, and roughly 110lbs and the stick length will range from 56” – 64”
Flex rating with senior sticks is much more in depth and offers more variation
Mid flex 70-85
Regular flex 85-100
Stiff flex 100-110 (big heavy strong players as these sticks need a lot of power and energy to take advantage of the sticks benefits)
How to measure or check the length or height of your hockey stick
- Measure your stick from the heel of the blade, to the end of the shaft or stick.
- Size of the sticks shaft is also important to talk about, as with some of the smaller or shorter sticks intended for younger smaller players will have thinner shafts, this allows the smaller players to get a good grip (allowing them to wrap their hands around it) on the stick which gives them a better chance to develop their skill and improve their stickhanlding and control. These sticks will also have a much softer flex (shorter blade length).
What length should my stick be?
- There is not necessarily a right or wrong answer for these questions, there is a rule of thumb as we covered above, but the length of a hockey stick is determined by the player’s personal style and preference of playing i.e. long and larger sticks will be good for powerful slap shots (due to flex) mostly used by defence players. Shorter sticks will be better wing positioned players, as shorter sticks are great for stickhandling and agility.
