STICK LENGH

TOPIC
Stick Length

“How long should my son/daughter’s stick be”? This is a question I get asked quite a bit and something I tend to bring up a lot due to seeing many players not using the proper stick length.

The short answer is … the stick should be cut at the nose when the player is off their skates. There are multiple reasons for this but to get started, I have added some photos below that highlight a major reason for how the stick length affects the player’s ability to handle the puck.

As you can see in the photos above, the only stick blade that was fully on the ice was the one cut at the nose. This allows the player to fully cup the puck with their blade allowing them to pass, shoot, and stickhandle with far more ease than the other two options.

Now, as a player continues to develop and reaches a point where they have mastered the basic puck-handling mechanics, they can play around with their stick length and see what height they like the most. But for a player that is just starting in hockey and is in their early developmental years, I highly recommend they start with the stick cut at the nose when they are not on their skates so they can really engrain the proper mechanics and habits.

It has been known that players who use a longer stick will prefer that because of the reach it allows them to have and their ability to get more out of their shot. However, they will then notice that their puck-handling ability may slightly suffer.

Players who use a shorter stick tend to have better puck-control and stickhandling ability but will notice that their shot may suffer.

With all this being said, the technology, materials used, and flex options available with off-the-rack hockey sticks being sold these days, we are noticing these “shorter stick, better control” and “longer stick, better shot” tales go slightly out the window. Slightly. While some of that still may ring true.

Another reason why a player needs to have their stick cut at their nose, especially if they are in the early years of their hockey journey, is that when a stick is too long a player will tend to stand more upright to compensate which will affect skating stride mechanics and proper skating technique.

On the other hand, if the stick is cut too short on a younger player, they may tend to be more hunched over when skating and not seated back with their chest and head up which also negatively affects proper skating mechanics and fundamentals.

To wrap things up for this newsletter, I would like to finish by saying that the stick should be cut at the nose when the player is off their skates until they have mastered the fundamentals.

See you soon!

— Danny

DRILL OF THE WEEK
2 PUCK JUGGLE

DISCLAIMER
The views, information, or opinions expressed in the Perez Hockey Development newsletter are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of my employers. The primary purpose of this newsletter is to educate and inform.