Hockey stick

A hockey stick is a piece of equipment used in field hockey, ice hockey, or roller hockey to move the ball or puck.

Field hockey

Main article: Field hockey stick

Girl with a field hockey stick

Field hockey sticks have an end which varies in shape, often depending on the players position. In general there are four main variations on head: The 'shorti' is used mainly by players wishing extreme control over the ball, and increase their maneuverability. This specific head is most associated with the mid-field position. The 'Midi' is used by players who will be hitting the ball often and need to be strong on their 'reverse side'. This specific head is most associated with the striker, or 'up-front' position. The 'Maxi' is similar to the 'Midi' as it has an increased surface area which is useful for hitting. However its strength allows it to be used much more effectively for stopping the ball. This head is used by 'defenders' and 'attackers'. The 'J Hook' again has a large surface area. However does not have the effectiveness of the 'Midi' for striking the ball, it has an increased thickness making it ideal for stopping the ball. This head is most commonly used by 'defenders' Field hockey sticks vary widely in length, ranging from 26" to 38.5", and from $30 (Australian) to $580. The main brands of sticks include Grays, Mazon, Voodoo, Gryphon, Kookaburra, Mercian, Malik, Dita, TK and Slazenger. The size of the stick that is most effective for a specific player is judged by that players height. A 28" stick would be used by a player under 4' most commonly, where as a 38" stick would be used mainly by players over 5'10". However 'defenders' often like to have a longer stick than 'attackers' as this can be used for a greater reach when stopping a moving ball. The 'attackers' prefer a shorter stick as it allows greater control of the ball.

Ice hockey

Main article: Ice hockey stick

Ice hockey sticks are approximately 150-200 cm long, composed of a long, slender shaft and a flat extension at one end called the blade. The curved part where the blade and the shaft meet is called a taper. The blade is the part of the stick used to contact the puck, and is typically 10 to 15 inches long. Stick dimensions can vary widely, as they are usually built to suit a particular player's size. Taller players usually use longer sticks. There is some variance on the height of the stick in preference of the player. A player favoring fast stick handling and good puck control would opt for a shorter stick, while a player wanting a harder, faster shot would opt for a longer stick. The blade's angle depends on the height of the stick, but is usually positioned around 45 degrees. The blade is often curved in the direction toward which the skater moves forward, to aid in retaining or lifting the puck off the playing surface. This curvature of the stick greatly increases the speed of the player's shot. The more curve the stick has, the harder shot a player has. The downside to the increased curvature is that shots on the backhand side of the stick more difficult to execute and are less accurate and/or not as hard. The shaft of the stick is fairly rigid, but it has some flexibility to benefit some shots. Many professionals are using Composite sick technology rather than the old wooden sticks. These new sticks are lighter, and provide a quicker release of the puck, resulting in a harder, better shot. More elite hockey sticks (such as the vapor xxxx, Stealth S17, and the TPS Response R8 lite) usually are the lighter sticks on the market (390-440 grams in a senior stick)

Roller hockey

Roller hockey sticks are comparable to Ice hockey sticks, some leagues, such as the sahl use regular hockey sticks, including shafts and one piece composite sticks

Composite hockey sticks

Hockey sticks have traditionally been made from wood, but in recent years, sticks made of more expensive Aluminum, Aramid, fiberglass, carbon fiber, kevlar and other composite materials have become common. In addition to weighing less, composite sticks can be manufactured with more consistent flexibility properties than their wooden counterparts. Some of these sticks have replaceable wood or composite blades, while others are one piece sticks without a replaceable blade. Composite sticks, despite their greater expense, are now commonplace at nearly all competitive levels of the sport, including youth hockey. Some of the top brands of composite sticks are "Warrior, Easton, CCM, bauer, Mission and Reebok".

In culture

In business a "hockey stick graph" ^[1] is an absurdly optimistic projection of business growth which is flat for a long time like the handle of a hockey stick and then suddenly turns upward like the blade of the stick. In the dances Cha Cha and Rumba, a "hockey stick" is a figure in which the woman moves along a straight line, with an angled turn at the end. ^[2]

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