Hockey Stick Guide for Parents
We wrote this section because we appreciate that not every parent is a hockey expert, and possibly needs some advice and guidance about which hockey stick might be most suitable for their child. You may have ended up on this page because your child has just joined a hockey club, or is just about to start to play hockey at school, (in some cases every day for the next term) and you need to purchase a suitable hockey stick for her/him.
If you are a seasoned hockey player who already knows everything about hockey sticks: carbon content, bows, curve location etc, it’s unlikely that this guide will tell you anything that you don’t already know. However, if you are new to hockey, make yourself a nice cup of tea or coffee, sit back and continue reading. We will try to make this section as informative as possible.
1. Why is high carbon content in hockey sticks important?
That’s a question that we have been asked many times by parents. In a nutshell, playing with a stick with low carbon content, a fibreglass stick or a wooden stick, is comparable to running a 100m race in wooden clogs or flip flops.
High carbon content in hockey sticks is a reflection of quality and has a direct impact on performance. It also supports how quickly your child will be able to pick up skills and execute them.
Why? High carbon sticks are very stiff and offer the perfect balance between power and control. The stiffer a stick is, the more power it will generate on impact with the ball. This also makes it much easier to control a ball - the ball actually goes into the direction the player intended it to go. The key reason for this is that a carbon stick doesn’t absorb the force on impact with a ball. This in turn causes the ball to roll much more powerfully and more quickly on impact with the stick.
Flexible sticks (made of wood or fibreglass) with a lower carbon content usually absorb most of the force on impact with a ball. This slows the ball down, forcing a player to use more muscle to move the ball with the same power, the same distance.
Additionally, the flexibility and poor quality of these sticks makes it extremely difficult to move the ball in a controlled way. This is particularly true for beginners or young children.
For players just starting to play hockey or children who are not strongly built (the majority of children, for obvious reasons!), a stiffer stick with a high carbon content is therefore, in our opinion, the most suitable option. That’s also the key reason why we here at LM Hockey only offer 100% carbon sticks to both adults and junior players.
We are also the only company in the world to our knowledge that produces 100% carbon sticks for junior players.
2. Is the size of a hockey stick really that important?
The simple answer is yes, buying the correct size is extremely important! In short, playing hockey with a too short or too long stick is akin to running 10k with trainers that are too small or too large.
To prevent potential back or shoulder injuries, top level players take selecting the correct stick length extremely seriously.
If a stick is too long, a player might end up undercutting the ball or making hard contact with the ground and potentially injuring themselves on the elbow or shoulder. On the other hand, if a stick is too short, a player might have to bend down too much, risking serious long term back problems.
We have noticed that many juniors “make do” and play with either too long or too short sticks. This makes e.g. hitting a ball correctly extremely difficult. Not only does an incorrect stick size increase the potential for injury, but it also, therefore, has a direct impact on how quickly juniors can pick up skills and execute them.
Consequently, anyone playing with a wrong sized stick will find it extremely challenging to reach or to play at their full potential.
Unfortunately, mainly due to commercial reasons (many retailers want to keep their stock as little as possible) there are generally only 2 or 3 size options available for adults, and usually, no half sizes for juniors at all.
To help to avoid long term injuries and to support players to pick up vital skills at a much earlier age, we at LM Hockey have therefore also introduced the M2M (“made to measure”) sizing options for all of our hockey sticks.
3. Why are hockey sticks curved/have a bend, and is the curve really that important?
The answer to this question becomes readily apparent once you know why the curve is there and the purpose it fulfils. 3D skills (the art of lifting the ball with your stick and manipulating it in the air), aerials (high lobbed passes/hits) and drag flicks (pushing the ball with your stick into the air) have become an essential part of hockey . Put simply, curved hockey sticks are specifically designed to assist with the execution of these skills, as they enable the player to get under the ball with the face of the stick more easily. The location of the curve determines how easy this is.
A low curve location of 200mm makes the lifting of the ball extremely easy, whereas a curve location of 300mm makes it more difficult.
In summary, these are the typically available hockey stick curves:
Standard Curve/Bow Stick
These sticks are usually straight and are specifically designed for beginners and very young children learning the basics.
Mid Curve/Bow
This stick has a curve location of around 300mm, which is in the middle of the stick. This type of stick is ideal for players that wish to keep the ball flat on the pitch when hitting.
Pro Curve/Bow
This stick has a curve location of around 250mm from the bottom of the stick. The Pro Curve/Bow is designed for players that prefer to keep the ball flat on the pitch, but want the option to do some 3D skills.
Low or Late Curve/Bow
This type of stick has usually a curve location of 240, 235 or 220mm from the bottom of the stick. This particular bow makes 3D skills very easy and affects flat hitting only marginally.
Extreme Low Curve/Bow
Here the curve is usually located at 215 or 200mm and it is the lowest curve possible. The 200mm curve location ensures that the ball is easily taken into the air for 3D and aerial skills. Some grip adjustments are needed for flat hitting.
Scooped Face / Concave Shaft / Reverse Hit Edge
These are technical additions to sticks that further support 3D skills, drag flicking, slingshots and reverse hitting. Sometimes these are integrated into Extreme Low Bow Sticks.
4. How do I select the correct hockey stick for my child?
Here at LM Hockey we strongly discourage anyone to select a stick based on a particular playing position. The selection of a particular hockey stick and a bow should be purely based on personal preference and what feels most comfortable. For example, some of the world’s best defenders prefer to play with an Extreme Low Bow, and some of the world’s best attacking midfielders prefer to use Mid bows or Pro bows. There is no right or wrong stick for a certain playing position. The only real consideration is how comfortable and confident a player feels playing with a certain stick, including its bow.
The best advice that we can give is for you to go and observe what type of player your child is and what types of skills she/he uses during a game. If your child is focused on the perfect execution of core skills, like hitting, slapping and dribbling with the ball on the ground, a Probow with a 250mm curve location or a Low/Late Bow with a 235mm curve would be a very good option.
On the other hand, if your child is someone who enjoys doing aerials, drag flicking and/or trying to execute some 3D skills, then she/he would be better off with an Xtra Low Bow which has a 200mm curve location.
Finally, if your child wants to perfect her/his reverse hitting, any of our sticks would be suitable. All of our 100% Carbon LM Hockey sticks have a reinforced stick edge and are specifically designed to support accurate and controlled reverse hitting. Just select one that your child likes the most.
We very much hope that this guide makes it easier for you to find the correct hockey stick for your child.
If you have any additional questions, please never hesitate to drop us a message.
Many thanks for reading this guide.
LM Hockey
