Many people have had a chance to pick up a hockey stick at least once in their lives. And I must say that we are talking not only about "real men": today, many representatives of the beautiful half of humanity play professional and amateur hockey. This means that the topic of the correct selection of one of the main accessories of this popular game will be of interest to almost all sports fans.
Instructions
Step 1
What are the rules for choosing a club? Of course, there is no unequivocal answer to such an important question, because in this case everything depends both on the player's personal preferences and on his height, weight and other parameters. First of all, pay attention to the length of the club. As experts advise, its value should reach the level of your nose, but at the same time be sure to "overcome" the jawline. Otherwise, the athlete simply "will not find" a common language with her and, accordingly, will not receive the expected result and pleasure from the game.
Step 2
Look at the folds of the club, and there are two of them - right and left. Which one to give preference, again, depends on your playing style and the method of holding the club. As a rule, bends are numbered with an indication of their size, as well as the angle and shape of the hook. And this is very important, because the quality of the techniques performed - passing, throwing, or just hitting the puck depends on the bend of the hook. For example, overhead wrist throws are much easier if your club has a large curl, but it will be very difficult for you to make a low throw. And for children under 10 years old, such clubs are generally contraindicated.
Step 3
Determine your position on the ice field. So, professional players recommend to attackers to purchase clubs with a small hook and a medium bend. Hockey players playing on the defensive side will benefit from sticks with a small bend and a large hook.
Step 4
Give preference to trusted manufacturers, hockey is an active game, and therefore the clubs break more often than you would like, choose reinforced options if you play at a serious level, and ordinary ones for yard children's hockey. As they say, the choice is yours. The main thing is to take a responsible approach to such an important matter.
Step 5
And in conclusion, a little history. In the old days, the club was made of plywood, and it was just a stick with the so-called "shovel", the prototype of the hook, and there were no bends at all. Later, harder materials such as beech, maple and birch were used to make this hockey element. Today, this piece of equipment for a hockey player is made not only from wood species, but also from other materials - graphite, fiberglass, titanium. Composite sticks are more durable and lighter, and the latter characteristic is very important for hockey players. True, with rare exceptions, they are used only by professionals, because for beginners, the acquisition of such a club is quite expensive.
