Which do you prefer for roller hockey?

[clumsychris]

Do you like a stick with more whip or a stiffer stick and why? Right now I use a stick with more whip, but I got some stiffer sticks and I'm curious to see what I can do with them!

[MDE3]

A lot comes down to what feels right, but in general a stick with more flex will generate higher shot velocity with less effort. Check out the flex of sticks used by top NHL snipers and blaster of the puck.

I have tested this theory several times using the same players on youth teams I have coached and letting them shoot against my radar gun with different flex sticks. Some saw gains of as much as 20 - 30% with more flexible sticks.....like going from say 45 - 60+ mph. When using a lighter puck for inline hockey (3.5 oz. vs 5 oz.) this becomes even more important.

The main difference is how much strength weight and timing you can bring to bear on the stick to achieve the shot. The professional players who have the opportunity to practice all the time, and who are in general very skilled athletes with good timing and a lot of strength, accomplish the "loading up" (flexing of the stick with velocity) during the act of the down swing on a slap shot. An amateur, or youth player, usually generates flex when the stick contacts the surface just in front of the puck. By putting more weight on the stick as it contacts the surface, the flex is achieved not so much by raw strength and good technique, but by loading up the shaft using the players weight against the surface. When the shaft releases, the shot velocity is generated. Because so much of the flex is accomplished when contacting the surface, it is much easier to have the stick "twist" in your hands when using a stiffer shaft. This becomes very important for the youth and amateur player.

An old reflex bow and arrow makes a good analogy. For purposes of target shooting, a soft flex is used....say 28 - 35 lbs. When hunting, a 50 - 70 lb flex is more common. The more powerfull bow, will generate more velocity needed to make a shot over a longer distance, but it needs more strength and technique to draw and aim the bow. If you do not have the necesary strength to fully cock the heavier pull, and do not need the velocity over a great distance, there will be a loss of efficiency, not an effective gain.

With a bow and arrow, everything is done pretty much standing still, and everything is locked into position when the arrow is nocked. With a hockey shot, you are moving quickly, often off balance, and with very little time to prepare. It is much easier to load up a softer flex stick under these circumstances, even for the proffesional, and thus generate a more efficient shot.

[SpeedDemon]

I use sticks with more of a whip flex because I favor my wrist and snap shots and I like to have the added 'torque' behind it.

I don't believe it is a question of roller hockey preference, but overall shot preference and technique.