Question

[-venom-]

Not only is it in the technique however.....

Aside from debating if the slap shot is an integral part of the game or not, for a forward (which I believe it is), I'm sure some of you guys wouldn't mind maybe a suggestion as to a possible reason why their shots are not as hard as they'd like?

Could be the stiffness of your stick......

How many guys in here use a stiff flex shaft/stick? Probably a good majority, right? The stiffer the stick, the less chance it will break on a hard shot, etc..

But if you think about it, the hockey stick is designed with flex in mind, so that the 'kick' of the stick is what gives the puck huge velocity.

Try playing with a stick with more flex. My first TPS Response I had bought was a stiff flex. HATED it... but I had always used a stiff flex, and didn't think of possibly using anything else. I'm about 6'1, 190.... not too big, but I figured that I'd snap anything less than a stiff.... I had talked to a friend, and he suggested trying a regular flex to help with my slap shot (which was pretty good with the 95 FLex Easton Z-Carbons I had been using (as well as breaking))

Slapshot fixed. Came off the stick twice as fast, I had more control.... you could feel the difference, and it was quite a bit.

Then I got the crazy idea, and bought a Whip flex (which would be about a 90 Flex Easton)....my shot has never been harder. The stick flexes like crazy under full load, but won't break, and the release is just insane......... might not be the problem, but it's worth a try



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[MDE3]

Agree absolutely - check out any information on McGuiness', Sakic's, or Federov's sticks - I think you will find they are all high flex shafts.

Kind of reminds me of tennis raquets when everyone heard that bjorn Borg(who?) was stringing his racquets to 70+ lbs of tension - the whole world went nuts restringing to a higher tension. In fact the reason he did it was so that the ball could be spun more easily without acting like it was being slung off a trampoline - to accomodate his topspin. Conversely McEnroe was stringing his in the low 50's - to generate power.

The equation for energy transmission between a moving object and a (relatively stationary object or even one travelling in the opposite direction) is a function not only of the speed of the "impellor" at "impact" (stick, racquet, golf club etc.) but also of the amount of "dwell" time the object being propelled remains in contact with the propelling device. The longer the object remains in contact with the stick (in this case) the more energy is transmitted. Hense putting a little extra tape on the blade can help too. This is why a more flexible shaft will generate more velocity - it is a more efficient transmittor of your bodies energy - basically means you might get 50 - 60% of the energy output transmitted to the puck instead of 30 - 40%.

[-venom-]

The longer the puck is on a flexed stick, the more kinetic energy builds, and the potential energy is greater.


I haet physics!



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[RichardGraham]

>>I haet physics!<<

And English, too, right? [img]/wtimages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[-venom-]

yu damm rite!






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[RichardGraham]

That's OK. After all, I put this post in the wrong folder. Doh! lol

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[DannyG]

frankly, I was wondering where you buy a slapshot as a product...

and if you could, would the model that I needed be at all affordable...(but thanks to the guy who notes the flexibility co-efficient, that should really work...)

[-venom-]

Other than my TPS response (I've got 2 - one Whip, one Reg. Flex) you can pick up an

Easton Z-Carbon 95 Flex

For about 25 bucks pretty much anywhere. They come with either a Shanahan or Yzerman curve, and in 75, 95, 100, 110 flex (maybe its 105/115, I forget). The 75 is good for lighter players, and/or younger players. I use the 95 flex sticks. Now, being one-piece wood/fiberglass composite sticks, they will break. Not all the time, if you use the right one for your technique/size/strength....

The blades are only good for sportcourt and/or Ice however, they are carbon/fiberglass and after a while, they will split and break if used on a harsh surface.

All in all, they are great sticks in my opinion....



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[missionhockey21]

That is very true about shaft flexes. I also have a whip flex on one of my shafts and it is crazy how much lift and speed is added to my shot. Where as my shaft with I think 110 flex I can barely make it a "decent" shot. And suprisingly despite all the abuse I have put on my whip flex I still have not broke it in three months.

[columbus_RHstar]

This is hockey not trocket science people! Actually maybe it is becoming rocket science...

[columbus_RHstar]

I just picked up an Easton Z-Bubble Wednesday used it in ice thursday roller drop in friday 2 games saturday(1 ice 1 roler) and had NO problems with it, it is incredibly whippy and wont break although it feels like im making the bow for a bow and arrow. Great shaft in my opinion.

[columbus_RHstar]

I just picked up an Easton Z-Bubble Wednesday used it in ice thursday roller drop in friday, 2 games saturday(1 ice 1 roller) and had NO problems with it, it is incredibly whippy and wont break although it feels like im making the bow for a bow and arrow. Great shaft in my opinion.

[missionhockey21]

It defiently is, when I was about 7 I would just pick out the coolest looking stick, now I got to start thinking about kinetic energy. I cant belive that my physics teacher was right, that I would actually use that info in the real world. And its kind of surprising one of the first places I hear about it is in relation to hockey equipment.

[missionhockey21]

I saw this picture of Sergei Fedorov on the web, he was taking a slapshot and literally his stick was almost in the shape of a bow and arrow, even though it probably happens all the time, it was weird to see how much abuse we put on our shafts with hard slap shots.

[DannyG]

not really important, but in sympathetic vibration, I, too, am pained to report that geometry, physics, and algebra are the subjects of my formal education that I use more than any other now days, and both my job and avocational activities have only to do with inline hockey...go figure...