Hockey Sticks: Understanding Flex

         Having the right flex in your hockey stick is very important for achieving the desired velocity and control of your shot. Most people understand flex as whippy or stiff, but have a hard time figuring out what rating is right for them. Trial and error is usually the most common method of finding a proper stick, however as players grow and get stronger they may never find the best fit.

          Flex is the bending of the shaft when force is applied to it. The shaft of the stick acts as a spring during the shot, when the blade of the stick hits the ice just behind the puck the shaft bends and loads energy into it, just like compressing a spring (this is called loading). As the stick follows through the puck, the shaft goes from bending to straight very quickly, the same as a spring goes from compressed to straight. The result is the velocity and accuracy of the shot. Too much flex and the shot is very hard to control. If the shaft is too stiff the velocity of the shot diminishes.

          A low flex number has a softer shaft and the higher the number the stiffer the shaft. The most common flex ratings are as follows:

Youth          ->                40

Junior          ->                50
Mid/Intermediate ->           60-75

       Regular         ->                 85

          Stiff           ->                100

                                  Extra Stiff       ->                110

The youth and junior sticks are used by kids. Younger kids just starting to play the game would use the youth sticks and the more experienced kids would use the junior sticks. Mid to intermediate sticks are softer and used by smaller players for a quick release on their shot. Regular flex sticks are for average size players looking for more control at the expense of a little velocity. The stiff or extra stiff sticks are used by bigger and stronger players who cannot get any control with the lower flex sticks.

Zdeno Chara of the NHL’s Boston Bruins uses a custom made stick because of his height and strength. The Flex rating on his sticks is 160 and at the 2012 All-Star game he clocked a shot at 108.8 MPH to set a record for the event.

When trying to determine what flex you need in a stick, a simple test can be performed. Hold the stick in both hands with the blade on the floor. Apply moderate pressure with your lower hand to bend the shaft. The shaft should bend about 1 inch. During the shot the shaft will bend much more as the force applied will be greater.

Another factor about flex you need to be aware of is whether or not the stick needs to be cut to size. As the stick becomes shorter the flex rating will increase. Cutting 2 inches off the top of the stick will increase the flex approximately 6-8, 4 inches will increase flex 13-18 and 6 inches will increase flex 20-25. Some sticks will come with cut lines at the top of the shaft and will show what the flex rating would be if you cut the stick at that point.

The last thing a player needs to know about the flex of his stick is the kick point. The kick point is where on the shaft the flexing occurs. A mid kick point is higher up the stick, allowing greater loading and in turn increasing velocity. A low kick point is lower on the shaft and allows for quicker loading and a quicker release on your shot.

Keeping these points in mind the next time you are in the market for a new hockey stick, you should come away from the experience much more satisfied.