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I just read this over on Gopher Puck Live:

http://www.gopherpucklive.com/viewtopic ... 116#190116

It's the sale of a stick that says:

He just got it, used it for 3 practices, and found out the JV and Varsity coaches won't let them use once piece composites. He says they're too hard to catch a pass with.

I'm wondering how many teams coaches restrict one pieces and require wood sticks, or at least wood blades.

Also, could you only do this if you supply the sticks? Other thoughts?

I have no idea if it is legal to tell kids what stick they can use, but you can bech kids for not playing your systems or playing poorly. If a kid cannot catch a pass with a one piece but he can with wood it would be in the best interest to use wood.

I have a friend who coaches a JR. A team and he took the best player and fired 5 passes at him the player caught 1 out of 5 he then gave him a wood stick and caught 4 out of 5. A lot of kids cannot feel the puck with these new sticks so they cannot handle the puck maybe we need to wait for the next generation of players to see if a better percentage can use them.

I know good ol' Russ Welch(Hastings) doesn't have any restrictions or anything but I do think he gives the "Preferred woodsticks" speech every year still

I don't think coaches can make a player use a certain stick though?...Just "prefer it"

Its the player not the stick. I agree that you have more feel with a wood stick, but a player buying a composite one-piece stick should be able to adapt and soften their hands. It can be suggested, but I dont think a coach should ever sit a kid because he uses a composite stick.

I see a lot of wood sticks in USHL and NCAA games, don't you? Instead of dictating what sticks a player uses, a coach would be better off teaching the players how to catch a pass..

Blue&Gold wrote: Instead of dictating what sticks a player uses, a coach would be better off teaching the players how to catch a pass..

Thats what we need more of around here. The truth. People come one here and spout feats that would make Chuck Norris blush, and then B&G lays it on the line. Well done!

Neutron 14 wrote:

Blue&Gold wrote: Instead of dictating what sticks a player uses, a coach would be better off teaching the players how to catch a pass..

Thats what we need more of around here. The truth. People come one here and spout feats that would make Chuck Norris blush, and then B&G lays it on the line. Well done!

TOTALLY disagree with you guys...If a HS player can't catch a pass it may be a just a tad late to learn. That should have been taken care of before the second year of Pee-Wee's..

I have seen a player or two that looked pretty good prior to using a one-piece composite, start using one and cost their team dearly because they have absolutely no feel what so ever with it. You guys are saying the coach has no right to tell a player what kind of stick to use...wrong...it's just like telling a student he/she MUST use a #2 pencil in their class or they don't take an exam. Go ahead and tell your History professor your going to use ink in your Blue Book for your semester final...he'll tear it up and fail you if you turn it in using ink..he has every right and Mom and Dad will be proud of that grade. If a player was using a one-piece and cost my team I'd tell him go get a wood stick or a shaft and wood blade and I don't want to see that blue piece of crap out here again...if I do you'll sit until it's gone. Remember teams are NO democracy if the coach tells you to do something you do it or you don't play...simple as that.

Can someone honestly tell my why you have less feel with a composite stick? I'd think just the opposite. Afterall, they don't make wood fishing rods. Seriously, I'm clueless (as usual).

Mite-dad wrote:Can someone honestly tell my why you have less feel with a composite stick? I'd think just the opposite. Afterall, they don't make wood fishing rods. Seriously, I'm clueless (as usual).

In My Opinion, You can probably feel MORE with a composite stick. But it is the TYPE of feel that you have. With wood you have a softer feel.

One reason for the difference is the blade itself. Feel the blade of a 1-piece composite stick(Without tape), then feel the blade on a wood stick again without tape. You will notice a difference immediately.
Composite=smoother, and harder
Wood= rougher, and softer

When receiving a pass with a composite stick you feel the force or the pass so much more than with a wood stick, so your natural reaction in order to stop the puck is you must apply equal force back. This, combined with the hardness, and smoothness of the blade causes a lot more passes to bounce off of the composite sticks because many players cannot give with a hard pass without it sliding right off.

As far as stickhandling... I haven't noticed a whole lot of difference really, I'd still give a slight edge to wood just because of the rougher blade, the puck seems to stick a little better, but the difference has been almost unnoticeable to me.

So to sum it up, it's easier to have SOFT hands with a wood stick, because you don't need to have SOFTER hands to use them effectively.

Would another layer of tape help?

I have no idea if another layer would help. I think I would worry about after playing for a little bit that the 2nd layer would start peeling off a little, but I don't know if it would. I've never used 2 layers of tape.

Mite-dad wrote:Would another layer of tape help?

I've actually heard of players putting a layer of duct tape on their blades to make them a little softer. I couldn't tell you how well it works though.

If you remember any botany, xylem is responsible.

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I have also heard of an experiment. They took one of those puck shooters that they use for goalies(not sure on name) and they would fire passes and they raised the speed and then they handed them a two piece stick and he could catch the passes much better. I have also spoken to players in the USHL and the reason that the teams only supply two piece sticks for them is that i guess there have been players in the league that have broken small bones in their elbow from the vibration in the stick when you pass shoot ECT. The vibration goes all the way up the shaft into their arm.

warrior2132 wrote:I have also heard of an experiment. They took one of those puck shooters that they use for goalies(not sure on name) and they would fire passes and they raised the speed and then they handed them a two piece stick and he could catch the passes much better. I have also spoken to players in the USHL and the reason that the teams only supply two piece sticks for them is that i guess there have been players in the league that have broken small bones in their elbow from the vibration in the stick when you pass shoot ECT. The vibration goes all the way up the shaft into their arm.

Not sure about the vibration and breaking of elbows but there is a definitive difference in one piece to two piece or wood sticks in the hands department. The 2 piece/wood sticks seem to give more and have a different type of flex in them that is much more giving where as the 1 piece is more solid and you have to actually manually make the stick give. Personally, I love the Z-Bubbles and will probably never change from that unless they stop making them. Good flex, good give and depending on what curve your blade is it works the best for me.

Yes, alot of players in highschool put a small layer of duct tape under the normal hockey tape to soften it. I have not tried it, but others say it helps alot.