How Should a Beginner Hold a Hockey Stick? Part 1
My Facebook friend, Kathy C, couldn’t have posed a more timely question. For, beginner hockey players had been flocking to learn-to-play type clinics all over North America at the time, and a lot of new hockey parents were scratching their heads as they attempted to outfit their youngsters.
More specifically, Kathy joked that I get to settle an ongoing debate — between her, her husband and the local pro shop guys — in determining which way her 4-year old son should hold a hockey stick.
Fortunately for Kathy (and any other new hockey parents or beginner coaches), I’ve been dealing with this issue for a good 40+ years or more. So, with that, here goes…
Up front, I’ll suggest that there is an easy way out of this dilemma, that being to purchase a stick that has a flat blade, and then let the chips fall where they may. This, however, is not my personal preference. Over recent years I haven’t seen a decently constructed flat bladed stick, with most of them being hunks of tree limbs that are far too heavy for kids in the toddler to 5-year old range. Moreover, a slight curve in a stick’s blade encourages young students to carry the puck just as I’d like them to — between the blade’s midsection and its heel. Oh, and there’s something else I like about most curved sticks that I’ve held, in that they have a nice (but perhaps undefinable) “feel” to them.
That out of the way, here are two tidbits of background information that really are meant just as FYIs:
- Quite often, one holds a hockey stick just as he or she might hold a broom or a shovel.
- Quite often, one will feel more comfortable with the dominant hand holding the top of the stick. (I get a kick out of new parents who scratch their heads at their kids being right handed while holding the stick to their left side. But that would be natural, as you see, with the dominant hand used to steer the stick-actions from the top of the shaft.)
Still, notice that I said “quite often” in both instances. For, although these are relatively common occurrences, THEY ARE NOT RULES. Every player still needs to seek his or her own comfort in handling a hockey stick.
Now, I actually chuckled to myself as Kathy said something to the effect that one shouldn’t ask her son which way he shoots. She is right-on about that, since asking a young one how he or she shoots is going to cause him or her to think too much.
That said, I think we have two different situations when it comes to the which-way-should-he-shoot question…
In Kathy’s case, I know that her little guy has been playing around the house with a flat bladed stick for some time now. So, I’d suggest that she and her husband just quietly observe the boy as he bats at a ball (or whatever). Whatever he’s doing during that time — not knowing he’s being watched — is pretty likely to be natural.
On the other hand, there are those who find themselves at a local pro shop and suddenly faced with the need to buy a stick. Hmmmmm… What I’ll often suggest in that situation is that the parent roll-up a piece of paper into a ball, and then encourage the youngster to shoot it around the shop for awhile. Then, doing just as I’ve suggested to Kathy and her husband, the parent can step back and quietly observe his or her youngster doing whatever comes naturally.
Finally, although the purchase of a youngster’s first hockey stick seems traumatic, consider the fact that he or she will probably ultimately own dozens upon dozens of sticks through the years. So, while my suggestions still only give a first-time hockey parent a 50/50 chance at being right, beginner sticks are inexpensive enough that re-thinking things a few months down the road isn’t going to be too painful.
Have any different ideas? Please share them down below. You know I love hearing from members.
PS: I’ve more recently added a “Part 2” to this topic, that to include three polls I’d love for any hockey player to help with. So, please do click that link and add your input. The more who do so, the more telling those polls will be.
