Equipment: Buying a hockeystick for a toddler

[amoboko]

Dear friends,

First of all a Merry Christmas.

I'm reaching out to you as I 'm looking for some advice.

My son loves playing with his hockeystick, ftm he is using a fan stick (for autographs) but as he is still at home for one week and half I'm keen on buying him a real hockeystick so he can improve really cause mayhem in the garagebox.

My problem is that he has not decided yet if he is a lefty or righty. He is switching between right and left throughout the day. Both arms are equally strong so it makes it difficult to getting him a stick. I don't want to push him into anything but what would be an ideal way to cope with this situation.

Cheers.

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[Beezeral]

Dear friends,

First of all a Merry Christmas.

I'm reaching out to you as I 'm looking for some advice.

My son loves playing with his hockeystick, ftm he is using a fan stick (for autographs) but as he is still at home for one week and half I'm keen on buying him a real hockeystick so he can improve really cause mayhem in the garagebox.

My problem is that he has not decided yet if he is a lefty or righty. He is switching between right and left throughout the day. Both arms are equally strong so it makes it difficult to getting him a stick. I don't want to push him into anything but what would be an ideal way to cope with this situation.

Cheers.

Dominant hand on top of the stick imo. Regardless he’s so young even if he wants to switch later it won’t matter

 

[AIREAYE]

Get him a wooden youth stick with a Straight blade like this.

CCM 252 Heat ABS Youth Wood Hockey Stick 18 Model Youth Wood Hockey Sticks Wooden Hockey Sticks Sticks Shafts amp Blades Equipment

 

[amoboko]

Thanks buddy, didn't know this existed.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Yes, after buying my middle boy a right-handed stick only to see him use it left-handed, I bought my youngest a straight sick when he started hockey this year. After three months I'm now satisfied he is also more comfortable shooting left, so I'm going to get him a lefty stick during the Christmas holidays.

If you're in Canada you can buy a straight white Sher-Wood wooden stick at Canadian tire for $15 or so.

 

[JMCx4]

Dominant hand on top of the stick imo. Regardless he’s so young even if he wants to switch later it won’t matter

+1 - this is the most basic yet important habit to establish for your kid's enjoyment & skill development. Coupled with AIREAYE's pointer to the wooden straight bladed stick option, the boy should be able to practice basic puck handling and shooting without much frustration to slow him down.

It's been a LONG time since I've played the game myself, but I'm glad someone suggested starting with a wooden stick. What I've noticed quite a lot in minors & juniors & college hockey over the last several years - especially in the girl's/women's game - is the apparent lack of forearm and wrist strength in many players, which seemingly affects all aspects of puck handling (passing, wrist shots AND snap/slap shots). Maybe I'm wrong, but my gut tells me that's because the current generation of hockey players have always played with lightweight composite sticks. Rather than doing the work with their muscles, they've relied on the flexibility of the stick to compensate. I'm open to my mind being changed on this observation; but if nothing else for beginners, a basic wooden stick should save a few bucks for the parents while seeing if their children want to make playing hockey a serious part of their youth.

Enjoy this time, @amoboko.

 

[qwertyjjj]

Dominant hand on top of the stick imo. Regardless he’s so young even if he wants to switch later it won’t matter

That's odd. I always thought if you were right handed, you therefore move the stick from right to left when shooting. Therefore your left hand is on top of the stick .Your dominant right hand is halfway down the stick.
No?

 

[AIREAYE]

That's odd. I always thought if you were right handed, you therefore move the stick from right to left when shooting. Therefore your left hand is on top of the stick .Your dominant right hand is halfway down the stick.
No?

Nah, that used to be the thinking, but nowadays it's not a good rule of thumb anymore. Whatever ways feels more comfortable.

 

[puckpilot]

That's odd. I always thought if you were right handed, you therefore move the stick from right to left when shooting. Therefore your left hand is on top of the stick .Your dominant right hand is halfway down the stick.
No?

This isn't always true. It's a bit of a mystery of why a person is a left shot or a right shot. It has nothing to do with which hand is dominant. There's an article by the NYtimes that did some research and one of the factors is geography. In Canada, 60% of players shoot left. In the USA 60% shoot right. In the world 90% of people are right handed.

Take my family for example. I'm right handed and I have my dominant hand on top. My brother is left handed and he has his dominant hand on top. My two nephews are right handed and have their dominant hand on the bottom. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hockey Stick Divide: Canada Leans Left, U.S. Right

When starting off, there are certain advantages to having your dominant hand on top or on the bottom, but as time goes on and skills develop, any advantage granted by either disappears. In the long run there is no advantage to having your dominant hand on top or bottom. For the most part, what ever way feels natural for the individual is what's best.

 

[ChuckLefley]

I made my son use a straight blade for a season and a half before I let him have a curve. Partially to pick which hand he is and the other reason was to develop forehand and backhand skills. He is now a Squirt and plays with and against so many kids who have no backhand skills because they always had a curved stick.

When it comes to top hand, what’s comfortable is best, but I believe in the old way with the dominant hand down low. It’s tough to learn power with the non-dominant hand, but easier to learn skill with the non-dominant hand.

 

[EdJovanovski]

This isn't always true. It's a bit of a mystery of why a person is a left shot or a right shot. It has nothing to do with which hand is dominant. There's an article by the NYtimes that did some research and one of the factors is geography. In Canada, 60% of players shoot left. In the USA 60% shoot right. In the world 90% of people are right handed.

Take my family for example. I'm right handed and I have my dominant hand on top. My brother is left handed and he has his dominant hand on top. My two nephews are right handed and have their dominant hand on the bottom. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hockey Stick Divide: Canada Leans Left, U.S. Right

When starting off, there are certain advantages to having your dominant hand on top or on the bottom, but as time goes on and skills develop, any advantage granted by either disappears. In the long run there is no advantage to having your dominant hand on top or bottom. For the most part, what ever way feels natural for the individual is what's best.

It’s weird how much handedness varies by region, growing up in Vancouver I was always one of the only left handed shots on my team. In PE class I’d be the only left handed shot out of 35 kids. In organized hockey I would be one of the maybe 3 left handed shots on my team. I think the rest of Canada is predominantly left handed but for some reason in BC the majority are right

 

[puckpilot]

It’s weird how much handedness varies by region, growing up in Vancouver I was always one of the only left handed shots on my team. In PE class I’d be the only left handed shot out of 35 kids. In organized hockey I would be one of the maybe 3 left handed shots on my team. I think the rest of Canada is predominantly left handed but for some reason in BC the majority are right

Hey we go the same home town. Any way, growing up, that's the way it seemed to me, too. But, I'm wondering if that's changing. When ever I check out stick sales locally now, I find the lefties tend to be the first ones to go.

 

[streitz]

I did the same thing my dad did for me.


Try and find a straight blade and see which side he likes best.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

I was actually kinda hoping my son would shoot lefty, since it always seems like the righty sticks are the first to go on closeout sales But (maybe because he's seen me shoot right his whole life?) he definitely wants to shoot right handed. Like even if I give him a lefty stick, he'll still hold it righty and try to shoot that way, curve be damned