I now understand

[Netnewbie]

I have only play shooter tutor for 3 years now and never understood how so many guys are so obsessed with picking the right twig.  I have 2 sticks and always used one from the beginning for no particular reason.  its getting a little beat up now so i switched AND WOW what a difference!  better feel for the puck and my passing has benefited as well.  I have seen the light.  

[bunnyman666]

Goalie sticks, in my observation, have only started to become more engineered for shooting and passing the puck. Full wood sticks are incredibly stiff (as well as heavy) due to all of the material. Laminated foam also stiffened a wood-shafted stick considerably; stiffness eventually is compromised due to the plastic nature with little give. Composite is the way to go as far as feel for shooting and pucks. You can get that whip/bow action with a composite shaft being engineered to take into account a paddle. 

I imagine if you switched from an old, beat up foam core to something newer, you are experiencing a stick with a fully intact paddle and a shaft that is still flexible. All stick shafts end up getting work-hardened from constant play, the foam core breaks down from pucks and from taking shots. 

[Netnewbie]

2 minutes ago, bunnyman666 said:

Goalie sticks, in my observation, have only started to become more engineered for shooting and passing the puck. Full wood sticks are incredibly stiff (as well as heavy) due to all of the material. Laminated foam also stiffened a wood-shafted stick considerably; stiffness eventually is compromised due to the plastic nature with little give. Composite is the way to go as far as feel for shooting and pucks. You can get that whip/bow action with a composite shaft being engineered to take into account a paddle. 

I imagine if you switched from an old, beat up foam core to something newer, you are experiencing a stick with a fully intact paddle and a shaft that is still flexible. All stick shafts end up getting work-hardened from constant play, the foam core breaks down from pucks and from taking shots. 

thanks for the info.  both my sticks are wood as they came with the gear i bought.  even switching from stick to stick has made a big difference.  i have learnt that i still have A LOT to learn!!

[creasecollector]

Once you switch to a composite, your goalie mind will explode.

I switch between a good foam core and my composite for games, and my beat up foam core and my wood stick for shinny, because money doesn't grow on trees. But it defintely does make a big difference once you feel that switch, especially that first time.

[Puckstopper]

^^ Especially if you like puck handling.   Newer composites are amazing in their ability to launch the puck with minimal effort.

[SaveByRichter35]

18 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

^^ Especially if you like puck handling.   Newer composites are amazing in their ability to launch the puck with minimal effort.

**Disclaimer...you have to possess the skillset to be able to do it.  Unfortunately I found out you don't all of a sudden become good with the puck just because you now use a composite.

[southpawtendy48]

28 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

**Disclaimer...you have to possess the skillset to be able to do it.  Unfortunately I found out you don't all of a sudden become good with the puck just because you now use a composite.

and if you have twig arms like me it isn't as easy. takes a lot more effort.

[bunnyman666]

I have been practising playing the puck in my back garden wearing goal gloves and using a piece of plexiglas and a roller hockey puck. I can say that the new composite shafts definitely make a difference in puck play, but you have to learn how to use them. I have more confidence playing the puck. I cut my shaft down a fair bit (4”) to give my top hand more leverage. The stick I am using is a fair bit shorter than what I play (I train with an intermediate sized stick in the back garden) and approximates the feel on the ice with skates on. Am I playing the puck like Turco or Brodeur? No. But my D men don’t always have to hot foot it down as a result of a poor clearing attempt from the other end (icing in any other world) and possibly lose the puck from forwards giving chase. I even cleared the puck behind my net by rimming it along the back boards to avoid a forward who was chasing it down the ice. Before I started messing with the puck in my back garden, that play would have resulted in a 1 on 0, not quite a breakaway, but I would stand a chance getting scored on or having to stop play. 

You will still need to work on basic puck handling skills, just composite does make it easier to play the puck. I have mad respect for guys who can play the puck well. 

[creasecollector]

20 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

**Disclaimer...you have to possess the skillset to be able to do it.  Unfortunately I found out you don't all of a sudden become good with the puck just because you now use a composite.

This is true. 

My puckplaying abilities are terrible at best. But in fairness, I can notice a good difference when *trying* to play the puck with my composite. It's no miracle worker, but a composite stick can help.

[Max27]

the composites shoot like you wouldnt believe. i used a 1s i have and a foam core in practices and i can ROCKET pucks with the 1s compared to the foam cores

[bunnyman666]

2 hours ago, creasecollector said:

This is true. 

My puckplaying abilities are terrible at best. But in fairness, I can notice a good difference when *trying* to play the puck with my composite. It's no miracle worker, but a composite stick can help.

If you’re a shitty stick handler, composite won’t make you automatically better, but it could make you want to get better. 

[Max27]

1 hour ago, bunnyman666 said:

If you’re a shitty stick handler, composite won’t make you automatically better, but it could make you want to get better. 

honestly it kinda does. ill blame gear when i play bad so ill thank it when i play good. im complete and absolute shit at puckhandling and my puck handling is so much better with composite 

[CJ Boiss]

3 hours ago, Max27 said:

honestly it kinda does. ill blame gear when i play bad so ill thank it when i play good. im complete and absolute shit at puckhandling and my puck handling is so much better with composite 

Stick weight can make a huge difference in you handling and shooting; mine improved dramatically when I switched to composite.

[Max27]

5 hours ago, CJ Boiss said:

Stick weight can make a huge difference in you handling and shooting; mine improved dramatically when I switched to composite.

That’s definetley true. The 1s is a feather compared to my foam cores 

[ThatCarGuy]

6 hours ago, CJ Boiss said:

Stick weight can make a huge difference in you handling and shooting; mine improved dramatically when I switched to composite.

I would love to switch to composite but the only thing keeping me back is the balance of most composite sticks is miserable when compared to a good foam core. I’d rather have a balanced stick over a light stick. (Foam cores are cheaper too but let’s disregard that for the moment)

[bunnyman666]

10 hours ago, Max27 said:

honestly it kinda does. ill blame gear when i play bad so ill thank it when i play good. im complete and absolute shit at puckhandling and my puck handling is so much better with composite 

Easier, yes. But you still have to work at it If the stick is too heavy or has weird balance, you will have to work a LOT harder. Work on your stick handing in the back garden with a wood stick and try it with composite and watch your stick handling ability jump.

[bunnyman666]

58 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

I would love to switch to composite but the only thing keeping me back is the balance of most composite sticks is miserable when compared to a good foam core. I’d rather have a balanced stick over a light stick. (Foam cores are cheaper too but let’s disregard that for the moment)

Here is food for thought: even full composite sticks are foam or other material core. You need a core for the composite or else you would need a lot of composite to make it stiff. It is just that the skin takes more of the force than the foam. In a foam core stick, the foam provides most of the structure with a fibreglass and/or composite skin for support, henceforth why they break down and become noodles; the foam supports the composite skin on a composite stick. Bauer does have a balsa core stick and I am very tempted to skin a balsa paddle. End grain balsa is very strong when skinned with carbon composite.