Warrior Curve / Pattern / Lie - Quick vs Bishop vs Mrazek

[Zip]

Hi friends,

I have a long and arduous relationship with goalie sticks - I'm like Goldilocks (this one is too stiff, this one is too short...).

I have finally settled on Warrior being the right brand for me. I'm currently using a 26" CR1 Quick curve, the size is great and it seems to put my body in the right position when skating to make my mechanics feel nice and balanced and in control making stick saves.

The problem, however, is that the Quick curve sucks for puck handling (yes, yes I know its my technique...) - I just can't get any zip on passes and forget lifting it or clearing the puck around the glass. During my stick odyssey, I've tried P31 and Price curves, with better success in this aspect of the game.

So where my question lies (heh), is if I were to switch to the Warrior equivalent of the P31 (Bishop) or Price (Mrazek), are the lies/balance for these curves different to the Quick and would I be putting at risk the happy place that I've found with the more important aspects of skating and making saves? Unfortunately due to my location, I have to buy things unseen and untested so I need to find out as much in advance as possible.

Many thanks xoxo

[Puckstopper]

There will be slight differences in feel, but nothing you can't adapt to in a couple of skates.   I am fairly certain that all Warrior sticks are the same lie, but their catalog doesn't provide much info. 

[dualshowman]

Regarding getting 'zip', Zip...

Twist your top wrist. Underhand, Turco-style, even backhand - it doesn't matter. Just twist that wrist. I promise you, your problems are solved.

https://ingoalmag.com/technique/shooting-the-puck-a-progressive-learning-sequence-for-goalies/ - Step six

[seagoal]

This matches my experience with Warrior stick curves.

I am a long time Bishop-twist curve and have good success playing the puck and getting good loft.  I tried a Quick-mid curve and could not get anything going.  I found it pretty clunky and dead in terms of playing the puck.

I have not tried the Mrazek-pitching wedge curve.

From what I've seen the lie is all the same.  I can't speak to balance because in my experience and mind I have no idea what that means. In 25ish years I don't think I've ever grabbed an "unbalanced" goalie stick.

I know what balance generally means,  but have no idea how that relates to a goalie stick that in its design and shape is itself unbalanced and asymmetrical.

Edited June 8, 2021 by seagoal

[Zip]

Ah - I didn't mean to refer to the stick being balanced, but rather I meant that for the Warrior made me feel balanced in my stance and in my movement compared to the other manufacturers that I've used.

I'm not sure if that is down to the sizing, the lie, or the curve itself and so I was asking if changing curve from the Quick to a Bishop or Mrazek could change that - if so, then maybe I'd be better off just staying with the Quick as movement and control are way more important to me than puck handling.

[seagoal]

14 minutes ago, Zip said:

Ah - I didn't mean to refer to the stick being balanced, but rather I meant that for the Warrior made me feel balanced in my stance and in my movement compared to the other manufacturers that I've used.

I'm not sure if that is down to the sizing, the lie, or the curve itself and so I was asking if changing curve from the Quick to a Bishop or Mrazek could change that - if so, then maybe I'd be better off just staying with the Quick as movement and control are way more important to me than puck handling.

Ah.

I think of the 3 Warrior curves, the Quick curve has the most contact points on the ice because the bottom edge is the flattest. So I can see how it might feel more stable and sturdy compared to the others since it doesn't twist or ramp up.

[DL42]

go with rocker blade shape for everything .

curve doesnt really matter

[seagoal]

16 minutes ago, DL42 said:

go with rocker blade shape for everything .

curve doesnt really matter

Doesn't matter how? For what? Are you saying differences in curve have no relevance at all?

[DL42]

47 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Doesn't matter how? For what? Are you saying differences in curve have no relevance at all?

for puck handling a rocker bottom is easier with no curve and a tilt. 

with flat u r fixed in the angle.

pretty much all pros use rocker bottom.

[Puckstopper]

2 hours ago, seagoal said:

Doesn't matter how? For what? Are you saying differences in curve have no relevance at all?

Just ignore him (I literally put him on Ignore because his posts make my head hurt).  He beats this drum in every stick thread and has nothing to back it up other than his own assertion that "Allz of da proz use a curved bottom".  It might be easier to take him seriously if he were even slightly articulate or literate. 

Curve definitely plays a factor.   I find CCM's Crawford curve to be the easiest to get good loft on at the moment, but I can use a Price or a Warrior Twist curve in a pinch and be OK within the space of a warm-up.  I tried a Quick curve for about a month a couple years back and almost totally stopped handling the puck (normally a huge part of my game).  I could do nothing with it!

Edited June 8, 2021 by Puckstopper

[CJ Boiss]

17 minutes ago, Puckstopper said:

Just ignore him (I literally put him on Ignore because his posts make my head hurt).  He beats this drum in every stick thread and has nothing to back it up other than his own assertion that "Allz of da proz use a curved bottom".  It might be easier to take him seriously if he were even slightly articulate or literate. 

Curve definitely plays a factor.   I find CCM's Crawford curve to be the easiest to get good loft on at the moment, but I can use a Price or a Warrior Twist curve in a pinch and be OK within the space of a warm-up.  I tried a Quick curve for about a month a couple years back and almost totally stopped handling the puck (normally a huge part of my game).  I could do nothing with it!

Con confirm. I use a pair of Quick curve twigs for shinnies and I can't play the puck nearly as well as the Bishop curve twigs I use for games. Like, I can get the same amount of power, loft, etc. out of a Quick curve, most of the time, but not reliably. And about 10% of the time whatever I'm doing just fails horribly. The performance isn't as reliable as my Bishop curve.

[seagoal]

Sounds like we are all (mostly)in agreement about the Quick curve and the relevance of curves, in general.

[dreadlocked1]

The stick on the left is my older Senior CR3 25" Quick with a 14 lie and about 6 inches cut off the end.  The stick on the right is my newer CR3 23.5" intermediate 13.5 lie Mrazek, no shaft cut.  I switched to the Mrazek and won't be looking back.  I use a 23.5" Mrazek CR1 for my games and the CR3 for warmups or rat. I don't know if the lie changes between Mrazek to Quick or Intermediate to Senior, but at 5'6" it's perfect in my butterfly and my stick handling is improving. The 25" lifted my blocker just a bit too much and I feel I can stick handle much better even without a cut shaft.  The rounded toe took a bit getting used to from the squared Quick, but I love the more rounded heel on the Mrazek.  Let me know if you want more pics comparing the two.

Edited June 9, 2021 by dreadlocked1
Spelling and additional thoughts

[SaveByRichter35]

Let me start by saying I suck at playing the puck lol.  One play I am dribbling it on the ice like shuffleboard, the next play I sail it over the glass.  I have no consistency to my mechanics.  The Quick/mid curve was impossible for me.  I use the same size stick as you, 26" Warrior.  I like the Mrazek/wedge much better than the Quick/mid.  I still have the same problems but I like the Mrazek better than Quick.  The stick feels exactly the same otherwise.  I've yet to try the Bishop/twist though.

[seagoal]

1 hour ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Let me start by saying I suck at playing the puck lol.  One play I am dribbling it on the ice like shuffleboard, the next play I sail it over the glass.  I have no consistency to my mechanics.  The Quick/mid curve was impossible for me.  I use the same size stick as you, 26" Warrior.  I like the Mrazek/wedge much better than the Quick/mid.  I still have the same problems but I like the Mrazek better than Quick.  The stick feels exactly the same otherwise.  I've yet to try the Bishop/twist though.

That will change very soon. 

[SaveByRichter35]

19 hours ago, seagoal said:

That will change very soon. 

[keeperton]

I've only ever used the Quick curve (or ones like it: PP31/Boucher/Lalime, Kolzig).

It gives me really consistent saucers and I can get it above the glass consistently  when I want to. Though I've frankly never tried another one, so that's on me. My brother swore by heel curves and he could play the puck incredibly (he used all the TPS Hasek heel sticks).

[SaveByRichter35]

On 6/15/2021 at 6:24 PM, keeperton said:

I've only ever used the Quick curve (or ones like it: PP31/Boucher/Lalime, Kolzig).

It gives me really consistent saucers and I can get it above the glass consistently  when I want to. Though I've frankly never tried another one, so that's on me. My brother swore by heel curves and he could play the puck incredibly (he used all the TPS Hasek heel sticks).

The Sherwood Lalime curve?  That was a mid?  I remember LOVING that curve way back.  I feel like I remember that being a much bigger curve than the present Quick mid.

[Puckstopper]

2 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

The Sherwood Lalime curve?  That was a mid?  I remember LOVING that curve way back.  I feel like I remember that being a much bigger curve than the present Quick mid.

Agreed.   But they were foam core, and there was a bunch of variation in those.   I have an old Canadian flag pattern Sher-Wood Lalime in the basement and it's definitely got more of a curve to it than a Quick, but not quite as much twist as a P31/Bishop/Crawford. 

[SaveByRichter35]

I'm pretty sure I still have my last Lalime Sherwood 9950 that I used in college sitting in the back corner of my garage somewhere.  It had a crack down the middle of the blade but I couldn't fathom throwing it away all those years before lol.  

[keeperton]

8 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

The Sherwood Lalime curve?  That was a mid?  I remember LOVING that curve way back.  I feel like I remember that being a much bigger curve than the present Quick mid.

I can check it (if it isn't broken). It may have had more twist, but I suppose I should note I that was my first "intermediate" 25" paddle stick. I think it was a Sherwood 55xx or something of that ilk. It has been like 16 years, after all.

Edit: I loved that stick too.

Edited June 17, 2021 by keeperton

[seagoal]

@SaveByRichter35

what's the word on the Bishop curve? You liking it?

[coopaloop1234]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:43 PM, SaveByRichter35 said:

Let me start by saying I suck at playing the puck lol.  One play I am dribbling it on the ice like shuffleboard, the next play I sail it over the glass.  I have no consistency to my mechanics.  The Quick/mid curve was impossible for me.  I use the same size stick as you, 26" Warrior.  I like the Mrazek/wedge much better than the Quick/mid.  I still have the same problems but I like the Mrazek better than Quick.  The stick feels exactly the same otherwise.  I've yet to try the Bishop/twist though.

I've been using the Quick curve for ever. I'm never one for sailing the puck, but I'm very consistent with tape to tape passes along the ice inside my own zone.

Just picked up a Wedge curve, so once my current stick backs out, I'll be giving a different curve for the first time in 5 years.

[SaveByRichter35]

2 minutes ago, seagoal said:

@SaveByRichter35

what's the word on the Bishop curve? You liking it?

2-0 with it so far.  Haven't had much of a chance to play the puck enough to get a feel for the curve as far as that goes though.  Fucking love the weight difference though.  Especially when using a Swagger Pro foam core in warmups.  

[Chenner29]

Just now, coopaloop1234 said:

I've been using the Quick curve for ever. I'm never one for sailing the puck, but I'm very consistent with tape to tape passes along the ice inside my own zone.

Just picked up a Wedge curve, so once my current stick backs out, I'll be giving a different curve for the first time in 5 years.

Mrazek/Wedge/P34 is life.  Mrazek/Wedge/P34 is love.