Why You Should Train With Wooden Sticks
The wooden stick was a part of hockey from the very begging. Before the late 1990s, most players were still using wooden sticks. Wayne Gretzky even played most of his career with a wooden stick. Should we train with wooden sticks? I would argue yes.
Wooden sticks are heavier and can be great tools for developing quick hands. Wooden sticks are also cheaper, produced in North America, and sold for about $30 to $40. If you are starting hockey or you’re a parent that has a kid starting hockey, use a wooden stick when you first begin. If you decide to quit, you won’t spend hundreds of dollars on a stick, and you can always donate that stick to charity afterward. If a wooden stick breaks you won’t be out hundreds of dollars either.
By training with a wooden stick, you will increase your wrist strength, improve your shot and have better puck control. Also, by using a wooden stick, you can train off-ice and on the ice. You don’t need a specific place to practice stick handling.
I would keep a wooden stick on hand, even if it’s just for training. If you get a spare minute, you can train whenever you want. In my experience, stick-handling with a wooden stick was difficult at first. But when I bought my first composite stick, it became easier for me to stick handle, pass, and shoot.
Before the invention of the composite hockey stick, the only option was wooden sticks. This made training consistent across all levels of hockey. Today, for about $40, you can create your hidden advantage by buying a wooden hockey stick and training with it. Think about it most players will opt for composite sticks because it weighs less and it’s easier to stick handle. Train with both. Get your wrist strength up. Stick-handle with. a wooden stick, then stick handle with a composite stick and learn the difference. Once you’re used to both, you can overcome any stick-handling issues that could arise.
Subscribe to my Substack: rothsteina.substack.com
