What's the best Malik Hockey Stick for my child or me
As a hockey coach I am often asked by parents and players what is the best hockey stick for them? Well it really depends on a few factors, the younger you are as a player the easy it is really, but as you get older and move up through juniors into seniors the factors you need to take into account grow and change. Some of the factors you want to be looking at when you are purchasing a new stick are-
- Position you play: this is perhaps the first thing you need to think about, if you are a defender you are going to be looking for a stick with a heavier weight to it, if you are a striker you might be looking for a lighter weight stick, and if you are midfield you will perhaps prefer something in between both.
- Specialist Skills: as a player if you have any specialist skills such as drag-flicking or aerials then you may want a stick with a bigger bow in it, or a specific hook which helps with these skills.
- Your Height: if you are tall then you may be best to get a stick which is longer around the 37.5/38.5 range, if you are shorter then you may want a shorter stick around the 34.5/36.5 range. At the end of the day all hockey players should be bending from the knees so in some cases a slightly shorter stick for your height may help.
There are other factors which you can also look at such as the material composition of the stick, if you want a stick that has more give in it or is more durable then this is something you will be keen to pay attention to when purchasing a stick as the more carbon a stick has in it the less forgiven it will be. What the stick looks like in terms of it design and colors is one of the last things you look at, I know some do think that this is important, but at the end of the day it won't effect how the stick performs in your hands. The biggest thing I always say when purchasing a stick is always trust your gut if it feels right then go for it.
So, when looking at the Malik Hockey Stick range what would I recommend for each age group roughly-
5 years to 10 years: Malik Field Hockey College Sticks, these are great starter sticks for those who are pick up the game for the first time.
10 years to 12 years: Malik Slam J Hockey Sticks, these are great stick for transition between Wood and composite.
13 years to 15 years: Malik Heat Stick, Malik GAUCHO Stick, Malik Fresh Stick or Malik Punk Stick would all be good choices
16 years to 18 years: Malik Ghost, Malik Platinum, Malik Thriller, Malik Heat, Malik Azul, Malik Naranja or Malik Storm would all be good choice.
These are recommendations at the end of the day it individual choice and feel when choosing a stick, and Malik Hockey has a fantastic range of sticks to choose from any of these would be great choices. So why dont you check these out