Abstract
Hockey sticks have undergone a dramatic transformation from wood to aluminum to composite in just over the past 20 years. With the introduction of different materials, there has been increasing interest in how the material properties affect shot speed. This study examined the effects of stick stiffness from measured swing motion on puck speed. Stick evaluation involved a six amateur player study, quasi-static stiffness measurement, video motion analysis, and numerical simulation. The effect of stiffness on puck speed was observed to depend on shot type. For shots involving large stick loading, as occurs with a slap shot, puck speed decreased as stick stiffness increased. The trend was consistent with a constant force player model. For shots involving low stick loading, as occurs with a wrist shot, puck speed increased as stick stiffness increased. The trend was consistent with a constant displacement player model. Finite element simulation of the slap shot agreed generally with the results of the player study and was used to find an optimal loading distance (distance that the stick contacts the ice prior to the puck) to be 24 cm.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hache A (2002) The physics of hockey. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
Pearsall D, Montgomery D, Rothsching N, Turcotte R, Pearsall D, Montgomery D, Rothsching N (1999) The influence of stick stiffness on the performance of ice hockey slap shots. Sports Eng 2:3–11
Lomond K, Turcotte R, Pearsall D (2007) Three-dimensional analysis of blade contact in an ice. Sports Eng 10:87–100
Wu T-C, Pearsall D, Hodges A, Turcotte R, Lefebvre R, Montgomery D, Bateni H (2003) The performance of the ice hockey slap and wrist shots: the effects of stick construction and player skill. Sports Eng 6:31–40
Worobets J, Fairbairn J, Stefanyshyn D (2006) The influence of shaft stiffness on potential energy and puck speed during wrist and slap shots in ice hockey. Sports Eng 9:191–200
Hannon A, Michaud-Paquette DJ, Turcotte R (2011) Dynamic strain profile of the ice hockey stick: comparisons of player calibre and stick shaft stiffness. Sports Eng 14:57–65
Bigford RL, Smith LV (2009) Experimental characterization of ice hockey pucks and sticks. J ASTM Int 6:7
Smith L, Nevins D, Dat NT, Fua P (2016) Measuring the accuracy of softball impact simulations. Sports Eng 19(4):265–272
Karimi A, Razaghi R, Navidbakhsh M, Sera T, Kudo S (2016) Quantifying the injury of the human eye components due to tennis ball impact using a computational fluid–structure interaction model. Sports Eng 19(2):105–115
Valentini PP, Pennestrì E, Quattrociocchi L (2016) Biomechanical model for simulating impacts against protective padding of sport facility. Sports Eng 19(1):47–57
Andena L, Briatico-Vangosa F, Cazzoni E, Ciancio A, Mariani S, Pavan A (2015) Modeling of shock absorption in athletics track surfaces. Sports Eng 18(1):1–10
Shenoy MM, Smith LV, Axtell JT (2001) Performance assessment of wood, metal and composite baseball bats. Compos Struct 52:404–697
Biesen E, Smith L (2007) Describing the plastic deformation of aluminum softball bats. Sports Eng 10:185–194
Mustone T, Sherwood J (2000) Using LS-DYNA to develop a baseball bat performance and design tool. Detroit, MI. In: Proceedings of 6th international LS-DYNA Users Conference
Brien O’ (2003) Finite element analysis of wood and composite structure hockey sticks. Amherst, MA
ASTMF2398 (2011) Standard test method for measuring moment of inertia and center of percussion of a baseball or softball bat. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Kays BT (2013) Ice hockey wrist and slap shots: measurement and simulation. Master’s Thesis, Washington State University
Villaseñor A, Turcotte R, Pearsall D (2006) Recoil effect of the hockey stick during a slap shot. J Appl Biomech 22:202–211
Nathan AM (2000) Dynamics of the baseball-bat collision. Am J Phys 68:979–990
Allen T, Foster L, Carré M, Choppin S (2012) Characterising the impact performance of field hockey sticks. Sports Eng 15(4):221–226
ASTM 1887 (2011) Standard Test Method for Measuring the Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of Baseballs and Softballs. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Smith L, Duris JG, Nathan AM (2009) A determination of the dynamic response of softballs. Sports Eng 12(4):163–169
ASTM F2845 (2010) Standard Test Method for Measuring the Dynamic Stiff (DS) and Cylindrical Coefficient of Restitution (CCOR) of Baseballs and Softballs. ASTM International, West Conshohocken
Rosanna A (2008) Experimental characterization of ice hockey sticks and pucks. Master’s Thesis, Washington State University
Burbank SD (2012) Dynamic characterization of rigid polyurethane foam used in sports balls. Sports Eng Technol 226:77–85
Kretschmann DE (2012) Mechanical Properties of Wood. Wood Handbook, Madison
Gibson RF (2007) Principles of Composite Material Mechanics. CRC Press, Baco Raton
Petrovic JJ (2003) Mechanical properties of ice and snow. J Mater Sci 38:1–6
Friction and Coefficients of Friction (2013) Retrieved from The Engineering Toolbox: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html. Accessed 22 March 2013
Villaseñor A, Turcotte RA, Pearsall DJ (2006) Recoil effect of the ice hockey stick during a slap shot. J Appl Biomech 2006(22):200–209
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kays, B.T., Smith, L.V. Effect of ice hockey stick stiffness on performance. Sports Eng 20, 245–254 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-017-0232-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-017-0232-3