​​What Is Hockey Stick Flex And Why Does It Matter? The flex | Curiosity Tea

​​What Is Hockey Stick Flex And Why Does It Matter?

The flex is a measure of the stiffness of a hockey stick. Basically, the lower the flex number, the more flexible the stick is. I know, that’s a little counter intuitive. Since it’s called the flex number, some people think that a higher number would mean more flexibility, and I get why, but it’s actually the opposite.

The reason why a lower flex number means a stick is more flexible makes sense when you understand what the number represents. The flex number indicates how many pounds of pressure it takes to bend the stick one inch. So, a stick that has a flex number of, say, 30 is much easier to bend one inch than a stick with a flex number of 100.

The first thing to consider is if the stick is going to be cut down to shorten it, or have an extension added to make it longer. The flex for a stick is measured based on the standard length at which the stick is manufactured, but since the majority of players cut sticks down slightly, and some add extensions, this will change the feel of the stick from what the flex number would indicate.

Cutting a stick down will make it feel stiffer and thus perform like a stick with a slightly higher flex number. Conversely, using an extension to make a stick longer will make it feel more flexible, as if it had a slightly lower flex number.