A good composite stick costs anywhere from a few hundred to over a thousand zlotys \u2013 and it is a piece of equipment that works in sand, in water and in contact with a hard ball. The good news: a few simple habits are enough to make it last longer and keep its properties. Here is a complete guide to care and storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artificial turf is dressed with rubber granulate and sand, and sand works on a stick like sandpaper. After leaving the pitch, wipe the stick with a damp cloth \u2013 especially the head and the lower part of the shaft \u2013 and dry it off. While you are at it, glance at the head: light scuffs are normal marks of play, but deeper chips are worth keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The grip is the only point of contact between your hands and the stick. A slippery or worn-through grip ruins ball feel and forces a tighter hold. Replace it when it stops gripping \u2013 with regular training usually once a season or more often. You can choose between chamois grips, which also work well with sweaty hands, and synthetic PU ones. Wrap from the bottom of the shaft upwards, with light tension and an overlap of about one third of the width. You will find grips and tapes in the Grips & Tapes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bottom edge of the head \u2013 the part that rubs against the surface most \u2013 can be protected with stick tape. It is a cheap way to let a replaceable layer take some of the abrasion: the tape wears out, the stick stays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Composite \u2013 fibreglass, carbon or aramid, which we covered in our post on stick materials<\/a> \u2013 does not like extreme temperatures. In a hot car in summer the resin binding the fibres softens; in winter the material turns brittle. Store the stick in a dry place at room temperature: a room, a hallway, a locker at the club. Do not leave it in the boot overnight, do not lean it against a radiator and do not dry it on a heater. In transport, a stick sleeve or bag gives extra protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trzy sygna\u0142y: pod\u0142u\u017cne p\u0119kni\u0119cie trzonu lub g\u0142\u00f3wki, wyra\u017ana zmiana d\u017awi\u0119ku przy uderzeniu (g\u0142uchy, \u201epusty” odg\u0142os) oraz utrata sztywno\u015bci \u2013 pi\u0142ka przestaje \u201ewychodzi\u0107” z uderzenia tak jak kiedy\u015b. Je\u015bli to brzmi znajomo, zajrzyj do naszej oferty w kategorii Hockey Sticks<\/a>category, and our guide will help you choose a new model: how to choose a stick<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Got a question about a specific model or a small chip on the head? Email us at sklep@fieldhockeyzone.com \u2013 we will tell you whether tape is enough or it is time for a new stick.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sand grinds, a car boot overheats and a slippery grip ruins ball feel \u2013 how to clean your stick after training, when to replace the grip, how to store composite and how to tell it is time for a new one.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[449],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poradniki"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5846"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5848,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5846\/revisions\/5848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldhockeyzone.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Tape on the head<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Storage: enemy number one is the car boot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What not to do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When the stick is due for replacement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n