Hockey Stick Kick Point Explained — What It Actually Means for Outdoor Players
Most kick point guides are written for ice hockey players shooting pucks on skates. Outdoor hockey works differently — the surface, the shooting mechanics, and the shot types you take most frequently all change which kick point actually makes sense for you.
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Written By |
Experience |
Updated |
Who This Helps |
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Chirp Sticks — outdoor hockey gear brand, Minnesota |
Built the Street Twig with a low kick point specifically for outdoor shooting mechanics |
June 2026 — current for this season |
Street, ball/puck & pond hockey players choosing their first or next stick |
Hockey stick kick point explained simply: it's the spot on the shaft where the stick bends most when you shoot. Move that spot closer to the blade and you get a faster release. Move it toward the middle and you get more power. That trade-off — speed versus power — is what every kick point decision comes down to.
Most guides stop there and give you a list of ice hockey brands. This one goes further — because outdoor players on the Street Twig make different kick point decisions than ice players, for reasons that actually make sense once you understand what changes when you step off the ice. If you want to understand flex before reading this, our hockey stick flex guide covers the related concept that works alongside kick point.
Quick answer: Hockey stick kick point explained in one sentence — it determines where the shaft bends, which controls how fast the ball/puck leaves your blade and how much power is behind your shot. Low kick point = faster release, less power. Mid kick point = more power, slower release. For most outdoor hockey players who take wrist shots and snap shots in tight situations, a low kick point is the right choice. For players who take heavy slap shots from distance, mid kick point makes more sense.
What Is a Hockey Stick Kick Point — The Physics
When you shoot a hockey stick, you're essentially bending the shaft like a bow. The shaft stores energy as it bends, then releases that energy when it snaps back — propelling the ball or puck forward. The kick point determines exactly where on the shaft that bending and energy storage happens.
Think of it this way: if you hold a flexible rod at both ends and push against the middle, it bends in the center. If you push from one end closer to one hand, it bends closer to that hand. Hockey stick manufacturers engineer which section of the shaft bends most by changing the thickness and stiffness of the carbon fiber layers at different points. The section that's designed to be slightly softer relative to the sections above and below it — that's the kick point.
Why does the location matter? Because energy stored closer to the blade releases faster to the ball/puck — there's less shaft to travel through before the energy transfers. Energy stored in the middle of the shaft takes longer to release but accumulates more potential energy across the full flex of a longer section. Speed versus power. That's the fundamental trade-off that all kick point decisions involve.
The bow analogy: A short bow releases arrows quickly but with less power than a long bow. A low stick is like a short bow — quick, responsive, fast release. A mid stick is like a long bow — slower to draw, but more energy transferred when it releases. Neither is better. They're built for different shots.
The Three Main Kick Points — What Each One Actually Does
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⭐ Best for Most Outdoor Players Low Kick Point |
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What It Does The shaft bends in the lower third — close to the blade. Energy loads and releases quickly because the flex point is close to where the ball contacts the blade. Fastest release of any kick point. Less total energy storage than mid kick, but the speed of release more than compensates in most outdoor shooting situations. |
Best Shot Types Wrist shots — the bread and butter of outdoor hockey. Snap shots — quick release from in-tight. One-timers in space — fast ball movement where you don't have time to load up. Anything where you need the ball off your blade before a defender closes or a goalie reacts. |
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✅ Street Twig uses a low kick point — built for the fast-release shooting that outdoor hockey demands. Most outdoor forwards and all-position players benefit from low kick. |
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💥Power Players Mid Kick Point |
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What It Does The shaft bends in the center — roughly halfway up. More of the shaft contributes to the flex, storing more potential energy before release. Maximum power transfer. The trade-off is a slower load and release — you need more time and a longer wind-up to take full advantage of what a mid kick stick offers. |
Best Shot Types Slap shots — the full wind-up gives you time to load mid kick properly. Heavy wrist shots from distance — where you have space and time to load up. Point shots in organized play — defensemen who stand at the top and shoot through screens benefit most from mid kick power. |
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⚠️ Mid kick requires space and time to load properly — outdoor hockey's faster pace and tighter spaces often don't provide this. |
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🔁 Versatile Players Hybrid / Variable Kick Point |
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What It Does The flex point shifts depending on where your bottom hand sits on the shaft during the shot. Hand lower = more like low kick. Hand higher = more like mid kick. Adapts to your shooting style rather than forcing you into one pattern. Most common in premium ice hockey sticks — less common in outdoor-specific sticks. |
Best Shot Types Players who mix shot types — both quick snap shots and occasional heavy wrist shots. Good for all-position players in organized ball hockey who need versatility across different game situations. Requires more experience to use effectively than a dedicated low or mid kick stick. |
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For outdoor players still developing their shooting style, a dedicated low kick point is more consistent and easier to learn than hybrid. |
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Why Outdoor Hockey Changes the Kick Point Calculation
Here's what most guides miss entirely: outdoor hockey and ice hockey have fundamentally different shooting mechanics. Understanding this difference is what makes the kick point decision clear for outdoor players.
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Shooting Mechanics Comparison Ice Hockey vs Outdoor Hockey — What Changes |
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Factor |
Ice Hockey |
Outdoor Hockey |
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Shooting stance |
Low and dynamic — skates allow fluid movement and weight transfer into shots |
More upright — feet planted, less fluid weight transfer available |
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Space to shoot |
More open ice — defensemen have space to load slap shots |
Tighter — street hockey is faster and more compact, less time to wind up |
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Most common shot |
Mix of wrist, snap, and slap shots depending on position |
Wrist shots and snap shots dominate — slap shots are rare outdoors |
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Surface friction |
Ice reduces drag — stick glides through the shot |
Pavement creates drag — requires slightly different blade loading |
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Kick point winner |
Either low or mid depending on position and shot style |
Low kick point for most players — fast release fits the pace and shot types of outdoor play |
The upright stance of outdoor hockey matters more than most players realize. On ice, skaters transfer weight into shots by driving through their hips and legs — this loading motion naturally works well with mid kick sticks because you have the momentum and time to fully load the mid section of the shaft. On pavement, your feet are stationary. You generate power from your hands and core, not your skating stride. This shorter, more hand-driven motion loads a low kick point naturally and effectively — and often can't fully load a mid kick stick before the shooting window closes.
The outdoor rule of thumb: If you play street hockey, ball hockey, or outdoor rink hockey and your shot is primarily a wrist shot or snap shot — which it almost certainly is — a low stick is the correct choice. Mid sticks are designed around a full wind-up slap shot that outdoor hockey rarely provides time or space for.
Which Kick Point for Your Playing Style?
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You play Forward / All-Position Street Hockey |
You play Organized Ball Hockey — Point / Defense |
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Low kick point You're taking quick shots in traffic, shooting off the pass, or getting the ball off your blade before a defender closes. Low kick loads fast and releases faster — built for exactly this. The Street Twig's low kick point is designed for this player. |
Mid or hybrid kick point If you regularly take slap shots from the point in organized league play where you have space and time to wind up, mid kick gives you more power behind those shots. Less applicable to casual outdoor play. |
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You play Pond Hockey / Outdoor Ice |
You play Beginner / Learning to Shoot |
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Low kick point Pond hockey is fast and informal — the same quick-release shots dominate. Low kick works here as well as it does on pavement. The shooting mechanics are closer to street hockey than to arena ice hockey. |
Low kick point Low kick is more forgiving to learn on. The consistent, fast response gives you better feedback on your shooting mechanics than mid kick, which requires a specific loading motion to use effectively. Start low, move to mid if your game demands it. |
Kick Point vs Flex — How They Work Together
Kick point and flex are related but separate specs, and understanding how they interact helps you make a better buying decision.
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Spec |
What It Controls |
How They Interact |
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Kick Point |
Where the shaft bends — release speed vs power |
Together they determine your total shot feel. Low kick + lower flex = fast, whippy release. Mid kick + higher flex = powerful, slower shot. For outdoor players, low kick + appropriate flex for your body weight is the right starting combination. |
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Flex Rating |
How much force is needed to bend the stick — stiffness |
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Street Twig |
Low kick point + 40/50/75 flex options |
Low kick for fast outdoor release. Three flex options so you match the stiffness to your body weight and shot style. See the flex guide to pick the right number. |
The quick outdoor flex rule
Body weight in pounds divided by two, then subtract 5–10 for outdoor play. A 160-pound player who might use 80 flex on ice typically starts at 70–75 flex for outdoor hockey. The pavement friction slows your shot slightly compared to ice, which makes the same flex feel stiffer — going slightly softer compensates for this. Combined with a low kick point, this gives you the responsive, quick-release feel that outdoor shooting mechanics require.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a kick point on a hockey stick?
Hockey stick kick point explained simply: it's the area of the shaft engineered to flex most when you shoot. Manufacturers create this by making one section of the carbon fiber shaft slightly softer than the sections above and below it. When you load a shot, the stick bends most at this engineered point. The location of that point — close to the blade (low), in the middle (mid), or variable — determines how fast the ball leaves your blade and how much power is behind your shot. Low kick = faster release. Mid kick = more power. Most outdoor players need the faster release that low kick provides.
What kick point is best for street hockey?
Hockey stick kick point for street hockey is almost always low kick — and here's why. Street hockey is faster and more compact than ice hockey, with less space to wind up and less time before a defender closes. The most common shots — wrist shots and snap shots in tight situations — load and release fastest on a low stick. Mid kick sticks need a full wind-up slap shot to perform at their best, and outdoor hockey rarely provides the space or time for that. The Street Twig uses a low kick point for exactly this reason.
What is the difference between low and mid kick point hockey sticks?
Hockey stick kick point differences between low and mid come down to release speed versus power. A low kick point shaft bends in the lower third — close to the blade — which means the stored energy transfers to the ball quickly with minimal shaft travel time. A mid kick point shaft bends in the center, involving more of the shaft in the flex and storing more potential energy — but requiring more time to fully load. Low kick suits quick shots in tight spaces. Mid kick suits powerful slap shots from distance where you have space and time to wind up. For most outdoor players, low kick is the right choice.
Does kick point affect how hard you can shoot?
Hockey stick kick point affects shot power indirectly — not directly. Mid sticks generate more potential power because more of the shaft contributes to the flex, storing more energy before release. But realizing that power requires a proper full wind-up. Low sticks generate less peak power but transfer energy faster and more consistently across a wider range of shot types. For most outdoor players, the consistent fast release of a low kick stick produces better results than the theoretical power ceiling of a mid kick that you rarely have space to fully load.
Is kick point the same as flex?
Hockey stick kick point and flex are related but separate specs. Flex is a number (50, 75, etc.) that measures how stiff the shaft is overall — how many pounds of force are needed to bend the stick one inch. Kick point is where on the shaft that bending happens. A stick can have high flex (stiff) with a low kick point, or low flex (whippy) with a mid kick point — they're independent variables that work together to create the total feel of the stick. For outdoor players, low kick point combined with the right flex for your body weight is the starting point. See our hockey stick flex guide for the full flex breakdown.
What kick point does the Street Twig have?
Hockey stick kick point on the Street Twig is low kick — engineered specifically for the wrist shots and snap shots that dominate outdoor hockey. The low kick point combined with 40, 50, and 75 flex options covers the range of player weights and shooting styles that outdoor hockey demands. For most street, ball, and pond hockey players, the Street Twig's low kick point gives you the fast, consistent release that outdoor shooting mechanics are built around.