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Field Hockey Stick Care Guide
Field Hockey Stick Care Tips
Give your new stick a little TLC. After play or practice take a
moment and wipe off any moisture or mud from your stick. Repair deep
scratches with epoxy cement. The ?5 Minute? type of epoxy will work
very well in adding to the life of your stick.
Tape the lower four inches of your shaft. This will help protect
your stick from the impact of other players sticks, known as
hacking.
Your composite has a hollow core, honeycombed with a plastic
membrane which magnifies the power of your hit. If you notice a
rattling inside your stick it means that a tiny piece of plastic has
been knocked loose by an impact. Your stick may sound like a ?rain
stick?. It will not affect the play of the stick. If it annoys you,
there are several easy remedies. However, as it is only a small
particle, the fly wing size flake may lodge itself in a honeycomb
and never be heard from again. The first technique for "encouraging"
the floating speck to "settle", is to tap the butt of the handle a
couple of times on the ground. That may work for a short time, or
wedge the fragment permanently. If that doesn't work to your
satisfaction, you may want to cut a hole on the end cap and shake
the particle out. Or use a method similar to "FIX-A-FLAT"; where you
poke a tiny hole and add a drop of any sticky substance that the
floating piece of plastic will stick to. Put tape back over the hole
when you are done, but if you have added a gooey substance, leave
the air hole open overnight before applying the tape to the hole.
If you want to keep your stick shiny and new looking, go to an
automotive supply store and get a tube or tiny bottle of touch up
paint. Bring your stick with you to match the color. ("DUPLI-Color"tm
SCRATCH-FIX recommended)
The orange Dita stick, illustrated above, belongs to Teun de
Nooijer. This is what his stick always looks like after he's played
with it for a day. He plays hard. The paint loss is cosmetic, the
goal scoring is real. Take a good look at the head of Teun's stick
and you will see the exact spot where he ALWAYS hits the ball.
That's the "sweet spot". In case you are unfamiliar with Teun de
Nooijer, he is the most famous field hockey player in the world. He
is the star of the Dutch team, and not only has been named the FIH
Player-of-the-Year, but has multiple Olympic medals and World
Championships.
Most elite players modify their grip, especially the top six
inches, so that even with their eyes shut they know exactly at which
angle the head of the stick is facing. A well taped top grip can
eliminate slices and increase control.
WARRANTY: Although rare, defective workmanship
does sometimes occur. Dita will repair or replace your stick if it
is broken during normal play, within four months of purchase. Please
keep a record of where and when you purchased your Dita. Examples of
broken sticks include: a stick which the head or a large portion of
has come off, a handle or shaft that is in two pieces.
NOT COVERED: chips, scratches, nicks,
?invisible cracks?, unraveling grip, cracks in the label, worn stick
heel, or loose particles inside the composite?s interior, rattles,
vibration, or any other result of normal use. These problems will
not affect play of the stick.
A Composite stick is made to hit field hockey balls, nothing
else. Don't hit stones, rocks, other player's sticks (that's called
hacking), or anything hard. It will cause your stick to chip and
bring down the total performance of your stick.
Play on grass or turf, not on dirt, not in the street, not on a
tennis court, not in the parking lot, or any abrasive surface. It
will grind down your stick and destroy it in no time at all
