What is lie?
I’m sure that many of you have heard about “lie” or seen it written on your sticks like you see above, but you may been wondering; what is lie? Lie is the angle between the shaft and blade of your stick. As seen below:
The lie is indicated using a number, generally 4-7. The most popular lie for senior sticks are 5 which equates to an angle of 135°. The differences between the lies are about 2°, but don’t worry yourself about the degree too much. It’s the number that matters to you.
But what does all these numbers equate to?
The higher the lie the more upright the stick is. Here is a little info chart:
As you can see, the higher the number the more upright it is.
How can you tell which lie is right for you?
If you have never owned a stick before you may want to start with a 5 because it is the most popular. One way to see if it is right for you is to try some out at your local store. Grab a stick in your lie, or start with the Lie 5, and go into your natural skating position. The middle of the blade should be flat on the floor at comfortable. If, when resting your stick on the floor the toe is off the floor you want to increase the lie to make the stick more upright. Alternatively, if the sticks heel is off the floor you want a lower lie to keep the stick further in front of you. Note that the angle will change when you are on skates.
If you already have a stick, the best way to tell you if your lie is correct is to check the wear on your tape. If you notice that your tape wears more towards the heel you want to increase your lie.(more upright) If you notice that your tape wears more towards the toe you want to decrease your lie. (More out in front of you) If your lie is correct the tape should wear in the middle of the blade. As most things in hockey, the lie of your stick is also a preference. If you tend to have more puck battles you may want a more upright stick (higher lie) so you have more control in tighter areas. Defensemen or newer players may want a lower lie so you can keep the stick further out in front of you.
How does length affect lie?
The length of the shaft also plays a factor into your lie. If you add length to your shaft it will lower your lie because the stick will be further our in front of you.
I played at the elite levels with 23 years of experience and I actually learned something from you about hockey Sticks, much appreciated that you took the time to categorize everything the way you did . Excellent work .
Thanks
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback!
If you’re toe is off the floor, wouldn’t you want to decrease the lie? Making the lie more upright would just make the toe come up further.
Excellent question! Let me clarify. What I meant by “toe being off the floor” is the heel on the floor and the toe angled upwards. This means that the stick is too far out in front of you. I didn’t mean the toe on the floor with the heel off of the floor. In that case you would be correct, however I was talking about the blade with the heel on the floor. A higher lie would make the stick more upright lowering the toe towards the floor.
I hope this answers your question
Maybe I’m missing something, but using the diagram above, if a lie 4 fit me perfectly, going up in lie from there would looks like it would raise the toe higher and higher off the floor. Sorry for the confusion!
Yes, you’re absolutely correct. The angle would change, making the toe higher off the floor.
You’re absolutely right, and this article seems backwards. If the hands are a fixed spot, and where you like to put the blade is a fixed spot, then what needs to change is the angle between the blade and shaft. If the toe is off the ice, you need a more obtuse angle between blade and shaft to bring the toe down – a Lower lie.
Hello I have a 11 year old peewee player that has a a bauer nxg with a 4 lie with a 47 flex and the stick tape is wearing at the toe . What do I need to do ? Help
Hey mate, late reply but someone else could still be having the issue…. if he’s using a 4 lie and the toe is wearing out its probably because hes trying to play with the puck closer to him that the lie is designed for. Try a higher lie (5-6) so it naturally brings the middle of the blade closer to him, so he wont have to pull the stick closer to his body (which makes the toe touch the ice more than anything else) you’ll probably find he will be better on the puck aswell.
Why are the stick companies (bauer) phasing out lie 5 sticks. I went to my LHS the other day and was only able to find one stick in Lie 5, a pattern I’d prefer not to use. I found out my favorite pattern p92 Lie 5 is no longer going to be available at retail locations and if I wanted a P92 Lie 5 it will still be available on bauer’s custom order sheets. Problem with custom is the $299 price tag, when I’m not willing to spend more than $199 on a stick.
Its unfortunate but its a money thing. Back in the day when the top of the line model was $150 it was much easier for stores to stock more variety. It sucks but theres nothing you can really do
I’m looking for a lie 4 stick. Any suggestion? Thanks.
They dont really make them too often. You could try cutting the stick or adding length to get the lie right