Best Hockey Sticks For Beginners

You’re probably reading this blog because you have no idea what hockey stick to buy for yourself or potentially one of your children.

Don’t panic, we’ve got you sorted at ONE Sports Warehouse.

Choosing your first field hockey stick can sometimes be a bit daunting. Perhaps you’ve never played before, or it’s your child’s first go at a club. We hope the below guide and advice will help you pick your perfect stick.

What is the average cost of a beginner stick?

The average cost of a beginner hockey stick will vary for three reasons…

Is it a senior sticks or a junior stick? You’ll pay slightly more for a senior stick as they are usually longer and therefore more expensive to manufacture

Which brand is it? Some brands especially some of the premium brands will charge slightly more for a stick owing to it’s ‘curb appeal’

What it’s made of? Wood = cheapest, fibreglass = somewhere in the middle, carbon = getting more expensive.

Most beginner hockey stickers will start around £25 for juniors and £40 for senior and at that price are very likely to be a predominately wooden stick inside the shiny graphics.

A rough guide on the average cost of a beginner hockey stick however is:

Junior hockey sticks - £35+

Senior hockey sticks - £50+

What material is best for a beginner hockey stick? 

A true beginner stick in its basic form is made of wood. Whilst this was the traditional way a stick was constructed, a lot has changed in stick design and composition meaning that a lot of beginner sticks are now made of fibreglass and even have a small amount of carbon in them.

Whilst a wooden stick may save you money as an initial investment, the lifespan of the stick is often less. Players, both junior and senior, will find the sticks often heavy and very unforgiving, which is why we have seen a big shift in the last 5-10 years into a fibreglass stick. Another issue with wooden sticks is that they can be susceptible to breaking at senior level.

Yes, it’s a beginner hockey stick so a young player is likely to grow out of it, or if you’re an adult trying it out (or getting back to it) for the first time you might now want to break the bank. 

Here’s our honest advice. If you can afford not to go for a wooden stick, do it, especially for adult beginner sticks.

How to choose a child's first hockey stick?

Age

An important factor to consider is the age of the junior player. A wooden stick would certainly be appropriate for a 6-year-old but perhaps would not for the power a 13 year old might generate.

Budget

It’s not always the case that the more you spend the better a stick is. A stick with carbon in again may not be appropriate for a younger beginner as the stick may be too stiff. It’s always best if you can come in store and try the stick to see which your child is most comfortable with.

Stick size guide

Below are a few brilliant beginner junior hockey sticks to take a look at. We have included wooden and fibreglass to suit all budgets. 

1. Gryphon GXX Origin Gator Junior Hockey Stick - £24

2. Kookaburra Meteor Junior Hockey Stick - £14

3. Grays Blast Junior Hockey Stick - £30

4. Y1 RGS x OSW Junior Hockey Stick - £35

5. Adidas Youngstar .9 Junior Hockey Stick - £30

Same again with some beginner senior hockey sticks:

1. Kookaburra Eclipse Hockey Stick - £58.50

2. Mercian Genesis CKF25 Pro Hockey Stick - £56

3. Gryphon Chrome Cobra GXII Pro 21 Hockey Stick - £60

4. Adidas Estro .8 Hockey Stick - £54

5. Grays GX1000 Ultrabow Hockey Stick - £54

Ready to buy your hockey stick? Shop the full range now.

Still not sure what to buy? You can email us, call us or speak to us on live chat. You can also read our blog on how to choose the right hockey stick.