The kick point on a hockey stick is the exact spot on the shaft that flexes the most when you shoot, and it's the single biggest factor behind whether your release feels quick and whippy or long and powerful. Low kick points sit near the blade for a fast release, high kick points sit near your top hand for maximum power, and mid kick points split the difference. Here's how each one actually works, how to tell them apart on the ice, and how to find the one that fits your shot instead of just the one printed on the shaft.
What Is the Kick Point on a Hockey Stick?
The kick point is the specific location on the shaft that flexes the most during a shot. Think of it like a spring: when you load the stick against the ice, energy gets stored in that flex point, and when the shaft snaps back straight, that stored energy releases explosively into the puck.
Manufacturers engineer where that flex happens by layering carbon materials at different densities up and down the shaft. Thinner, more flexible layering in one zone and stiffer, reinforced layering everywhere else creates a built-in fulcrum. Change where that fulcrum sits, and you change how the whole stick releases a shot.
The Three Main Types of Kick Points
Every composite stick on the market falls into one of three families, based on where that fulcrum sits on the shaft.
Low Kick Point
A low kick point flexes in the lower third of the shaft, close to the blade. That short distance between the flex zone and the puck creates a quick, whip-like action.
- Lightning-fast release time
- Excellent for quick wrist shots and snap shots
- Superior puck-handling feel, since the flex zone sits close to where you're already controlling the puck
- Ideal for in-close scoring chances where you don't have time to wind up
Low kick sticks tend to suit forwards who rely on quick hands and a fast release near the net rather than a big wind-up from distance.
Accent's Actifly A1 Pro is built around exactly this profile. Its low-kick "Fly Point" loads and releases fast off the blade, which is what makes it easier to catch a goalie off guard on a toe-drag or a one-touch release, while still holding up at a competitive-tier 375 grams over a full 60-minute game.
Mid Kick Point
A mid kick point flexes closer to the middle of the shaft, splitting the difference between a quick release and a powerful one.
- Balanced power and release speed
- Versatility across wrist shots, snap shots, and one-timers
- A blend of feel and power that doesn't ask you to commit to one shot type
- Well suited to players who take a wide mix of shots in a single shift
Centers and developing players tend to benefit most from a mid kick point, since it doesn't lock a shot into one specific role the way a low or high kick point does.
Accent's mid-kick model is the Render, built on a "Core Load" mid kick point and a square shaft for a stiffer, more stable feel under your hands. It's not yet sitting in standard inventory, but you don't have to wait on a restock to get one: you can build a Render to your own curve, flex, length, and grip right now through Accent ID, Accent's custom stick builder.
High Kick Point
A high kick point flexes in the upper shaft, near your top hand. That longer distance between the flex zone and the blade lets the stick store and release far more energy per shot.
- Maximum shot power
- Excellent for slap shots and one-timers
- Superior force transfer on a full wind-up shot
- Ideal for shooting from distance, like the blue line
Defensemen and power forwards tend to prefer a high kick point for exactly that reason: more time and distance to load the shaft before the shot has to travel the farthest.
How the Kick Point Affects Your Shot
The type of shot you're taking and the kick point built into your stick are directly connected. Here's how that plays out shot by shot.
Wrist shots reward a low kick point. Less time and space usually means less time to load a shaft, so a quicker, less effortful release matters more than raw power.
Snap shots work the same way. A low kick point loads and unloads fast enough to keep up with the quick, compact motion a snap shot depends on.
Slap shots reward a high kick point. The longer backswing gives you time to fully load the upper shaft, and that stored energy transfers into serious power on the follow-through.
One-timers tend to favor a high or mid kick point, since you're loading a significant amount of energy to transfer the moment the pass connects with your blade.
The trade-off underneath all of it: low kick points offer a quick release but sacrifice some power, while high kick points deliver maximum power but need more time to load. There's no version of a kick point that gives you both for free.
How to Find Your Ideal Kick Point
Start with a few honest questions about how you actually play, not how you'd like to play:
- Where do you typically shoot from?
- Are you more focused on shot power or release speed?
- What position do you play?
- What types of shots do you take most often?
- Do you usually have time and space to shoot, or are you working in tight?
Forwards: Wingers who rely on a quick release tend to do best with a low kick point. Power forwards who shoot from further out or drive to the net with a heavier shot may prefer a mid or high kick point instead.
Centers: Centers often benefit from a mid kick point, since the position calls for a wider mix of shot types than a winger or a defenseman typically sees in a single shift.
Defensemen: Defensemen tend to prefer mid to high kick points, built for powerful shots from the blue line and one-timers off a cross-ice pass.
A few common mistakes worth avoiding along the way:
- Choosing a kick point based solely on what a favorite pro plays, instead of your own shot
- Picking for maximum power when a quicker release would actually serve your game better
- Not accounting for your own strength level, which affects how much load you can generate in the first place
- Overlooking how kick point interacts with flex rating, since the two specs change how each other plays
Reading about kick points only gets you so far. Try a demo day if your local shop or rink runs one, borrow a teammate's stick with a different kick point for a few reps, or ask a hockey shop if they'll let you test on ice before you commit to a purchase.
The Evolution of Kick Point Technology
Modern composite construction, introduced in the 1990s, is what made engineered kick points possible in the first place. Before that, wood and early composite sticks flexed more or less uniformly along the shaft, with far less control over exactly where that flex happened.
Since then, carbon fiber layering and resin systems have gotten sophisticated enough to produce hybrid and variable kick point designs, and even dual-kick point sticks that blend characteristics of two zones in a single shaft. The core physics hasn't changed. What's changed is how precisely manufacturers can now control it.
Common Kick Point Myths, Debunked
Myth: A high kick point always means more power, period. Power also depends on your flex rating and how much strength and technique you put behind the shot. A high kick point paired with the wrong flex for your strength can end up costing you power instead of adding it.
Myth: Pros all use the same kick point, so that must be the best one. Pros choose based on their specific role and shot mechanics, not a universal standard. A defenseman's high-kick slapshot stick would slow down a winger's release, and neither one is objectively "better."
Myth: Low kick point sticks are only for smaller or younger players. Plenty of full-grown, high-level forwards play a low kick point because their shot selection calls for a fast release, not because of their size.
Myth: You can judge a stick's kick point by flexing it with your hands off the ice. Kick point shows up under real, game-speed load, not a static bend in a pro shop. A stick can feel similar standing still and play completely differently once you're actually shooting at speed.
Considering the Complete Package
Kick point doesn't work in isolation. It's most tightly linked to flex, since the exact same kick point profile can play stiffer or whippier depending on the flex rating it's built into, and to curve, since a curve's loft and face angle change how quickly the puck actually leaves the blade once the shaft's stored energy transfers into it.
We've also built dedicated, equally deep guides to choosing your flex and choosing your curve here on Accent's Learn blog. Read them alongside this one: How to Choose the Best Hockey Stick Flex and How to Find the Best Curve for Your Hockey Stick. Kick point, flex, and curve are a package deal, not three separate decisions.
Kick Point FAQ
What is the best kick point for a wrist shot?
A low kick point is generally best for wrist shots. It loads and releases quickly with less effort, which matches the fast, compact motion a wrist shot depends on.
Is a low or high kick point better for beginners?
Neither is inherently "better" for beginners. What matters more is shot type and strength level. A newer player still developing shot power may find a low kick point more forgiving, since it doesn't require as much load to get a shot off effectively.
What kick point do most NHL players use?
There isn't one dominant answer. It varies by position and shot style: wingers who rely on a quick release often play low kick, while defensemen and power forwards taking bigger shots often play mid or high kick.
Can I actually test a stick's kick point before buying?
Yes, and it's worth doing whenever you can. A demo day, a borrowed teammate's stick, or an in-shop test on the ice will tell you far more than flexing a stick with your hands ever will, since kick point only shows up properly under real shooting load.
Does kick point affect slap shots more than wrist shots?
It affects both, just differently. Slap shots reward a high kick point for maximum stored energy on a longer backswing, while wrist shots reward a low kick point for a fast, low-effort release.
What's the difference between kick point and flex?
Kick point is where the shaft flexes most. Flex is how much force it takes to bend the shaft in the first place. They're separate specs that work together: the same kick point can feel completely different on a stiffer or softer flex rating.
The Bottom Line on Kick Point
A kick point is a tool, not a transformation. The right one won't turn an average shot into a pro-level release by itself, that part still comes from reps, technique, and time on the ice. What it does give you is a stick that gets out of the way of your shot instead of fighting it, and that only happens once you understand what's actually happening inside the shaft instead of taking a marketing label at face value.
That's the real value in knowing this stuff: not memorizing a chart, but being able to look at a spec sheet and understand exactly why a stick is going to play the way it plays before you ever step on the ice with it. A low kick point sold as "quick release" or a high kick point sold as "maximum power" are both true statements, but they only mean something once you know your own shot well enough to know which one you actually need.
There's also no rule that says you have to fit the mold for your position. Plenty of players end up gaming a kick point that goes against the "intended" profile, simply because it matches how they actually shoot. The recommendations in this guide are a starting point for narrowing the search, not a verdict on what you're allowed to play.
Understanding your gear this way, past the branding and down to how it's actually built, is the whole point. Because isn't that what having the right equipment should really mean: not buying whatever a pro uses, but finally understanding your own game well enough to build it around what actually fits?
Additional Resources
Before your next stick, don't stop at kick point. Flex is the spec most closely tied to it:
- Flex determines how much force it takes to load the shaft in the first place
- The same kick point profile plays stiffer or whippier depending on your flex rating
- Getting flex wrong can mask, or exaggerate, what your kick point is actually doing on the ice
Read the full guide here: How to Choose the Best Hockey Stick Flex.
Testing tips: Look for a local demo day before you buy, ask a teammate with a different kick point if you can take a few reps with their stick, or ask your local shop about testing on ice. Pay attention to release timing, how the puck feels off your blade, and whether your shot feels rushed or delayed compared to what you're used to.
Key terms, quick reference:
- Kick point: the specific point on the shaft that flexes the most during a shot
- Low kick point: flex zone near the blade, built for a fast release
- Mid kick point: flex zone near the middle of the shaft, built for balance
- High kick point: flex zone near the top hand, built for maximum power
- Flex: how much force it takes to bend the shaft, measured separately from kick point
- Load: the stored energy in the shaft as it bends during a shot, released into the puck as the shaft straightens
A few questions worth asking yourself before your next purchase:
- What shot do I actually take most often, not the shot I wish I took most often?
- Am I choosing a kick point because of my own game, or because a favorite pro plays it?
- Have I tested this kick point at real shooting speed, not just standing still in a shop?
- Does this kick point match the flex I'm already comfortable with, or am I changing two variables at once?
The right kick point is whatever gets your shot off the way you actually play, not whatever's trending in a pro shop this season.