OUTDOOR HOCKEY STICK CHOICE
Start with the player. Get the size right. Then use the hockey they actually play, bend and response to narrow the current Mercian range.
You do not need to understand carbon percentages, bend names or hockey-stick technology before you start.
START WITH THE PLAYER
If you are choosing for yourself, think about the hockey you play now. If you are choosing for someone else, answer for the player first.
Being new to hockey does not automatically mean buying the cheapest stick, the softest stick or the lowest specification.
Start with the right size, something the player can handle comfortably, the hockey they are actually playing and what the stick needs to help them do.
Fit the player now, while allowing sensible room for growth.
Do not buy something so long or difficult to handle that the player has to grow into being able to use it.
You do not automatically need a beginner stick. Your previous experience is useful.
What did you like about your previous stick? What would you change now?
Use it as your starting point.
Is the length right? Do I like how easy it is to control? Do I want more help with power? Do I like the bend and shape?
GET THE SIZE RIGHT
Before worrying about carbon, price or bend, make sure the stick is an appropriate length.
ADULT STICKS
For most adult players, the practical choice is between 36.5" and 37.5".
There is no rule that a taller, better or more experienced player automatically needs 37.5".
39" is an outlier rather than the normal adult choice. Choose it only where the extra reach is deliberately wanted and the stick is designed and offered in that length.
JUNIOR / CHILD STICKS
For a growing player, a useful guide is for the top of the stick to sit:
That gives useful opportunity for growth without compromising handling too much.
The important point is that growth should not overwhelm present-day fit.
If the appropriate size is unavailable, do not automatically jump to the next size up or down. Look first for another suitable stick in the right size.
THE HOCKEY ACTUALLY BEING PLAYED
Position can provide useful context, but position alone should not choose the stick.
Most players need a stick that works well across a broad mixture of normal hockey skills. That keeps the more conventional and all-round bends very relevant.
If those skills are genuinely important, a more specialist bend may help.
Again, particular specialist shapes may be worth considering.
A specialist feature only earns its place when the hockey being played actually benefits from it.
BEND & SHAPE
Different bends can help different skills, but they are not levels of quality.
The simple all-round starting point
Standard Bend is the straighter, more conventional shape used across much of Mercian's junior range.
It is particularly useful where the priority is learning and performing the core skills of hockey: receiving, passing, carrying, hitting and tackling.
For many younger players, Standard is therefore the natural place to start.
The all-round low-bow route
Pro introduces a more pronounced low bow while remaining suitable for a broad mixture of hockey.
It becomes relevant when the player wants an all-round stick but is beginning to benefit from modern skills such as lifting, aerials and more advanced ball manipulation.
It is not a “better version” of Standard. It solves a slightly different requirement.
Specialist low bow
Ultimate V2 becomes relevant when drag flicking, aerials, lifting or 3D skills are important enough to influence the stick shape.
Specialist reverse-stick and 3D route
Xtreme is particularly relevant where reverse-stick play, lifting and close 3D handling are major priorities.
Specialist concave-face option
DSH adds specialist face shaping intended to support skills such as flicking and aerial work.
If that feature is not important to the player, there is no benefit in choosing DSH simply because it is more specialised.
MATERIALS & RESPONSE
You will see terms such as wood, fibreglass, carbon, Kevlar, resin systems and vibration-control technology. You do not need to understand all of them to make a sensible choice.
These tend to be more flexible and forgiving.
That can help where the player values easier handling, softer touch, comfortable receiving, forgiveness or a manageable first composite stick.
Carbon adds stiffness.
A stiffer stick can feel more direct and can help transfer more of the player's energy into hitting and slapping. That gives more potential power.
But extra potential power is useful only when the player can use it.
At the stiffer end of the range, a stick can feel more direct and powerful.
That may be exactly what one experienced player wants. Another experienced player may deliberately prefer more touch, forgiveness or balance.
SO IS MORE CARBON BETTER?
No.Carbon percentage tells you something about construction. It is not a score for quality, ability or playing level.
Mercian also uses fibreglass, Kevlar, resin and other construction technologies alongside carbon, so one percentage never tells the whole story.
CURRENT MERCIAN RANGE
By now you know the right size, whether specialist bend or shape matters and roughly how forgiving, balanced or direct the construction should be.
Moving down the map means moving towards a more direct and potentially powerful response, not towards a “better” stick.
Moving across changes bend or shape. A specialist bend is useful only when the hockey being played benefits from it.
SHORTLIST
That can be a perfectly good result. There does not always have to be one objectively correct stick.
If two or three sticks genuinely remain suitable, an honest shortlist is more useful than pretending one is uniquely correct.
PRICE & VALUE
Price matters. It just should not decide which sticks are suitable in the first place.
A more expensive stick is not automatically more suitable. If two suitable sticks are otherwise close, price and personal preference are completely legitimate ways to make the final decision.
STILL UNSURE?
REPLACING AN OLDER MERCIAN?
Start with what you liked about it and what you want to change. Do not assume an older Mercian has one automatic current successor unless that relationship has actually been established.
BUYING FOR A SCHOOL OR GROUP SESSION?
Mercian's Rebel range is designed for school, institutional and introductory use rather than being another stage in an individual player's progression.
GOALKEEPER?
Goalkeepers can compare specialist stick shapes and lengths in their own guide.
Choose a goalkeeper stick95 SERIES
OPTIONAL TECHNICAL DETAIL
The outdoor guide above contains the complete choice journey. These pages are here if you want more detail on a particular part of the stick.
Understand why Mercian’s outdoor shapes behave differently.
Outdoor stick bendsUnderstand the trade-off between a softer feel and a more direct, powerful response.
Power, touch & carbonSee what the main stick materials contribute to construction and feel.
MaterialsSee how the materials are brought together in the finished stick.
Construction