Photo by Magnus9
I’ve always wondered how some hockey players (like Mike Legg or Rob Shremp) can bust out these sweet lacrosse-like moves. I asked around, and most guys said it’s a combination of a lot of practice and a little wax. It’s been said that not only does wax help you do these sweet moves, but it keeps the snow off the blade and wicks water away from the tape.
I decided to give it a try, but to just start out with the wax I had already. The stuff is Parawax which is just an all purpose wax used mainly for canning (I use this for waxing my snowboard and waxing rails for skateboarding). Right away, I noticed a difference in the ability to control the puck and even more so the accuracy of my shot. Not to mention, I was going through less tape than usual.
As time went by, I kept hearing more and more about Sex Wax and how it makes SO MUCH of a difference. A teammate of mine had some, so I asked to borrow it. Generally I lather my blade with a generous amount of wax all over both front and back hand. I decided I would only do it half way up the blade on both front and backhand. I did this because that is how I’ve seen everyone else wax their sticks (beer league, college, NHL, etc.). I tried the wax this way for a while a didn’t really notice a difference. If anything, the Sex Wax was less effective than its cheaper counterpart. This could be me having a bias for the wax I’ve used for so long, but I figure there would have been a significant difference on the grip on the puck and accuracy of my shot, especially since everyone raves about this stuff. I am still a little skeptical of how well Sex Wax works. Maybe I didn’t rub enough into the tape, my stick was too cold, or some other factor played a role in its performance.
As a side note, my preferred method to taping/waxing a stick goes as follows. First, tape the stick from the heel of the blade to the toe, leaving approx. 1/8th of an inch of over lap. Second, I put a coat of wax all over both sides of the blade. Next, I use a heat gun (on high) to quickly melt the wax and let it absorb into the tape. Last, I put a final light coating of wax on while the tape is still somewhat warm. I notice if I tape and wax my blade this way, I have a greater amount of control and my shots (especially wrist shots) are generally dead on. Not to mention that a small circle of Sex Wax costs around $4.00 whereas a box of canning wax (4 bars) generally costs the same amount and seems like it would last longer.
To answer the question: Is Sex Wax really that sexy? I’m going to have to say, “I’ve had better.”
Tags: stick
When the cat is away, the mice will play.