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HEAD SHAPE

There are three head shapes available in the MALIK stick line:

CLASSIC:

The Classic head is made of one piece of Mulberry wood bent into a tight short head with an up-turned toe. Curvature: 115 degrees, Displacement 4.5 cm, Upturn, 0.5cm. The stick allows for the balance of the skills on the open and reverse stick resulting from the short, up-turned shaping whilst retaining the durability of a one-piece head.

J-TURN:

The J-Turn is a slow but dramatically turning head, with a longer yet still up-turned toe. Curvature: 135 degrees, Displacement 5cm, Upturn 1cm. This open head shape is more beneficial for those players who want optimum control at full reach on the open stick side. The head allows for the ball to be caught easily and dragged in the curve of the head. Hence, a must for right-sided players and short corner injectors. The laminated technology required to produce this head shape may well result in a shortened playing life.

MIDI:

The Midi head is an extremely tightly turning head with a strongly pronounced upturned toe. Curvature: 165 degrees, Displacement 3.5cm, Upturn 2cm. A tight uncumbersome head that provides for excellent reverse stick skills and rapid rotation of the head. A must for the player who depends more heavily on left sided skills. The laminated technology required to produce this head shape may well result in a shortened playing life.
 


 
 
 

THE SCIENCE OF REINFORCEMENT:

Good reinforcement is not  about using the most expensive composite materials; but about applying the right fibers, for the right jobs, in the right quantities, with the right proportions of resin. We believe that MALIK's reinforcement strategy is second to none. There are FOUR purposes for REINFORCEMENT:

STRENGTH & SHOCK ABSORPTION:
In increasing order, Fiberglass and Kevlar are the two major strengthening materials. These fibers are best applied as  a criss-crossing braid that absorbs SHOCK WAVES, by causing overlapping interference patterns as shock waves travel up the stick. The higher the level of reinforcement the greater the strength of the stick and the longer  the expected life of the stick. Today, however, current levels of head wear often result in the stick being retired before the  reinforcement is even thoroughly tested.
 
STIFFNESS:
Although all the composite materials used add stiffness to a stick, the most effective is Carbon, especially when laid in lengthwise strips along the face and the back of the stick. Despite being a fairly strong material, Carbon is brittle and tends to undergo catastrophic failure when weakened, making it unsuitable as a strengthener and therefore is usually reserved as a stiffener in the high impact sport of Field Hockey. Super stiff sticks , with an excess of lengthwise fibers tends to transmit the shock of the impact, at the head, up the stick and into the hands. Therefore, a balance is desired, which is best achieved by combining lengthwise fibers for stiffness with a braid of criss-crossing fibers, in the strengthening zone for shock absorption. These properties are present in both the Pegasus and Comet.

IMPACT RESISTANCE:
This is a feature of reinforcement that is becoming increasingly more important. The major area of impact damage is in the stick tackle zone , (the 6 inches of the shaft just above the head). This tends to be the area from which the majority of problems of head deterioration begins. Protection from impact  in this zone may considerably improve the life of the head of the stick and therefore the stick itself. Dyneema and Kevlar are the most effective impact resistant materials. Despite being highly effective , Dyneema bonds poorly with wood. As a result, MALIK's premium sticks have an impact resistant zone of Dyneema laid over a stiffening and strengthening composite materials at the base of the shaft ensuring a strong bond and optimum protection of the stick.

HEAD STRENGTHENING:
Fiberglass, laid in sheets across the front face, help bond and secure the laminated parts of the face. The braided Kevlar strips placed around the base of the head reduce wear and inhibit deterioration along the grain in the lower lamination of the stick.


 

RETURN POLICY:

Occasionally sticks will break without apparent cause. On these occasions the customer may wish to return the stick for inspection and in some circumstances a full or partial refund may be granted. The customer should be made aware that: a) breakage of the stick through abuse or poor stick-tackles, although disappointing, is not the fault of the manufacture. As a result, returns are unlikely to be forthcoming where the stick shows signs of having suffered in this way. And b) it is a consequence of making sticks in the shapes desired that laminated technology is used and such laminated sticks suffer more significantly from wear and tear. This leaves a burden on the customer to repair and care for such sticks. The manufacture has no obligation to replace a stick that has worn down through wear and tear or that could still be repaired to a state that would be suitable for the use in the game of Field Hockey. Stick maintenance and care information may be obtained from Unique Hockey Supplies upon request. R Copyright Unique Hockey Supplies 1995
 
NAME
REINFORCEMENT
HEAD SHAPE LEVEL AGE POSITION
  Strengthening Stiffening Impact Resistant        
Pegasus
K,C Braided
Fiberglass
Dyneema Sleeve
J-Turn
HS & up
15+
Mid, Def, Rside
Comet
K,C Braided
Fiberglass
Dyneema Sleeve
Classic
HS & up
15+
Fwd, Mid
Venus
K
Carbon
Dyneema Sleeve
U-Turn
HS & up
14+
Def, Lside
Meteor
FG Braided
Carbon
Kevlar Sleeve
J-Turn
HS & up
14+
Mid, Def,Rside
Meteor
FG Braided
Carbon
Kevlar Sleeve
Classic
HS & up
14+
Fwd, Mid
Meteor
FG Braided
Carbon
Kevlar Sleeve
Midi
HS & up
14+
Def, Lside
Sirius
FG Braided
FG Strips
Kevlar Sleeve
J-Turn
MS & up
13-17
Mid, Def, Rside
*Neptunus
FG Strips
-
Kevlar Tape
J-Turn
MS, Rec
12-16
Mid,Def,Rside
*Jupiter
FG Strips
-
Kevlar Tape

MS, Rec
12-16
Fwd, Mid
Vega
FG Tape
-
Polyester Tape
J-Turn
MS,Rec
Mid,Def,Rside
Vega
FG Tape
-
Polyester Tape
Classic
MS,Rec
12-16
Fwd,Mid
*Mars
FG Tape
-
Polyester Tape
Classic
MS,Rec
12-15
Fwd,Mid
Pluto J
FG Tape
-
Polyester Tape
J-Turn
MS, Rec
12-17
Mid,Def,Rside
Pluto Classic
FG Tape
-
Polyester Tape
Classic
Elem,MS
U14
All
Composite 1      
J-Turn
All
All
All
Composite 2      
J-Turn
All
All
All
Cyclone      
Hook
  HS & up   All All
KEY:
K= Kevlar                                     C= Carbon
FG= Fiberglass                             HS= High School
MS= Middle School                      Elem= Elementary School
Rec= Recreational Use                  Fwd= Forward position
Mid= Midfield position                 Def= Defense position
Rside= Right side player               Lside= Left side player
          *= Available in USA by special request only

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