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It’s common for players to think they should just choose the top model automatically. While the Tour is technically the most advanced and in that sense ‘best’ stick in our range, it doesn’t automatically follow that it is the right or est stick for you.
These pages will explain our range and some of the considerations that lead you to choose your perfect GRYPHON stick. One thing we won’t talk about is material percentages. Carbon, for example, comes in various grades and qualities and unless you know you are comparing carbon of the same level any claim of how much is included is worthless since more of lower quality carbon will always be outperformed by less of better. Power comes from linear and torsional stiffness and our unique lay-up methods were developed to create the maximum power to weight output, i.e. stiffness, required at each level, enhanced by using the best materials and manufacturing processes.
Performance is not just power, it is perhaps even more so touch and feel, i.e. when the ball and stick come together how does that connection feel through your hands.
We make the touch and feel you get on the ball a variable feature of all Gryphon sticks. Across the Tour and Taboo Series, the potential power is much closer by comparison than the feel, which vary greatly. This means you do not have to worry about power, the Tour and Taboo Series give you that capability, but instead consider how that power will feel.
Tour and Taboo Bluesteel have an instant and very responsive touch, meaning that you feel contact with the ball in your hands straightaway. The Taboo Striker has a more cushioned touch by virtue of adjustments in these materials in the lay-up.
Power is the ability to generate the greatest ball speed for your swing speed, be it on hitting, slapping and tomahawking. There is a direct correlation between ball speed and stick stiffness. This is what we call power.
Feel is the touch on impact and the ability for players to have instant responsiveness. The ideal in the design is for it to be crisp and responsive, yet as forgiving as possible. We cannot defy physics, if your timing is not good you are going to feel it.
The weight range of Gryphon sticks is typically from 510g to 540g. You want a stick that is heavy enough to maximise power but not so heavy that you can’t manoeuvre it well to perform other skills.
The balance point determines the weight distribution. The midpoint of a stick as far as balance goes is 400mm and that means the pick-up is even as the weight is evenly distributed.
•Below 400mm (max depth 380mm) gives you a lower balance and a stick that is weighted towards the head, potentially making it less comfortable and slower to move.
• Above 400mm (max 410mm) means a stick that is weighted to the handle and picks up lighter in the head, potentially making it more manoeuvrable.
The best way to evaluate this and get your best combination is to dribble the ball from side to side. If the stick and ball stay together and all feels good then your combination is right. If the stick is getting away from the ball then the weight is too high and/or the balance is too low as you are not moving the stick quickly enough. Conversely if the stick is getting away from the ball then the weight is too low and/or balance too high as you are moving it too quickly.
The Lay-up is the Gryphon performance ‘X’ factor. We do this differently, it is an art, it is a sixth sense based on years of experience and the knowledge of how to best achieve the desired result of power and a great crisp feel to allow that instant response from the players hands for exceptional ball control. This cannot be achieved using 100% of anything.
Stick production factors that influence greatly stick performances are:
• Resin Matrix – This is the chemical structure that binds the different materials together
• Material composition – Most importantly, how these materials are used and located on the stick. This is what we call ‘Lay-up’.
• Pressure achieved in the moulding process increases the laminate strength
• Shape of the stick – Read more