The Complete Handbook of Broomball Equipment

Finally, a book that treats broomball gear with respect. I've been running a league for six years and have always patched things together with bits of advice from the internet. Chapter 1 alone, just the breakdown of how force is transferred from the stick to the ball, has already improved what I tell new players. The whole book feels like it was written by someone who has actually dealt with soggy gloves and bent blades. I've bought copies for my whole management team.

As a player of 15 years, I thought I knew most of what there was to know, but this handbook proved me wrong. The explanation of foam densities in pads and what that actually means for impact absorption finally made me replace my old shin guards. It's not flashy, but it is incredibly solid. I found the maintenance chapter worth the price on its own. This is a reference I'll keep right in my hockey bag.

It's a very thorough reference, and I appreciate that it's not just a catalog of products. I use it mostly for the business aspect - the breakdown of different supplier tiers and what a facility really needs versus what is a nice-to-have was extremely helpful. I docked a star because I wish there were a few more detailed photographs, especially for edge-case repairs like thermoforming a skate boot. Overall, a very smart purchase.

I bought this for the Chapter on maintenance because I'm responsible for a rental fleet at the local ice rink. The specific diagnostics are helpful, and the section on cleaning and disinfecting pads was good. However, I felt the book spends too much time on the business strategies near the end, like private labeling, which isn't relevant to me. It could have used that space to go deeper into more specialized repair techniques. That said, it's still a useful book to have.

I got this because I was nervous about buying gear for my kids, and I knew nothing. The chapter on understanding the equipment is perfect because it's not condescending and it doesn't just tell you what to buy, it tells you why. It explained the trade-offs between $40 sticks and $150 sticks in a way that actually made sense for a parent on a budget. I checked for the signs of a good helmet fit and found the basis for what he needed for the season.

A practical addition to the library for any serious player. I mainly bought it for the fabrication and materials information, which was not as deep as I hoped, but the book hit its marks on selection and care. The comparison of different blade materials and how their stiffness affects shooting has helped me choose a backup stick. It's well organized and you can jump to a specific problem and get an answer quickly. Definitely worth a look.

As a business owner looking to get into the sporting goods niche, this was the roadmap I needed. The 'Brands, Suppliers and Business Opportunities' chapter was worth the entire cost of the book. It gave me a real-world pricing structure and key questions to ask manufacturers that I never would have guessed, like what the standard lead times are for polypropylene and what warranties are actually worth. It is the least 'fluffy' business book I have ever read. Highly recommended.

I've been out of the game for a few years and came back to find the equipment has changed a lot, mostly in the stick technology. This book was my refresher. It was easy to understand and very well structured and I particularly liked the checklist for what to check when you get a new stick. I bought a new one based on the 'flex' and 'kick point' explanations and I can't argue with the results. This is a solid, no-nonsense reference.