TI stands for Technique Improvement and is the latest version of the original TK ball control enhancement feature Control Wing Technology (CWT), first featured in the TK collection back in 2002.
TK were the first brand to experiment with grooves in the playing area of the stick in an attempt to help the player gain extra control over the ball. The original CWT consisted of a 4mm groove over almost the entire playing area of the shaft. Soon though sweep hitting was a key feature of the game and a conventional flat shaft playing area was an essential requirement, so the next generation, CWT II, had the groove on the stick face only.
CTI (Control Technique Improvement) has evolved again to feature a 2mm concave groove on the stick face. This helps to hug the ball and offers greater control when dribbling, as well as easing the movement of the stick head beneath the ball to lift it off the ground, while reducing the groove depth balances this with the ability to hit the ball. The second variation, LTI (Lift Technique Improvement), features the 2mm groove across almost the full face of the stick to offer the ultimate assistance in serious forms of ball elevation - drag flicking and monster aerials. The full groove channels the ball and keeps it centred and controlled to maximise the speed and distance capabilities of these specialist skills.
CTI models feature our 25mm Regular Bow. Very much regarded as the conventional shape of modern hockey, the placement of the optimum point of the bow towards the mid section of the shaft creates a shape that offers equal assistance to every skill in the game. The definitive all rounder, this is a shape familiar to all players.
LTI models feature our 25mm Late Bow, placing the optimum point of the bow further down the shaft towards the head of the stick. This shape offers greater assistance to skills such as drag flicking, by increasing the slingshot momentum the player can generate. The Late Bow shape can also improve dribbling as the hands become more centred over the stick head as well as other skills involving lifting the ball.
