I recently started having trouble with breaking sticks.  I had never broken a stick before and suddenly I was breaking 1 or 2 per week.
They would always break at the same point as well.

I went to a local music store and talked it over with one of the better sales guys there.  After examining my technique, he thought that it was likely the angle and force combined.  Along with the fact that when playing quickly I rely on force instead of using rimshots.  I have tried to utilize rimshots more,  and pay more attention to the angle I play at(the angle of the stick, not the cymbals).  Haven't broken a stick since...

FYI - I play punk / rock, and use 5a oak sticks.

When I played punk there was a constant flurry of slivers coming from every rim shot.

But... you don't need to bash in order to get a rim shot.  In fact, that's a major flaw in my playing now - my backbeat overwhelms the whole kit and I find it difficult to get any balance between the drums.

Punk drumming doesn't teach one much about dynamics.

One very notable exception is the drummer for the Dead Kennedys.  He showed how Jazz schooled drumming can be applied to hardcore, but I haven't heard anyone else follow in his footsteps.

That doesn't work so well if the guitars are so loud the mic' is picking up more of them than the snare.  That's the problem with a punk band using walk-in Marshall cabinets in a bar that holds 60 people - unless you really bash the drums, the mic's dont' get a clear signal from them.  

Every back beat has to be a full on rim shot if the drums are going to have any presence at all.  And the other drums have to be pretty much wide open.

In such a situation, top quality drums are a waste because even the cheapest drums will give a good sound if you're hitting them as hard as you can.

If you've never played in that sort of situation before, the best advice I can give is - DON'T.  Unless you really love the abuse.

I tried the graphite sticks and found that, while they didn't break, they went sort of rubbery after a while, almost like playing with a really stiff piece of rope.

That was ages ago, though, so maybe the've improved since then.

I liked the the Aquarians, never broke one, but did eventually wear them out.  Never noticed and rubbery problems though.

Also, a long time ago I had a pair of Duraline sticks which were white and made out of Kevlar (remember their drum heads??)
Those were pretty cool and lasted a long time as well but I do remember them feeling a little rubbery though.

A few years ago I had a couple pair of Mainline drumsticks that I actually liked, they didn't last quite as long as the others but I liked the way they felt. I think they went out of business though.

Last year I bought a pair of Carbosticks which were pretty expensive, at first use I broke the pair in about 15 minutes which really ticked me off.

I wasn't playing anything loud or hard, I was just warming up for a rehearsal with pop band. I should have taken them back but I was about 60 miles from the store at the time and wasn't sure where my receipt was but  I'll never buy a pair of them again.

That is different.

If you start wailing on the rim shots you'll find that the sticks gradually get chewed up and splintered where they hit the rim.

I used Promarks because I found they would gradually disintegrate.  If I played them long enough they'd be half their diameter at that point and the core would be like a bundle of slivers.  I could literally wave the stick in the air and watch it bend back and forth - but it still didn't break in half.

That's a whole lot better than having a stick snap cleanly in half when I'm in the middle of a drum fill.

The Promarks almost always gave me lots of warning, so as long as I replaced the sticks regularly, I'd almost never break one.

Nowadays, I'm focusing on getting good rim shots with the absolute minimum amount of force - and without breaking the lighter sticks.  The truth is that they're not really any less cutting then when I was bashing like a crazy person.  

More "snap", less "bash".  That's the way I'm trying to go.

I am having the same problem with breaking sticks...right where the stick meets the snare rim (I hit rimshots often).  I use 5A Hickory.  Any clues as to the technique adjustment that would be recomended to still "crack" the snare, but save the sticks?

Oak pack a real whollup, but they are SO heavy.  They're great for Rock that's slow or mid tempo, but extremely hard hitting.  Not so great if you want much speed, though.  Unless you're an exceptionally powerful drummer.

thanks 1202-

I have tried oak...but they are HEAVY.  I really like the feel of the 5A.  Tried 5B, a little too much mass for me...or I just need to practice to get faster.

I'm not ULTRA concerned as play around 8 times a month (band practice/gigs) and that is about how long my sticks seem to last.

Not really into synthetics as I like a wood tip.  

I'm going to start backing off on the velocity and see how that works.  Thanks for the help!