How to tape a hockey stick and why (Grip and blade)

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It’s important to mention that there is no correct or wrong way of doing this, its player preference, this is simply an example, 1 of many ways to do this. Try this and other methods until you find one that works best for you.

Taping the grip of your hockey stick with cloth hockey tape or friction tape helps you maintain a good grip on the stick throughout play. It’s also of particular use when shooting, passing, stick handling, stick checking or trying to pick up a dropped stick. While many aspects of how, exactly, you choose to tape your hockey stick’s grip are ultimately determined by your personal preference, the fundamental technique used to layer the tape on is more or less universal.

1

Wrap the tape securely around the very top portion of the hockey stick’s grip. Keep wrapping until the tape forms a knob at the very end of the stick. How big you make this knob is up to you–some players make only one or two wraps, while others wrap the end of the stick several times.

2

Leave the tape attached to the knob you just made. Unwind about 12 inches of tape from the roll, and then twist the unwound tape tightly so that it resembles a small, twisted cord.

3

Wrap the small tape-cord you created in Step 2 in a spiral down the handle of the hockey stick. Each wrap of the spiral should be between 1 and 2 inches apart–exactly how tight you make the spirals is, just like the knob at the top of the stick, up to your personal preference.

4

Continue unspooling the tape, twisting it, then spiralling the twisted tape down the handle of the shaft until you’re happy with the length of the spiral, then break the tape and tuck the loose end securely against the shaft of the stick. As with the tightness of the spiral and knob size, how far down you take is based on personal preference. Some players tape only the first 8 inches or so of their stick to help give them a secure grip, while others tape farther down the stick so they can have a good grip with their low hand as well.

5

Place the end of the tape to the very top of the stick, on the knob you made in Step 1. Wrap all the way down the stick to the end of the spiral you made in Steps 2 through 4; this time, keep the tape flat and make sure that each spiral overlaps smoothly with the ones laid before. Break the tape once you reach the end of the spiral you taped previously, and then smooth the tape down to remove any wrinkles.

How to tape a hockey stick blade


For the blade simply wrap the tape from top to bottom. Starting near the shaft side, about 1-2″ from the stick, wrap the tape from the top edge to the bottom taking care not to leave the starting edge of the tape exposed. Continue taping, overlapping by about a half inch, across the blade. Leave 2-3 inches of the tip exposed. Be sure that you cut the tape so that the edge is on the top-back of the blade; this will help prevent it from unravelling.

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