How to Tape a Hockey Stick

Taping your hockey blade will ensure you have enough friction so that the puck does not slip out when you strike it. Taping the blade also does not allow moisture to settle down on the stick while playing. When you tape the handle of your hockey stick, it provides you with an additional grip, facilitating better control. The knob on the top of your stick will make it easier for you to pick up the stick, in case it falls on ice.

Cloth tape is considered to be the most popular choice when it comes to taping a hockey stick. You will also require stick wax, a puck and scissors before you start. Follow steps mentioned below to tape the toe, blade and handle of your hockey stick.

Taping a Hockey Stick Blade

Step 1
To tape your hockey stick blade, you should start taping from the toe of the blade, and come up to the part where the shaft and blade coincide. People may advise you to do this the other way round, but recently professionals have found this way to be more beneficial, as it ensures that the puck is released quickly off the blade. Also, when you tape your blade this way your puck will spin a little slowly, for you to deceive the goalie even more, while you shoot.

Step 2
Once you have taped the blade, you need to take a puck and start rubbing it along the tape area, in the heel to toe direction. Doing this, will smoothen the newly attached tape and will also bind it well with the blade.

Step 3
Pick up stick wax and start applying it on the blade area which you have just taped. Wax increases the life of the tape by preventing water from settling on the tape. It also helps while you take shots, by reducing friction between the ice and your stick blade while striking the puck.

Taping Over the Toe

When you tape the blade, you would have left some space at the toe of your stick which is not taped. This place needs to be taped separately as it is the most used part of your stick. To tape this area, cut out 4 pieces of your tape, which are longer than the toe of your stick. You will need to wrap two of these tapes on your forehand side, and the other two on your backhand side, across the toe so that it is completely covered. If there is any excess tape, cut is off with a pair of scissors. Rub a puck on this area, followed by applying stick wax, to enhance the tape.

Taping the Handle

To start with, you will have to wrap tape on the top of your stick, at a particular spot several times. This is called a knob, the bigger you make it the better. After you have got the knob, simply spin your tape over the handle a few times. The tape will appear like a string. Start wrapping your handle with this string tape. Don't clutter it, instead space it out. Over this string tape, wrap another layer of tape. This time cover the whole area and overlap it on the string tape you wrapped earlier. Cut out excess tape.

You can now easily do this yourself and work wonders for your game. It is simple, quick and extremely useful if you want to transform yourself into a good hockey player.