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Hockey TipsSUPPLIES
- Scissors
- Hair dryer or heat gun
Overview
Taping your hockey stick properly is very important. Misplaced tape can cause your blade to hang on the ice and make it very difficult to handle the puck. Using no tape can cause your stick to wear out prematurely, and can even do the same for your hockey gloves.
Making a Handle Knob
Step 1
Wrap a thick rubber band around the very tip of the handle. Twist it and double it over two or three times to get it to hold itself on. Do your best to avoid any major twists and try to keep the band as flat as possible against the handle.
Step 2
Add more rubber bands one at a time, using the same method as in the previous step. The number of rubber bands you add depends on the thickness of the bands you're using and your personal preference; you can make the handle knob as big or as little as you like. Stop adding rubber bands when the knob reaches your desired size.
Step 3
Wrap several layers of tape around the circumference of the rubber band knob, taping in either direction. After three or four wraps, tilt the direction of the tape so that you cover part of the top of the knob. Then tilt it the other direction on the next wrap, covering the other side of the top of the knob. Continue wrapping until all sides are well covered.
Step 4
Continue wrapping while moving the tape down to the bottom of the knob, then move onto the handle. Work your way down the handle approximately 4 inches.
Step 5
Cut the tape and smooth it out against the handle of the stick.
Taping the Handle
Step 1
Attach the loose end of the tape just under the handle knob.
Step 2
Wrap the tape in either direction at a slight diagonal. With each revolution, overlap the layer before it by approximately half the tape width. Take your time to make your layers even.
Step 3
Continue this pattern toward the blade of the stick. You can tape down the handle as far as you would like to go. There is no right or wrong to how far down you should tape, but there is little benefit to taping any lower than your lowest grip position on the stick.
Step 4
Cut the tape when you've gone far enough down the stick. Smooth the end flat against the shaft.
Taping the Blade
Step 1
Cut off a piece of tape that is just a little bit longer than the blade.
Step 2
Carefully press the sticky side of this tape directly onto the bottom edge of the blade (the edge that comes in contact with the ice). Center the tape on the blade and smooth the edges up against the sides.
Step 3
Start the roll of tape right at the curve of the heel of the stick and wrap all the way around the blade toward the toe. Wrap at a slight diagonal and overlap your layers by half a tape-width, just as you did when wrapping the handle. Stop when you reach the tip of the toe.
Step 4
Cut off the tape and smooth it against the side of the blade.
Curing the Tape
Step 1
Plug in a hair dryer or heat gun and warm it to its highest safe setting.
Step 2
Hold the dryer about 6 inches from the hockey stick and run it over the taped areas. Keep the dryer moving all of the time, and spend about 30 seconds each on the handle and the blade.
Step 3
Hold the stick by an untaped area for a few minutes, being careful not to touch the taped areas to anything. You can use or put the stick away when the tape is completely cool.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Use black hockey tape to make the puck harder for your opponents to see when you're handling it.
