Use a Wooden Stick and Run It Across the Blade Once and Check Again
For hockey players, ane of their about prized possessions is their hockey stick, especially when it's new. I of the best ways to take care of a hockey stick is to brand sure you have an effective hockey tape chore on both the blade and the hockey shaft. This is a tedious process for some, only a properly taped hockey stick bract can also be the deciding gene to whether or not yous snipe that overtime game-winning goal! In many locker rooms, perfectly taped hockey sticks are considered a work of fine art.
Within this article you can wait to learn:
- How to record hockey sticks
- Why players record their hockey sticks
- Pictures of standard hockey stick record jobs
- How the pros tape their hockey sticks
- Removing hockey record from your stick
How to Tape a Hockey Stick
Just like tying skates, there is no "correct" way to tape a hockey stick. Whether your tape job looks like Patrick Sharp'south, David Pastrnak'due south, or anyone's in between, ultimately it comes down to whichever style and method works best for you.
After purchasing your hockey stick, you volition desire to brand sure that it is the right length before taping. While on skates, sticks should stand up between your chin and your nose, depending on your preference. For more information regarding hockey stick selection, please bank check our Hockey Stick Ownership Guide.
Starting time things showtime, you volition demand a curl of 1.5-inch or 1-inch Renfrew Hockey Record (white or black, depending on preference), stick wax, and a scissors, if needed.
At that place are 3 main sections of a hockey stick that tin can exist taped: the handle, the shaft, and the blade. With each department, it is important to remember the following tips. Utilise fabric record. Never use sock tape or any record that has a non-grippy surface. Cloth tape will give you control of the stick and puck while in activity. Another tip is to try to be as precise and consistent every bit possible. Take your time and make sure you are getting fifty-fifty spacing betwixt each wrap and ensure there are no bumps or spaces.
How to Tape a Hockey Stick Handle or Butt End
Taping the top of the stick is important, as this is from where almost all control of your stick volition be generated. Information technology will have a direct consequence on your shooting, passing, stickhandling, and so on. With that said, there are many variations and it volition accept some fourth dimension to figure out which method you like best. Some players like a big knob at the top with a lot of record wrapped around, some prefer little to no knob, some like the "processed pikestaff" grip, some adopt a stick grip like the Buttendz Twirl 88 grip, and some prefer a completely different style. The about universal style is a unproblematic mid-size knob. You will want to start at the top of the stick and wrap the tape around the height of it until information technology gets to your desired size. Simply cut the tape when the knob gets to your desired size. Most players stop when their pinky finger comfortably wraps around the knob while property the stick with a pair of gloves on. From there, starting only below the knob, you will firmly wrap the tape around the stick, moving downwardly diagonally, until you attain your desired length. The common lengths for tape handles are between 4 and 10 inches. One time you go to your desired length, exercise one last lap at the bottom that is horizontal and overlapping a flake, and then cut it. At this indicate, some players like to add grip record effectually the handle, which adds a different texture, helping preserve the palms of your gloves.
How to Wrap a Hockey Stick or Taping the Shaft
Because some sticks take grip and others do not, another option for added grip and control is to tape the shaft of the stick. 1 name that comes to mind when discussing taping the shaft is that of Phil Kessel. The setup here is the traditional candy cane method. With 1-inch record, kickoff right below the buttend and wrap around the stick with your one.v to 2 inches in between each wrap. Proceed down the stick until y'all reach your desired length, and then end information technology off just like you did with the grip at the summit. This method is not commonly utilized, every bit most players prefer to take the ability to remove and slide their bottom mitt when necessary on the ice.
How to Tape a Hockey Stick Blade
Lastly, we arrive at the bract of the stick, which is arguably a hockey player's most important function of their stick. Much similar the grip of the stick, there are many variations when information technology comes to taping the blade of the stick. One of the about commonly asked questions is whether the tape job should exist washed toe-to-heel or heel-to-toe. Some say the heel-to-toe method, while slightly decreasing their shot speed, adds spin to the puck that makes it difficult for goalies to control. Wrapping your blade toe-to-heel is said to slightly shorten the fourth dimension it takes for the puck to get off your blade during shots.
Starting off, you need to make up one's mind what color tape you desire to use. The virtually common colors are blackness and white. While this may not seem like it plays a significant role, there is more to the decision than you lot would think. Using blackness tape on your blade is said to make information technology harder for goalies to locate the puck during shooting. The downside to that is it is a little fleck harder for players to rail the puck during stickhandling. A black puck against a black bract may be hard to run into. The exact reverse is said virtually white record. Although information technology is a little fleck easier for goalies to track the puck when there is white tape on your bract, it is easier for the stickhandler to track the puck using their peripheral vision, due to the dissimilarity of the black puck against a white bract.
Later choosing what color record you want to go with, you can then offset taping the bract. Whichever terminate of the blade you choose to start from, proceed from there to the opposite side. As mentioned before, it is of import to make sure that your spacing is consistent with each wrap. Doing this will give y'all that consistency you are looking for in your passes and shots. Later picking a starting point, wrap the record vertically across the blade, overlapping each previous wrap a piddling bit less than halfway. In one case you get to your desired length, cutting the end and overlap the previous wrap, as shown in the photo beneath. Generally speaking, you lot do not want to extend the tape task up to the shaft, although it does come down to preference. Upon completion, rub your hand along the tape area in the direction your record faces to ensure that the record is completely secured and smooth.
Yous tin can add stick wax to your newly taped blade as well. In that location are multiple brands of stick wax, only you volition want to make certain that information technology specifically states information technology is stick wax and not only general wax. Stick wax gives you added command of the puck on your blade, helps wick away ice and h2o, and helps increase the longevity of your record chore. Just accept the wax and make iv-half dozen passes horizontally beyond the forepart of the blade. Repeat this procedure 2-four times to the backside of the blade, every bit well. Some other alternative to wax is to apply friction record, which has an adhesive terminate on both sides of the tape.
After post-obit these three primary steps, you lot are now ready to effort out your new tape job and score some ballsy snipes!
Taping a hockey stick for roller hockey is slightly different. Players typically place precut strips of tape horizontally from the toe to the heel. If you were to use traditional stick taping, the record will create resistance when making contact with either tile or concrete.
Why do Hockey Players Tape Their Sticks?
Well-nigh all hockey players use some form of tape on their sticks, and for good reason. Taping your handle and blade both have multiple benefits. As briefly mentioned earlier, the biggest benefit of taping your stick is command. Composite sticks in today's game have a little chip of tactile grip on the blade, simply the surfaces practise not offer the control and feel that tape provides. Taping the blade also provides a small absorber when receiving passes, assuasive y'all to grab and release the puck off your stick that much quicker. This will also give the blade a stronger, more durable feel.
Another benefit of taping the blade, specifically, is that it helps with surface protection. During games, your stick is susceptible to stick checks, skates, the ice itself, and so on. Taping your blade can help protect against these types of bug. It can likewise help to prolong your blade construction confronting small hairline cracks.
Taping the handle of the stick gives you total control with your superlative hand during stickhandling, passing, and shooting. It is particularly crucial for defensemen, who control their stick with their top paw for most of the game, allowing them to poke check and defend confronting opposing players.
After taping your stick for the get-go time, y'all will quickly realize that there are many dissimilar options and possibilities. Starting with the handle, apart from the classic handle discussed before, the "candy cane" handle is another popular choice, peculiarly among younger players. Thank you to the ridges this method provides, information technology adds an extra layer of grip, providing you with a more than controlled experience.
Regarding the blade, other popular options include taping the toe and catastrophe at the halfway point of the blade. This style is considered to exist more advanced and caters towards players who have powerful, quick snapshots with the puck launching predominantly from the toe of the bract. While this option is great for players taking quick snapshots and utilizing toe drags, it leaves the back half of the blade unprotected, making it susceptible to damage.
Another popular selection for taping the bract is taping the role of the bract where it makes initial contact with the ice. This is known as the mid-blade wrap and caters towards players taking mainly wrist shots. Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars and Phil Kessel are both known for variants of this tape job. While information technology does work for them, information technology is important to note that not only does it leave the heel of the bract exposed, but it leaves the toe exposed likewise.
Pictures of Hockey Stick Tape Jobs
The Classic Hockey Stick Tape Task
Clarification: This standard record chore has been around forever. It consists of a heel-to-toe mode that leaves just a sliver of the heel and toe exposed. This tape job excels in protecting the entirety of the bract and gives players full control of the puck during stickhandling and shooting. The downside would be that it does use more hockey record in comparison to some of the other methods. If you are ever looking for a quick and like shooting fish in a barrel tape job to assistance get your scoring touch dorsum, this style might exist your best bet!
The Toe Tape Job
Description: Starting at the center of the bract, keep up to the toe of the bract, and completely wrap it. Some pros of this tape job are that information technology uses significantly less tape than other options. On top of that, it can profoundly do good players who take more often than not quick wrist shots from the toe of their blade. A downside would be that while information technology does utilise less tape, it can take some time to perfect this method. Additionally, this tape job leaves the back one-half of the blade unprotected, leaving it susceptible to potential damage.
The Five Strand Tape Job
Description: Starting just past the midpoint of the blade and complete five wraps around the blade, moving forward towards the toe. This should mean that the eye point of your tape chore volition be at the heart of the blade. Of the styles mentioned, the Five Strand is the quickest and easiest to consummate and does not require a lot of tape. The downside to that is that it leaves the about of the blade unprotected besides, both on the toe and heel.
The Sock Tape Chore
Description: This style is another hockey classic. Much similar the 'The Classic", The Sock starts at the heel, and proceeds heel-to-toe all the manner to the toe, covering information technology completely. The good thing about 'The Sock' is that your blade will stay fully protected from heel to toe. Additionally, you will have consistent control of the puck anywhere on your blade. A downside to this method is that is uses the most tape out of any on this list and can potentially take the longest to consummate as well.
How the Pros Tape Their Hockey Sticks
Sidney Crosby Tape Task
Throughout his career, Sidney Crosby has been known for his unparalleled stickhandling and puck command in tight areas. Assisting him with this is his 'Classic' tape task, as he has been seen using for the bulk of his NHL career. Additionally, he is about ever seen using blackness hockey record on the blade.
Since drafted, information technology was speedily apparent that Sidney Crosby had the potential to become one of the all-time all-effectually hockey players ever with his unmatched hockey sense, deadly precise edge work, and deceptively quick hands. Since his junior hockey days, he has followed his same taping style. Crosby utilizes the aforementioned "candy cane" handle, giving him added command of his stick in tight spaces when stickhandling. Crosby mostly uses white tape for his handle, but lately has been seen taking reward of grip tape, which helps to preserve glove palms.
Equally for the blade, Crosby tapes well-nigh of his blade, leaving just a sliver of the heel and toe exposed, predominantly in blackness tape.
Alex Ovechkin Tape Job
A year prior to that, 1 of the best goal scorers of all time entered the league. His name is Alex Ovechkin. Not only does he take i of the deadliest snapshots and one-timers the league has ever seen, but he can lay a decent hitting as well. So, to what does a guy with well-nigh 650 career goals, and climbing, attribute his success? Part of that must be the way he tapes his stick, right? Ovechkin is known for the wicked toe curve on his stick, and he knows how to use it to his advantage. He tapes his stick around the toe to just by the halfway point of the blade, using 1.5 inch white fabric tape. Since Ovechkin takes generally quick one-timers and heavy snap shots, information technology is important for him to have that extra grip and protection right at the toe of his blade. Ovechkin almost always goes with the same handle: white tape with red grip record over top, near 8 inches down.
Connor McDavid Tape Job
The proper name Connor McDavid is probably ane you have heard of besides. During his junior hockey days, it was apparent that this kid was a generational-type player. Since going showtime overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid is already closing in on 350 points. It seems like every week we encounter him on a highlight video making an unthinkable play. For the handle of his stick, McDavid's prefers his to be much shorter than what is considered "standard." Starting from the peak of the stick, his record simply goes downward nigh two or three inches, with a medium sized knob at the height. McDavid opts to go with the full record job on the blade. He covers the toe of his blade and and then continues the taping process all the style to the end of the blade, just at the end of the flat part of the blade. This provides McDavid with ultimate grip and control of the puck.
How to Remove Hockey Stick Tape
At some point, the unabridged taping process volition need to be redone. Again, how oftentimes you exercise information technology comes down to your personal preference. Some players will retape their blades before each game, yet some will do it only every few months. The rule of pollex is that if in that location is whatever pregnant part of your bract showing due to the tape getting cutting by a skate, you volition want to retape it. Another indication that you demand to retape is if the tape on the bottom of the bract is worn downwards enough to where you can start to run across the blade through it. Upon removal of the record, there will inevitably be some tape residue left over on the stick. If you lot run into this consequence, there are 2 mutual means to become rid of information technology. Get-go, get a bucket and make full it with warm water. Next, pour a little scrap of dish soap into information technology. Let the surface area of the stick with the residue on information technology sit there for effectually a minute, take information technology out, and firmly only carefully rub off the residue with a scrubber and fabric. Some other popular method is to heat the residue using a blow dryer and then scrape it off. If you lot exercise not desire to scrape the remainder off, you can also utilise the blow-drying method and wipe the balance off with a cloth dipped in rubbing booze or natural oil.
Time to hit the ice...
After reading and following forth with this guide, you are at present ready to go out on the ice and snipe some corners with your new tape chore! With all of the unlike taping options for the handle, shaft, and bract, information technology is just a matter of trying out new methods and deciding which 1 works best for you! Shop the vast selection of composite blended hockey sticks, hockey shafts, replacement blades and hockey tape at HockeyMonkey today.
Source: https://www.hockeymonkey.com/learn/how-to-tape-hockey-stick
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