How to wrap a hockey stick

A hockey player may use skates, pads and a helmet, but the stick is the more important tool. That is the one piece of equipment that they will spend needless hours looking at and handling in between games. On the playing surface, it becomes an extension of the player. For some players such as NHL great Bobby Orr, his stick with the thin strip of black tape on the blade became his identity. Here are some ways to take care of that identity.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth tape
• <br>Electrical tape
• <br>Cutting tool (Knife, exacto blade, scissors, etc.)

Instructions

How to tape your hockey stick

1. All hockey sticks come off the rack free of any impediments. It is up to the player to customize it and make it work for use on the ice, concrete or any other player surface. The best way to start is at the top of the stick or the hilt.

2. Take the cloth tape and wrap downward from the top about six inches and then back up again. Use a tight almost overlapping motion to make sure the tape stays strong. Once you get the tape back up to the top of the stick, start wrapping it around the top into a "knob." This is important because it serves as somewhat of a handle for the top of the stick while skating as well as a way to pick up a stick quickly once it hits the ground or ice during a game. Note that goaltenders often use a very thick knob, but a skater needs a smaller maybe inch-thick knob.

3. Next take the electrical tape and do the blade of the stick. Follow the same manner of putting two coats on by going front to back. Most players will tape almost the entire blade and leave just a little bit showing at the top. This was not always the case, and some players do experiment with how much tape to use in order to control shots, passing and the like.

4. Test your blade tape. Play a quick game on the ice or road to see if the tape holds and more importantly how does the stick reacts. Look to see if you are having trouble with your shots. Also check the wear and tear. If the tapes breaks down after a few slapshots, think about adding more tape to the blade.

5. Customize the blade by adding tape to the stick's body. Some players will run tape up and down the entire blade in the hopes of making it stronger, but other players think that this make a stick less "whippy" and therefore not as good a scoring weapon. However, you may want to add some tape to where your hands usually grip the stick to make it easier to grab.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to experiment. Players will add thing such as talcum powder to their blades to make them more effective.

• <br>A good tape job can be done in about 15-20 minutes.

• <br>Tape several sticks before each game.

• <br>Check you tape after each game.