Taping your stick...

[Axman]

How do you tape your stick? I know I myself am pretty meticulous about it; it doesn't take my 20 seconds to wrap a roll of tape around it. I kind of make it a project. I heard a neat trick about taping the blade only from the mid-point to the toe so the puck slides easier from heel to toe during a shot.
I also saw a video online somewhere with a neat trick in wrapping the handle. If you twist the tape into a small rope and wrap it 3 or 4 times in a diagonal fashion a couple inches apart and then tape over it, you make a pretty nice handgrip. Works nicely...

So how do you guys go about it?

Click to read more...

 

[Anubis79]

I put a strip of tape along the bottom of the blade from the heel all the way up around the toe. Then I start wrapping heel to toe, always starting on the backhand side (just a little quirk) and keep going past the toe making sure to keep the tape square coming off the toe. Then I cut off the excess around the blade profile, wax it up and I'm good to go. I used to do the tape rope handle wrap but I use Tacki-Mac grips now.

 

[mbeam]

Heel to toe, nothing fancy. Sometimes I put a strip on the end of the toe to give a complete wrap, sometimes I feel it hasn't been working for me and don't bother with it. Candle wax it all up and it's fine. Extra wax on the bottom of the blade.

I do the handle the same way as the OP. Been doing that since I was a kid.

 

[silkyjohnson50]

In regards to the shaft, I always start taping 6 inches down from the butt-end of the stick til i reach the top. I don't like a very big knob, so I probably wrap 6-10 strips for a knob. I could never use a huge knob like you see a player like Lidstrom using because i hold my stick with the knob in the middle of my top hand. Once i'm finished with my knob i wrap back down to where i began. I don't like any of the roping or anything like that. I've tried it, but it just wasn't for me.

Then for the rest of the shaft i have like 6 individual strips down the shaft to offer different gripping points. I hate using shafts with grip on it. I'm a player than often times plays with a very loose bottom hand - it's all over my stick. I like stickhandling and i like using the poke check, so anything that makes my bottom hand feel like it's stuck to the stick is a huge detriment to me.

Then for the blade i have yet to find anything that i'm perminantly attached to. I've been experimenting with everything.

 

[GLG]

KNOB
1. Electrical tape around 5 times
2. Cut the width of the electrical tape so I get a smaller knob
3. White tape around the knob and down 1 time
4. Apply baby powder

BLADE
1. Black tape strip on the top of the blade to half way down the toe
2. Black tape start at the heel and go towards the toe but wrap it around to the backhand heel area (Erik Cole style, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPglivB0VcU see from 0.31 to 1.46) --- I don't use that spray adhesive
3. NO tape on the bottom since I play ball hockey, but I apply wax to the bottom of the stick before every game & even keep it on the bench (wax as necessary during a game)

 

[Dinoz]

Heel to toe white tape with minimal overlap, i feel minimal overlap is a must when using theese composite sticks to get the full feel.

 

[hitmanjat]

This thread makes me want to go re-tape my stick lol.

I use all white tape, on the knob and on the blade. I split the tape in half to create a small snob and then swist the tape together to make a small knob.

I tape my blade fully always have, I put a layer of black tape at the bottom (since it is tougher). I use a shorter stick and my heal gets warn sometimes.
I then wrap from heal to toe and cut off the excess.

I used black tape for a bit, but i had more success when i switched to white and love seeing the pucks marks so im white for good now.

 

[Briere Up There*]

Heel to toe,

I just put maybe 4 layers at the top then one for about 5-6 inches for the knob

 

[Darrelle Lundqvist]

I tape mine white from heel to toe. I put tape over the toe to protect the tip of the blade. For the top I do a layer of white and cut the tape in half to get a thinner knob, which gives me more control. After I do one layer of grip tape for some extra feel

 

[Noir]

I go toe to heel w/ exposed toe. I used to go heel to toe, and I also used to go full wrap which means toe is also covered.

Doesn't make a difference gamewise. But I'm no pro so maybe if there's a difference, it's not big enough for an amateur to notice.

 

[Rush22*]

I hate taping my sticks... and usually they need to be re-taped after every game or every other practice, I also break a ton of sticks. So I keep it simple...

Quick wrap of the top with grip-tape, nothing fancy. Cut a roll of tape in half and put a small knob.

I tape mid-blade and wrap the toe, then wax it.

 

[HowToHockey]

Hold on, let me just shoot a video real quick

This is how I tape my blade


This is how I tape the grip



I'm surprised at how many comments and video responses I got on the how to tape a hockey stick video

 

[HowToHockey]

How d-o you tape your stick? I know I myself am pretty meticulous about it; it doesn't take my 20 seconds to wrap a roll of tape around it. I kind of make it a project. I heard a neat trick about taping the blad=e only from the mid-point to the toe so the puck slides easier from heel to toe during a shot.
I also saw a video online somewhere with a neat trick in wrapping the handle. If you twist the tape into a small rope and wrap it 3 or 4 times in a diagonal fashion a couple inches apart and then tape over it, you make a pretty nice handgrip. Works nicely...

So how do you guys go about it?

I like taping my sticks, it's like a bonding ritual

 

[Blueland89]

I like taping my sticks, it's like a bonding ritual

yes it is I love it man

 

[GLG]

Love taping my sticks as well, definitely a ritual I enjoy!

 

[Axman]

I like taping my sticks, it's like a bonding ritual

Awesome videos...

Love your website too. Helpful info.

 

[biturbo19]

a strip folded along the bottom of the blade.
wrap from toe to heel, starting on back, finish on top.
wrap about 3/4 of the way down the blade from the toe.

pretty big knob. a good number of wraps around the end.
then a pair of strips placed parallel to shaft that extend about an inch past the knob.
start about 3 inches down the shaft and wrap 1 thin layer around back up to the knob.

~fin~


lol.

 

[Dinoz]

I like taping my sticks, it's like a bonding ritual

Love taping my stick aswell, but i dont agree with you saying that taping heel to toe when the puck slides towards the toe that the tape will come of a bit.

It has never done it for me and i taped my sticks heel to toe for 20 years. I also do feel that taping heel to toe gives you a better puck spin.
IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OwZDPeXVQM

I usually do minimal overlap, not this much.
As i feel you get the best feel and shots from these onepiece sticks
with minimal overlap

 

[Blueland89]

 

[kr580]

The tape job on my blades is really simple. I tape the whole blade, from just behind the heel to covering the toe. I then wax the hell out of the blade and melt it in with a heat gun. Nothing special there.

As for the handle, I've come up with this method which I think I'll always use from now on. I've tried just tape in varying layer thicknesses, tried the cord of tape spiral, none of that felt any good.

The foundation ends up like this. The knob is about 3/4 of the width of regular stick tape and the ridges are made from the leftover 1/4 strip, layered 3 times:

The missing tape is used for the knob, the thin strip is used for the ridges:

After that I wrap one layer of white athletic tape around everything. Then I finish it off with one layer of SportsTape Gauze Tape (white only now):

I end up with nice ridges for grip, but without there being uncomfortable, hard ridges you get with the cord spiral method. The gauze tape is a godsend. Never lose a grip ever. One of the greatest things about it is I only ever have to replace the outer gauze layer. The tape underneath never gets worn whatsoever, the gauze takes all the damage... plus it hardly wears my gloves at all.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I keep it very simple. I wrap toe to heel with the toe exposed, trying to line up the tape carefully so it creates a smoothed surface with no grooves.

I keep the handle simple too, with no ridges and only 4-5 times around the end to create a knob.

 

[Ampersand]

This.

 

[Jarick]

Wide white on the blade, heel to over the toe, waxed and melted. Oggie Pro Stock Ergo grip up top, so no tape.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I like the "ritual" aspect of it, but I'm not very picky when it comes to taping. Heel to toe, simple round and round till it's all taped up. If different tape jobs have any effect on my play, I haven't noticed it.

I do the handle grip described in the OP, seems to give the handle a better feel.

 

[Triple Deke]

I like taping my sticks, it's like a bonding ritual

Agreed. Feels kinda therapeutic.

As for taping, i keep it simple. White tape on blade, heel to toe (all the way over toe).
White tape for the handle, twist tape for grip, then make knob with 8 loops around (I'm a bit OCD in that sense )