How to Wrap Tsuka-Ito Hockey Tape

The ancient art of Tsuka-Ito involves the almost ceremonial act of wrapping the hilt of bladed weapons such as swords and knives in silk to create the familiar diamond-like pattern inherent on Japanese weaponry. For hockey players looking to create a little flair to their on-ice presentation, wrapping the stick shaft with hockey tape Tsuka-Ito style can add an interesting visual to the stick that will also help the player grip the stick better.

Things You'll Need

  • Rolls of hockey tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Sit on a bench or chair with your hockey stick secured between your knees and the blade touching the floor. Starting with the section or sections of the shaft of the stick where you normally place your hands, wrap about a 2-inch coil of hockey tape around the shaft.

    • 2

      Hold the roll of hockey tape at a slight angle and pull the roll taut as you wrap a single line of tape around the shaft at a downward angle. Coil the tape around the shaft and continue wrapping at this angle until the entirety of the section is wrapped in a "candy cane" pattern. Wrap and last bit of the section around the shaft as you did when you began wrapping.

    • 3

      Wrap the section again, this time going from bottom to top, wrapping in the direction opposite from where you wrapped the first coils. Doing so creates a small X-shaped pattern with the tape but also creates the Tsuka-Ito diamond pattern. Finish off the section as you did with the initial wrap.