How to Tape a Lacrosse Stick: Grips That Actually Help

The two tape jobs that actually help are simple: a knob at the butt-end so your bottom hand never slides off, and a thin reference band a few inches up the shaft so your top hand lands in the same place every time. Use cloth athletic tape or hockey tape, keep it tight and thin, and add a full wrap only if you play in the wet. Everything else is preference, and most of it just adds weight.

Taping is not stringing. This is the quick, no-skill job you do to the shaft, not the involved work of tying a pocket.

Why tape a lacrosse stick at all?

Two reasons, and both are about your hands finding the shaft without looking. Under pressure, with gloves on, you cannot glance down to check your grip. A butt-end knob gives your bottom hand a physical stop, so it catches instead of sliding off the end when you throw a hard pass or take a check. A reference band gives your top hand a landmark, so your hands set at a consistent width shot after shot.

That consistency is the whole point. Coaches at Inside Lacrosse and Lax All Stars push the same idea: tape should make your grip repeatable, not decorate the stick.

How to tape the butt-end knob

This is the one every player should do. Tear off a strip of cloth athletic tape and wrap tightly around the very bottom of the shaft, building up several layers into a raised ring. Aim for a knob thick enough that your gloved bottom hand clearly catches on it, but not so bulky it feels like a doorknob.

Wrap it tight. Loose tape slides down the shaft mid-game and the knob disappears exactly when you need it. Finish by pressing the end down firmly so it does not peel. A good knob lasts a few weeks of practice before it needs a refresh.

Adding a top-hand reference band

The second useful job is a thin band a few inches down from the top of the shaft, where your top hand naturally sits. One or two wraps is enough; you want a raised edge you can feel through your glove, not a thick grip. When your top hand finds that band, your hands are automatically the right distance apart for cradling and shooting.

This is the wrap most beginners skip and most consistent shooters keep. It costs ten seconds and it fixes the wandering top hand that makes passes fly high or wide.

Common lacrosse tape jobs, and when to use each

Not every wrap suits every player. Here is how the main tape jobs compare so you tape for your position, not for looks.

Tape job	What it is	Best for	Watch out for
Butt-end knob	Built-up ring at the bottom	Every player	Wrap tight or it slides
Top-hand reference band	Thin raised band up the shaft	Shooters, feeders	Keep it thin; too thick hurts feel
Full-shaft wrap	Tape down most of the shaft	Wet weather, extra grip	Adds weight; kills bare-shaft feel
Goalie grip wrap	Tackier full or partial wrap	Goalies handling in traffic	Refresh often; wears fast
Head/scoop tape	Tape near the throat or plastic	Defenders wanting durability	Check it is rule-legal first

For most field players, the knob plus the reference band is the entire kit. Add the full wrap only when rain or sweat makes a bare shaft slick. Before taping anywhere near the head, confirm it is legal under USA Lacrosse rules for your level, since covering certain areas can draw a check.

What tape should you actually use?

Cloth athletic tape is the default and it works. Hockey tape is nearly identical and popular for its grip, especially in the cold. Both hold a knob and grip through gloves. Lacrosse-branded grip tapes exist and add extra tack, which helps goalies and wet-weather players, but they are a nice-to-have, not a requirement.

Skip electrical tape and thin plastic tapes for the grip. They feel slick, they do not build a firm knob, and they unravel into a mess. Thin, tight cloth tape beats thick, sloppy plastic every time.

One more habit worth building: re-tape on a schedule, not after a failure. A knob that has flattened out or a band that has started to peel will let go at the worst moment, usually mid-check with the ball on your stick. Most players get a few weeks of hard use out of a fresh knob before the layers pack down and the grip goes slick. Peel it off, wipe the shaft, and rebuild it rather than adding a fresh layer over a dead one, since taping over old tape traps grit and never grips as well as bare cloth on clean metal.

Tape or restring?

Know the difference before you start pulling tape off the roll. Taping fixes the shaft and your grip. It does nothing for how the ball leaves the head. If your passes are inconsistent or your pocket has gone soft, the problem is the stringing, not the tape, and you want our guide to how to string a lacrosse head instead. Picking the right netting matters too; see our take on the best lacrosse mesh before you cut a single string.

Once the grip is dialed in, put it to work. Our lacrosse drills for beginners are the fastest way to feel whether your new knob and reference band are actually helping your throws land.

The bottom line

Tape the butt-end knob so your bottom hand never slips, add a thin reference band so your top hand finds home, and use cloth or hockey tape kept tight and thin. That covers 90 percent of players. Reach for a full wrap only in the wet, and never let decoration talk you into burying a light shaft under a roll of tape you do not need.

Freshness note: tape choices are stable, but rules on where you may tape the head vary by level and update periodically; confirm current USA Lacrosse equipment rules before taping near the head.