Shoulder Strapping: A Complete Guide for Athletes

Shoulder discomfort is a common challenge for athletes, whether you’re on the rugby field, the hockey rink, or just grinding through your weekly baseball or softball games. When your shoulder joint feels unstable or sore, strapping can offer extra support without completely limiting your range of motion.

This guide will walk you through how to strap a shoulder using rigid sports tape—with tips on when to use strapping, what tape to use, and how to avoid common mistakes. While shoulder taping can’t replace medical treatment, it’s widely used by athletes to add stability, protect ligaments, and help reduce discomfort during movement.

Why Athletes Strap Their Shoulders

Shoulder strapping can provide three main benefits for athletes:

1. Joint support – It helps limit excessive motion, especially in sports where shoulders take repetitive hits or rotate aggressively.
2. Proprioception – Strapping can help your body “feel” where the joint is, which can improve movement patterns and reduce the risk of awkward, injury-prone positions.
3. Confidence – Knowing your shoulder has added support can allow you to play more freely without feeling overly restricted.

Shoulder issues often involve ligament strains or mild tears, which can make the joint feel loose or unstable. Strapping can help manage this by keeping the shoulder better aligned during play.

What Tape Should You Use?

Here’s a quick guide to the common tapes used for shoulder strapping:

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When Should You Strap Your Shoulder?

Athletes often strap their shoulders in situations such as:

• Returning to sport after a minor ligament strain (under professional guidance).
• Playing contact sports like rugby, hockey, or American football where impacts are frequent.
• Managing mild instability when overhead or throwing motions aggravate discomfort.
• Adding security during heavy training sessions to avoid overuse.

Shoulder tape should be applied on clean, dry skin, and ideally under the guidance of a physiotherapist or trainer to make sure the technique suits your needs.

Step 1 – Hypo Fix-it Tape

Ensure the skin is clean and dry. Spray pre-tape adhesive onto the skin. Begin with the hand positioned on the hip and the shoulder kept in a good posture. Apply Hypo Fix-it tape as an underlay for the skin.

Step 2 – Anchoring Strips (Over & Around)

Apply 2-3 anchor strips from the chest over to the scapula (shoulder blade). Apply anchor strips around the thigh and the lower leg. Repeat 2 times with them overlapping half of the previous strip. 

Apply 2 anchor strips around the chest Around to the scapula (shoulder blade) Make sure a deep breath is taken to expand the chest during the taping. Repeat 2 times with them overlapping half of the previous strip. 

Step 3 – Anchoring Strips (Arm)

Apply an anchor strip round the arm around the deltoid muscle insertion. Tense the biceps muscle during the taping to allow the muscles to expand during exercise. 

Apply basket-weave tapes starting from the arm and crossed to the top of the shoulder. This tape helps to center the shoulder joint in place.

Step 4 – Rotational Tapes

Apply rotational tapes starting from the front of the shoulder joint, then cross to the back of the arm and then finish the taping by going around the biceps muscles. 

These strips of tapes are important to limit external rotation. Check external rotation after taping for desired restriction. Secure the taping with finishing strips the same way as the anchor strips.

Step 5 – Finishing Tapes

Use elastic adhesive bandage (EAB) to close up the tapes. Secure the EAB with a strip of rigid tape.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Final Tips

Shoulder strapping, when done correctly, can help athletes feel more secure during high-impact or fast-paced sports. Combined with proper warm-up and recovery, it can be a valuable part of your injury management toolkit.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Products Mentioned on this Blog

USL Adhesive Tape Spray by GripTec

HK$300.00 – HK$500.00

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Rigid Tape

HK$29.00 – HK$52.00

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Hypoallergenic Fix-it

HK$25.00 – HK$45.00

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Lite EAB

HK$18.00 – HK$42.00

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