Your pickleball grip, or how you hold your pickleball paddle, is a crucial aspect of your game. Your grip will affect how you strike the ball and the kind of strokes you execute on the court. Consequently, it is essential to use the best grip that compliments your playing style and highlights your favorite strokes on the court.
If pickleball players are looking for different methods to grip their pickleball paddle, this post will highlight three ways of pickleball grips.
Pickleball Paddle Grips: The Three Different Ways To Grip A Paddle
America’s fastest growing sport has mainly three ways of grips which are as follows:
- Eastern
- Western
- Continental
It is necessary to learn about all pickleball grips, including their advantages and disadvantages since they provide crucial information about where the ball will travel and how you can reset it for the following shot. These pickleball grips will also offer you insight into your opponents’ playing style, allowing you to target vulnerabilities in their pickleball grips. So let’s check each of them:
1. Eastern Pickleball Grips
This represents the most common grip for pickleball paddles. All novice and intermediate players on the pickleball court should utilize the standard Eastern grip. So this is because the standard Eastern grip is widespread or neutral, allowing you to play both forehand and backhand shots with the same grip. In another sense, the Eastern grip is the optimal balance between the forehand and backhand shots.
To get an Eastern Grip:
- Put your playing hand on the pickleball paddle face.
- You must lower your hand till you hold the handle.
- Your hold should resemble that of a handshake.
2. Western Pickleball Grip
This grip is less prevalent but sometimes seen on courts. This grip mirrors how a pancake is flipped using a frying pan. The Western grip enhances the forehand and gives a great deal of spin, but it creates a challenging angle when trying a backhand. Consequently, players with a Western grip may strike with their backhands and forehands on the identical side of the paddle.
To get a Western Grip:
- Recognize Eastern Grip.
- Put your playing hand upon the paddle’s face, slide it along it, and grab the handle.
- Move the pickleball paddle about 60 to 90 degrees downwards. (Left side of the paddle face for right-handed players and right side for left-handed players.)
- Your grip must feel similar to how you would hold a frying pan.
3. The Continental Grip
The Continental grip is sometimes known as a hammer grip. You should hold the pickleball paddle like a hammer while striking a nail to get the Continental grip. In other words, to achieve the Continental grip, begin with an Eastern grip. Next, bend your wrist a little counterclockwise for right-handed players or slightly clockwise for left-handed players, such that the V-shape between your thumb and index finger is somewhat to the non-paddle edge.
The Continental grip is completely contradictory to its Western counterpart. As the Continental grip somewhat favors backhands, it is tougher to target forehand strokes on the pickleball court using the Continental grip.
The Eastern could be your best option if you’re new to the game and want advice on holding a pickleball paddle. The earlier you get through the appropriate hold, the more effective you will be since grips are a difficult component of the game to break.
About The Pickleball Grips
You can check the new paddle on the market that may have a good grip when they leave the manufacturer, in contrast to the cheapest paddles. However, even the greatest sweat-wicking grips eventually get worn out and must be replaced. With practically all racquet sports, this is true.
What’s the difference: overgrip vs. replacement grip?
To replace your standard grip or old grip of the pickleball paddle, utilize a replacement grip. Suppose a player is significantly dissatisfied with the effectiveness of their paddle. In that case, they may think about this alternative before determining that no level of over-gripping will make up for the shortcomings.
The overgrip often offers a non-slip surface; some models even provide other advantages, like a sticky surface. Still, their most important function is to lessen perspiration accumulation, giving you a greater grip on the handle and enhancing the game’s enjoyment.
Competitive players will change overgrips often as they get worn from use and sweat. Moreover, it is simple to replace one without having to alter the main paddle grips.
Final Words
So these are the three best grips for pickleball paddle. The best grip for you is the one that best complements your technique and playing style, but even more importantly, the one that feels most at ease in your hand when you take up your pickleball paddle. Whether you wish to adopt your existing grip with a new grip or exploring the different pickleball paddle grips, this post will help.
Here’s a Buyer’s Guide for the Best Pickleball Paddles for Beginners!
