26 April 2019

Get a grip and win in comfort!

Is your racket too big for you? We were suprised to be told ours was by the coaches on our last trip to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Mallorca. We asked our specialist partner HEAD to give us the low down on choosing the right sized grip for you and what to do when your grip wears out. PLUS scroll to the bottom of the page for your chance to win HEAD grips!

While most things in tennis have got bigger and better, the racket grips used by the pros have tended, if anthing, to get smaller. Rafa Nadal reportedly uses a 4 1/4 grip which, as you will see from HEAD's guide below, is smaller than you might expect. This, of course, is where overgrips can come in - while you can't make your racket handle smaller you can easily bulk it out until it is exactly right for you

Choosing your grip

A rough and ready way of telling which grip size you should go for is to hold a racket in your normal forehand grip. Then you should be able to squeeze a finger in which touches both the end of your fingers and your palm.

The size of the grip is measured in inches. To calculate the right size, measure your playing hand from the top of your ring finger to the bottom lateral crease on your palm.

GRIP 0: 4 inches
GRIP 1: 4 1/8 inches
GRIP 2: 4 1/4 inches
GRIP 3: 4 3/8 inches
GRIP 4: 4 1/2 inches
GRIP 5: 4 5/8 inches

  • For most adult height juniors would go for grip 0, 1 or 2.
  • For most women it would be grip 1, 2 or 3.
  • For most men it would be grip 3 or 4.
  • Grip 5 for a really big hand.

Other Variables: Players who like to hit a lot of topspin should go for a smaller grip to enable going "over" the ball. Players who like to hit flat should go for a bigger grip.

Re-Gripping

There are two types of grip: ‘replacement’ and ‘overgrip’ and which to use is a matter of personal preference. To help you understand the differences we have added some notes below.

Replacement: Applied directly on to the handle of a racket, these have a sticky backing and offer a reasonable amount of cushioning. These are often bought in single grip packs. Use them to bulk out a grip if you have intentionally chosen a smaller racket handle.

Overgrip: Does not have a sticky backing and is typically much thinner. This is designed to be wrapped over a replacement grip which can be used to increase a grip size, add cushioning or extra tackiness for sweaty hands. It is cheaper to replace on a regular basis when worn out than a replacement grip. These are often bought in multiple packs of 3+ at a time.

 

JUST IN

We have just added these great HEAD grips to our Local Tennis Leagues shop. All sales help the Local Tennis leagues project - or choose them as part of your winners' prizes.

 

 

WIN A GRIP

Thanks to our partners HEAD we have 6 replacement grips and 6 overgrips (pictured above) to giveaway to Local Tennis League players. To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is answer the following question correctly: 

Entries close on 3rd May 2019 with full terms and conditions available here. The winners will then be notified and this data erased.