If you are in the quest of the best grip, you should be looking for the pickleball paddles that are designed with proper sweat-absorbing, extra-cushioned and perforated grips that can comfort you the best. However, holding a pickleball paddle is also a million dollar technique that you need to learn to outplay the opponent.
Before discussing about how you should hold your pickleball paddle, let us suggest you to check here to find the best pickleball paddles available in the market.
There are several ways of getting your grip going. Let us talk about the different grip styles and once you have tried them, you can decide which fits you the best.
Continental Grip
To start with, let’s talk about grabbing a pickleball paddle like you are grabbing a hammer and going to hammer a nail. That is known as a hammer grip or a continental grip. Such a grip is preferred by players who have an equal number of backhands and forehands.
Thinking about shaking hands with your pickleball paddle. That is exactly how this grip goes. There is supposed to be a V-shape in your hand that can meet the paddle bevel.
When holding the paddle in right angles to the ground, the reflex should be as good as you want it to. When you swing the paddle, it will stay straight on the grip. This makes it a perfect way to hold the pickleball paddle.
Western or Semi-Western Grip
This is the second best way of holding the pickleball paddle. Here, you have to shift the hand to the back of the paddle. This is like you are swatting a fly. If you are a beginner, without any sports background, this grip might come to you without even trying it.
This sort of grip is perfect for forehand strokes because the palm of the hand is behind the flat portion of the paddle. If the base of the forefinger is in position with the handle, it is called semi western, while when it’s all the way to the bottom of the handle, we term it as a Western Grip.
This grip however makes the backhand harder for the players because the wrist faces the net and there is no strength to hit the backhand strokes.
Eastern Grip
This is one popular kind of grip style because it perfectly blends the forehand and backhand strokes. It is also like shaking hands with the paddle. If you are the player who hit more forehands than backhands, this grip will soon be your go to grip.
Final Words
Holding the pickleball paddle in the right way is often an imperative skill that is left ignored most of the times while players get busy thinking of hitting techniques etc. Before starting your game, take a moment to practice the holding of the paddle first, get the feel of it and invest time in training yourself better from the start.
