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The importance of change your grip

7/8/20263 min read

The science of grip. Why changing the grip is vital for your performance and health?

When we think about improving our game on the tennis or pickleball court, we tend to focus on the more eye-catching elements: the technology of the paddle or racket, the string tension, the materials of the shoes, or the hitting technique. However, we often overlook the only real and direct point of contact between our body and the playing tool: the grip.

Maintaining a grip (or overgrip) in perfect condition is not an aesthetic concern or a whim of professionals; it is a technical, biomechanical, and preventive necessity. Below, we break down in detail why changing it frequently can improve your game.

The biomechanical factor

When a grip wears out, it loses its fundamental property: grip. When it becomes slippery due to sweat accumulation, dust, and degradation of its polymers, the player experiences an unconscious reflex response: to squeeze the handle much harder than necessary.

In the technical lab, we call this the "death grip". Squeezing the paddle or racket too hard results in immediate collateral effects:

  • Loss of fluidity and control: The accumulated tension in the forearm muscles locks the wrist joint. Without a relaxed wrist, it is impossible to accelerate the head of the racket in tennis or execute the subtle control shots (dinks) in pickleball kitchen.

  • Premature fatigue: Spending extra energy simply holding the paddle drastically reduces your muscular endurance throughout the match.

Injury prevention: The hidden enemy of the elbow

The wear of the grip is directly related to one of the most common pathologies in racket sports: epicondylitis (the famous "tennis elbow") and epitrochleitis ("golfer's elbow").

The vibrations resulting from the impact of the ball travel through the frame of the paddle or racket. A new high-quality polyurethane grip acts as the first shock absorber of that energy.

When the grip is compressed and dry, it loses its absorption capacity. All that residual vibration and dry impact are transmitted directly to the tendons in your wrist and elbow. When we add muscle over-tension from the fear of the paddle slipping, we have the perfect recipe for a chronic injury.

Modification of thickness and geometry of the grip

With hours of play, the material of the grip compresses unevenly due to finger pressure. This alters two critical factors:

  • Loss of edges: The grips of rackets and paddles have octagonal faces designed for the player to know, through touch (proprioception), which grip is being used (eastern, western, continental) without needing to look. A worn grip rounds the handle, leading to errors in the angle of the paddle face when hitting.

  • Reduction in size: As the material compacted, the handle becomes slightly thinner, which alters the natural leverage of your hand.

Hygiene and accumulation of residues

The grip is a porous material exposed to extreme conditions: sweat from hands, skin flakes, sunscreen, and bacteria from sports bags. An old grip not only loses mechanical properties but becomes a source of bad odor and accumulation of bacteria that degrade the underlying plastic or wood material.

How often should you change it?

There is no fixed rule for changing the overgrip, as it depends on each player's sweating and weather conditions. However, as a general rule in our lab, we recommend:

Player Profile Recommended Frequency

Professional Player / Competition Every 1 or 2 matches (or every intense session).

Frequent Player (2-3 times a week) Every 2 or 3 weeks.

Occasional Player (1 time a week) Maximum every 4 or 5 weeks.

A quick trick: If the grip has changed color in the areas where your fingers make contact, if it feels stiff to the touch, or if you notice that the paddle rotates slightly on off-center impacts, you're already late.

Spend a couple of minutes changing your grip before getting on the court. Your game, your ball control, and, above all, your tendons will thank you.