Today we are going to talk about pickleball grips. There are three grips most people use when playing pickleball. None or right or wrong. But understanding your options, their pluses and minuses, may help your game.
A Comfortable Pickleball Grip
When testing different paddles, the first thing most people will notice is the grip. It’s size…whether it is rounded or octagon shaped…the texture of the grip. All these things affect our initial impressions of a paddle. For many people, the way the paddle feels in their hand is the most important consideration when choosing a paddle. And that just makes sense, since our sole contact with the paddle is on the grip.
Continental Grip
When we are teaching new players to play, we recommend a continental grip which is most like shaking hands with the 
paddle. This is what I use, and former tennis players often find this is the easiest way to transition to the sport. We recommend the continental grip because it is the easiest and fastest to go from forehand to backhand. When at the net, response time is critical! That is why I recommend that between shots the paddle returns to the center of your body. This position:
- Allows you to move quickly to either side, and
- Protects your chest in case of a flicked body shot comes your way quickly.
The most important thing about the continental grip, or any pickleball grip, is that you aren’t squeezing the life out of the paddle. I hold the paddle in my fingers, not my palm, and try to have some space in between my fingers. Often I will let my pinky fall off the end of the grip. Holding the paddle too tight limits paddle movement and your ability to control the pace of the ball…it can also contribute to injury. So loosen up.
Index Finger Pickleball Grip
We also see many players extend their index finger onto the face of the paddle. For some players, it is easier to maneuver the tip of the paddle this way. Some find they have more control without snapping the wrist, particularly when hitting a forehand. However, extending your index finger can limit your backhand side…many time players will run around their backhand for just this reason. If you do extend your index finger, please understand this limits the involvement of your shoulder and can lead to overuse injuries of the elbow. But will the fact that we tend to hit more forehands, many find it is worth it.
Table Tennis Grip
The other grip you see on occasion is like a table tennis grip where the player chokes up so the index finger and thumb are on the face of the paddle. These players tend to have a stronger backhand. It is easier to generate power on the backhand side. The difficulty is on the forehand. Transitioning from this grip to the forehand is often a long distance resulting in making a loop from one side to the other. This requires more time and results in sometimes making contact behind them more often.
The table tennis grip players tend is to lead with the butt of the paddle instead of the tip. This makes it difficult to maneuver the ball from lower positions as well. Some players will even change their grip to take better advantage on the forehand side.
Back to Comfort
We started this post talking about comfort, and we will end it with comfort as well. Whatever pickleball grip you choose, is fine…just understand how it can affect your game. Occasionally I will change my standard continental grip to the index finger grip, mid-point, feeling that it gives me a little extra reach. However, I am always cognizant of my body mechanics and grip pressure. If you can feel tension in your forearm, elbow or wrist you are most likely holding too tight or need to consider changing your grip.
