GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF!
Mar 12 '00 (Updated Apr 26 '00)
The grip on your racquet is very important and tends to be overlooked by many. without a good grip on it, it won't behave the way you want it to play and this can happen without you realizing it.
MATERIALS:
First, the grip on your newer rackets are no longer leather. Leather is not a contemporary material and there are synthetics that perform much effectively. Also, leather tends to dry out with use and becomes hard and smooth. Leather also does not absorb much moisture, making the grip slippery. In scientific terms, the coefficient of friction changes widely on leather. Space-age synthetics do not suffer these serious deficiencies. Another advantage to the new materials are they can be easily textured and patterned (ribbed, dimpled, scored, etc.) to provide more friction and bonded to cushioning material for added comfort.
CHANGE YOUR GRIP:
Regardless of the material, they should be changed periodically. As mentioned, leather gets hard and smooth with use. Synthetics collapse in the cushioning material and the grip size will be slightly reduced. Both will lose their ability to absorb moisture. Fortunately, re gripping is an easy and low-cost task. You can do it yourself easily enough. A new grip is approximately $5 - $7.
GRIP SIZE:
There are two typical ways to measure for the proper grip size for a racquet to fit your hand. (1) Measure from the tip of your middle finger to the crease in the middle of your palm. The resulting inch measurement should be your grip size. (2) Hold the racquet with your standard forehand grip. Check the space between your curled fingers and the palm of your hand at its narrowest gap. That gap should be at least one finger's width or more. If there is any doubt, go to the larger size. It's better to have a slightly oversized grip than an undersized one. Too small a grip results in having to hold the racquet too tightly. This puts extra strain on your muscles and wrist and could contribute to tennis elbow.
If your grip is too small, it can be built up several ways. You can simply wrap it with a couple of layers of grip over wrap easily available at your pro shop or sporting goods store. You can also remove your existing grip to expose the base and build this up using masking tape, duct tape, over wrap or commercial products like Add-on, a tubular, thermoplastic material that you cut to length and shrink wrap onto the handle using a heat gun (or hair dryer). Each layer of "Add-on" will increase the grip size about 1/2 a grip size (1/8").
GRIP SHAPE:
Most racquet manufacturers provide an octagonal shaped handle. Some are more "squarish" than others. These shapes help the player relate to the racquet face orientation during play. Wilson, Head and Prince have relatively round octagonal shapes. Fischer and Vokyl use a more squared shape. If you prefer to change the shape, simply remove the original grip and alter the base shape. To make it more round, sand the edges (chines) down, slightly. To make it more square in shape, build up the edge (chine) area to make the flats wider. Narrow strips of balsa wood, masking tape, cloth tape, etc. can be used for this purpose.
OVER WRAPS:
Over wraps are made of thin synthetic materials and are very inexpensive, as low as a package of 3 for $5. Tournament players often change this over wrap for match. It renews the surface to provide a "like new" tacky/sticky feel to the racquet grip. The ones I like are the type that have a thin protective plastic sticking to the material that must first be removed before use in rewrapping. Wilson Cushion-Aire Over grip is an example of this type.
The only disadvantage of Over wraps is they tend to collapse the cushioning material in your original grip a little faster. This is far outweighed by the advantage of making it really easy to grip your court weapon with ease and requires no additional thought or concentration.
MISCELLANEOUS:
If you detect a rattle sound in your Wilson or Dunlop racquet, check your butt plate. There may be a small, round snap-out section. Pry this off and hold the racquet with the butt-end down and tap it on a firm surface. Small pieces of material from the manufacturing process may fall out.
Some rackets have a hollow handle with a suspended rubber piece in the center. This is a passive vibration dampener. Sometimes this rubber piece may appear not to be centered. Do not attempt to realign it. It is anchored inside and cannot be shifted. It will still function properly even if it is no longer concentric.
SUMMARY:
The ability to easily hold and swing your racquet in the position and attitude you want without loss of concentration is the objective to care and feeding of your grip. It won't matter if you have a great frame or wonderfully responsive or powerful strings if you have to think about it! Do yourself a favor and take care of this little detail before any serious play starts.
Good Luck!
Jim
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Member: James Quon
Location: Northern California
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A retired Professional from 40 years in technical Sales & Marketing.
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