Badminton grips are vitally important, as they contribute to overall performance of a player. Gripping your racket correctly could make or break a shot.
Power players who prefer powerful consecutive smashes against weak returns from opponents should opt for thicker grips.
Overgrips are designed to fit over an existing base grip or original grip and are typically thicker than their full grip counterpart.
1. Orthodox Forehand Grip
Orthodox forehand grip is perhaps one of the most recognizable badminton grips. Used by almost all European players and two thirds of Asian ones alike, its name stems from its usage: you hold it as though shaking someone’s hand with your thumb on one side of the racket and index finger on the other, wrapping your remaining fingers around its handle – creating an easy power distribution between forehand and backhand shots while being excellent at handling low bouncing balls due to an open racket face at contact!
However, it can struggle to produce spin on forehand drives due to producing flatter shots than more extreme grips – this makes it harder for your opponent to read your shot and increases unforced errors into the net or far beyond the baseline. A solid technique such as hitting just above the net may help “pum up” forehand shots with more spinny effects and create more effective drives.
Eastern forehand grips are ideal for players looking to be more aggressive from the baseline and move up towards the net, since their flatter shots tend to get you closer to opponents and help move your shots closer together.
A wide variety of grips is used in tennis; shakehand, penhold and pistol grips all allow for excellent feeling on blocks; however, this particular one provides superior feeling on blocks because its rotating wrist can rotate more freely than either shakehand or penhold grips. Furthermore, this grip provides for full 270 degrees of motion around the axis of the plane of the blade, making it more suitable to playing loop-focused attack styles such as looping. Players using this grip may use different rubbers on either side to exploit its unique capabilities such as anti-spin rubber to return spinny serves and abruptly switch the pace of rallies abruptly between both forehand and backhand during match play as it does not offer a clear crossover point between forehand and backhand play than its counterpart penhold grip does.
2. Backhand Thumb Grip
Backhand thumb grips (otherwise known as Chinese penhold grips) can be highly effective badminton grips. This style allows players to freely move their wrist, which benefits both pushing and blocking as well as being able to place spin on the shuttle. Furthermore, this style helps strengthen thumb and index finger muscles in both hands which contributes to overall improved strength in both.
Players using a backhand thumb grip must ensure there is no space between their dominant and non-dominant hand when holding the racquet, as this is essential for speed and power production. Beginners often make this mistake when learning this style of grip so it is wise to practice properly holding it from day one.
For proper backhand thumb grip execution, players should place their right thumb atop of the handle in a handshake-like motion to maximize power when striking the shuttleball. Index fingers should then be positioned near the 3rd bevel slightly below thumb while left index fingers should be slightly lower than right ones.
This style of grip may be difficult for some players to use for backhand shots, but can be particularly effective when used for clears and blocking. Furthermore, its easy access means it may also make blocking easier – not quite as versatile as an orthodox forehand grip, yet can prove very useful to certain players.
Players of badminton should experiment with various grips when playing, to help find their ideal one for each stroke. Furthermore, spending some time practicing changing between grips will allow players to become comfortable changing between them without hitting the shuttleball can also help with finding their perfect grips.
3. Bevel Grip
Bevel grips are one of the most widely-used backhand grips in badminton, used for producing heavy topspin. Though effective, this technique requires strong wrist positions which may lead to pain for some players and makes hitting high balls with this grip difficult due to a closed racket face – not recommended for beginners or novice players. In order to strengthen paddle hands further and increase strength on court, strengthening exercises aimed at your hands and forearms such as using tension balls or rubber bands are recommended in order to build strength on court.
The Continental grip, also known as the “chopper”, is an effective grip for volleys and slices. Easily switching from Eastern forehand grip to Continental grip for volleys makes this option appealing to players who enjoy attacking the net, and newcomers might find learning it a little challenging; but those looking to add spin to their serves should definitely give this option some consideration.
To establish a Continental grip, place the pad of your index finger’s lowest knuckle on bevel #2 and encircle the handle with your fingers. This grip is highly effective for creating power in the backhand while being easy to switch between Eastern forehand grip and Continental for volleys.
The Semi-Western grip lies between Eastern forehand grip (bevel #3) and Western or Eastern backhand grips (bevels #5, respectively) used for one-handed backhands. It provides more topspin than Eastern forehand grip but less topspin than Western forehand grip allowing more topspin for kick serve by adding spin to each stroke.
The Semi-Western grip is an effective way of creating topspin on serves and returning low balls and high shots at shoulder level. As more professional players have begun using top spin in their games, this grip is an ideal way for amateur players looking to improve their topspin production and ability to return high balls.
4. Hammer Grip
As a beginning badminton player, one of the first skills you must learn is mastering your grip. Grip plays an integral part of each shot you take and can help reduce injuries, add power to your game and enhance quality strokes. Though there are other factors involved with becoming an elite badminton player, mastering grip is at its heart essential if one wishes to become great at this sport.
A hammer/panhandle grip is the easiest and most versatile backhand technique for beginners to learn, as this grip is used for most backhand shots in front of the body such as lobs, serves and kills; in defence it may also be used against attackers; however it should not be used behind the body as this could result in awkward and unexpected returns.
This grip’s main benefit lies in its versatility; it provides comfort for most types of shots while not being as powerful. Furthermore, players using a continental grip have less control but still enjoy great control when needed – this one allows players to hit topspin as they can brush the shuttle up against their paddle using thumb and index fingers to hit topspin shots more easily than with this alternative grip. Suitable for most court surfaces but best used with higher bouncing balls.
One drawback to using this grip is its inflexible nature; when fingers are close together they may lead to blisters in the palm of the hand and restrict wrist movement during fast rallies. Additionally, this type of grip may feel less than ideal during fast rally matches due to being uncomfortable when playing fast rallies as it restricts wrist movement during shots.
For optimal grip and to prevent blisters, it is highly advised that you utilize a badminton overgrip to absorb sweat from your hand and ensure a comfortable playing experience. Overgrips come in various sizes; ensure one fits comfortably around your hand before purchasing one that may inhibit natural wrist snap and cause discomfort during play.