Mojo's Simplified Guide to Grip Size Selection

[NoBadMojo]

I would ignore those guides and charts you see. You want to look for a gripsize that gives you a gap between the tip of your longest finger and the palm of your hand when you squeeze down hard on the grip. I recommend a small gap..certainly not the finger width that has been suggested forever.

As long as your finger tip doesnt touch your palm, you havent gone wrong with gripsize selection, but you dont want a big gap as that can be as bad as no gap.

Many advanced players use grips much smaller. Nadal uses a 4 1/4 I believe and Michael Stich something like that as well and he's maybe 6'4. My finger tips easly touch my palm. Dont get a grip this small unless you are a good ball striker. You dont want the racquet twisting in your hand.

A note about leather grips. I would avoid them as well unless you are a decent ball striker especially if using a stiff/harsh frame and/or poly strings. Sometimes, the only cushioning you have between a stiff frame and your body is the cushioned grip. Leather grips do transmit more ball feel..but they also transmit more shock than cushioned grips especially on miss hits

Important that whatever size you choose not feel uncomfortable or unnatural...you dont want the racquet to feel insecure in your hand

 

[PROTENNIS63]

Good post ... and yes, Nadal does use a small grip size. The small grip size allows him to use the wrist. I beleive Fed also uses 4 1/4.

 

[SempreSami]

Methinks fed uses 4 3/8.

 

[anirut]

I would ignore those guides you see. You want to look for a gripsize that gives you a gap between the tip of your longest finger and the palm of your hand when you squeeze down hard on the grip. I recommend a small gap..certainly not the finger width that has been suggested forever.

The question is then "how wide" should the gap be? What is the reference, then?

Using the little finger instead of the index? Could be a possibility.

Please provide something we can use as reference when choosing a grip in this case.

 

[NoBadMojo]

The question is then "how wide" should the gap be? What is the reference, then?

Using the little finger instead of the index? Could be a possibility.

Please provide something we can use as reference when choosing a grip in this case.

ok ..go ahead and pin me down. personally, i think the best size is to have the gap as small as possible whilst making sure you really squeeze down on the grip. that is large enough for arm/wrist safety, whilst giving many/most the best possibility of the most energy transfer...

important that the grip feel comfortable so nothing is cast in stone and there is leeway....you dont want anything feeling unnatural

 

[anirut]

Thanks, Mojo. Using the little finger may work as a possible reference, then, I think.

Now, would the grip shape (Wilson, Head, Volkl, etc.) also play a role in this case? Curious.

BTW, I think a person's playing style also kinda dictates the grip size.

 

[TnTBigman]

You're totally correct on the leather grips and vibration transfer from racquet to hand. I went back to comfortable synthetic it after a few hits. I couldn't stand it.

 

[YULitle]

I always tell people, regardless of the rule they use, to aim low. That way, if they change their mind later, they can build it up much easier (cheaper) than they can shave it down.

This is obviously only advice for first time buyers. Second (and beyond) time buyers should know what grip they need (same/smaller/bigger.)

 

[NoBadMojo]

I always tell people, regardless of the rule they use, to aim low. That way, if they change their mind later, they can build it up much easier (cheaper) than they can shave it down.

This is obviously only advice for first time buyers. Second (and beyond) time buyers should know what grip they need (same/smaller/bigger.)

yo..good point....ditto for racquet weight and headsize. you can always add weight, but it is usually iimpractical to take it away..and it is always a good idea to buy a frame with a sweetzone large enough that you can reliably hit.

nice work with those stringing videos by the way..the ones i saw we're most excllent. good to have you around here. Mojo

 

[moopie]

What type of grip would you recommend holding the racket with while checking for this gap? As in hammer or pistol? Western or Continental? Just whatever your forehand grip is?

 

[YULitle]

What type of grip would you recommend holding the racket with while checking for this gap? As in hammer or pistol? Western or Continental? Just whatever your forehand grip is?

When we size people here at the shop, usually they are first time buyers, and we have them hold it pistol continental. If you know how you hold your racket, you probably know your grip size.

 

[swimntennis]

I went too big with my grip size. I thought that 4 3/8 was too small with my old racquet and just went with 4 1/2. It's not huge... my index finger is snug if I test it. When I bought it I wasn't aware of over grips and everything so, whatever. It works. :-?

 

[snoopy]

I hold my racquet low on the handle with my pinky nearly off the frame. Most butt caps flare out. As a result, regardless of the grip size, it might not be possible for me to have a narrow gap between my fingers and palm.

 

[Alafter]

I use a 4 1/4 with overgrip.

Without the overgrip, the gap becomes smaller by about maybe 2mm? Anyways, numbers aside, I can tell straight away.

Either way is usable for me.

Question now is, what should i expect to gain from either alternative? "Expect" because I dont know whether I would realize the benefits, even if i knew what they were beforehand. Thanks.

 

[Capt. Willie]

Looks like I've been using a grip that is not only one size too large, but also made of the wrong material.

 

[NoBadMojo]

Thanks, Mojo. Using the little finger may work as a possible reference, then, I think.

Now, would the grip shape (Wilson, Head, Volkl, etc.) also play a role in this case? Curious.

BTW, I think a person's playing style also kinda dictates the grip size.

dont think the grip shape matters at all as far as size goes. playing style did influence gripsize in the past, but with a change in technique from the backcourt amongst advanced players, even the baseliners seem to be going to smaller grip sizes. if not an advanced player, people should just find something reasonable and learn the game and worry about tweaking their gear down the road

 

[inwoodnyc]

How hard is it to replace the whole handle? My grips are definately too big and I want go down a size. Shaving it down is practically impossible, from what I hear. Thanks in advance

BTW, didnt mean to hijack your tread, mojo

 

[NoBadMojo]

How hard is it to replace the whole handle? My grips are definately too big and I want go down a size. Shaving it down is practically impossible, from what I hear. Thanks in advance

BTW, didnt mean to hijack your tread, mojo

not a problem. dont think your racquets use interchangeable pallets so your best bet is most likely to sell what you have and acquire new ones.

you can remove the replacement grip and substitute an overgrip or two and that will def reduce your gripsize, but then you will lose cushioning and transmit more shock and your racquet will have a different balance which you may have to compensate for w. lead if you notice stuff like that

 

[anirut]

dont think the grip shape matters at all as far as size goes. playing style did influence gripsize in the past, but with a change in technique from the backcourt amongst advanced players, even the baseliners seem to be going to smaller grip sizes. if not an advanced player, people should just find something reasonable and learn the game and worry about tweaking their gear down the road

Then, I think, I'm an advanced player ... HAHA ... I just love to keep fiddlin' with the grip (and the leather!) ... :shock:

Well, the reason I have to keep fiddlin' is because I "adjusted" the shape (and thus the size) slightly and stll have yet to find the "proper" shape for my Redondo. But with my other stock-grip rackets, I have no problem with the 4 3/8 + over, whether it's the Wilson, Dunlop, PK or Volkl.

Thanks for the insights, Mojo!

 

[-Kap-]

Thanks, Mojo. This may sound silly, but your post actually gave me some peace of mind.

I've always used a 4 3/8 with an overgrip, because it simply felt natural and comfortable to me, and I never gave it much thought beyond that. Not long ago, though, I came across the "rules" for measuring "proper" grip size, and both the ruler method and index finger test showed that I should go up a size.

I've never had an issue with the racquet twisting in my hand, but I began to wonder if I was somehow putting undue stress on my arm by using a grip that was too small for me, and was even considering building it up just for safety reasons. I don't think I'll worry about that anymore, though, and I'll stick with my 4 3/8 with an overgrip, because that still feels right to me.

Thanks again!

 

[ericsson]

I always tell people, regardless of the rule they use, to aim low. That way, if they change their mind later, they can build it up much easier (cheaper) than they can shave it down.

This is obviously only advice for first time buyers. Second (and beyond) time buyers should know what grip they need (same/smaller/bigger.)

I'm not a big fan of building up, the weight goes up (and not a little), and the balance, the best you can do is demo, take 2 different grips and go on court, years ago i had nasty blisters, always played a three, now i play a four with overgrip, no more nasty blisters, due to the small pallet i tend to sqeeze the grip, when it's bigger you dont do that, just my personal thoughts...

 

[NoBadMojo]

Thanks, Mojo. This may sound silly, but your post actually gave me some peace of mind.

I've always used a 4 3/8 with an overgrip, because it simply felt natural and comfortable to me, and I never gave it much thought beyond that. Not long ago, though, I came across the "rules" for measuring "proper" grip size, and both the ruler method and index finger test showed that I should go up a size.

I've never had an issue with the racquet twisting in my hand, but I began to wonder if I was somehow putting undue stress on my arm by using a grip that was too small for me, and was even considering building it up just for safety reasons. I don't think I'll worry about that anymore, though, and I'll stick with my 4 3/8 with an overgrip, because that still feels right to me.

Thanks again!

Sure. Glad I could help. There's lots of confusion out there about gripsize and I dont think those charts put people into the right gripsize. I see this with lessons all the time.

 

[Pro_Tour_630]

Mojo et al, let us assume you have been playing with 1/4 for a long time and you are a sensitive competitive 4.5 or above. In a tight close match with your equal, do you think you can win with lets say 5/8 or vis a versa? or it should not matter one can win with any grip size?

I know with me the first thing that will get affected would be my confidence in my serve will drop and I will not be consistent with my serve especially my seconds, not sure how long it will take me to adjust if I ever can. I can adjust between 3/8 and 1/4 but that is about it.

 

[mdjenders]

has anyone tried leather on head grips? if so, does it increase or decrease the grip size? I love Prince's shape in 4 1/4 with leather and a tournagrip, but I want to switch to a Head frame. I used to use Head 4 1/4, but IMO there is very little bevel feel with the stock grip in that size for the Head shape. I tried the 4 3/8 Head w/ stock grip recently, and it was ok for groundstrokes, but the grip was too big for serves and volleys. The finger gap with continental was massive.

I am thinking about getting the 4 1/4, replacing the stock grip with leather to increase the bevel feel, and wrapping with tourna.

 

[tennistiger]

Stich uses grip size 5 !

 

[ClubHoUno]

Two overgrips instead of one - effect on balancepoint ?

I consider building my Head MG Prestige Pro grips up with an extra overgrip - how much will an extra overgrip effect the balance point of the racket ?

I use one Wilson Pro Overgrip on my Wilson rackets but will try to use two on my new Head rackets, because the grip seems a bit smaller compared to my Wilson grip sizes - I use size 3 on both my Wilson and Head rackets.

 

[Applesauceman]

My intension here is not to be combative, but why should we simply disregard the long standing ruler and/or index finger grip measuring methods and go with your new grip measuring method? Does the rule of thumb (or in this case, finger) just not apply in today's game?