The Ultimate Grip Guide

Learn these 4 key grips in badminton – Master them and improve your game, it’s that simple!

Why is it important to learn?
Let me just start out by saying that you won’t be a good badminton player if you only hold 1 type of grip, and can’t change around to other types of grips. It is crucial to have to correct grip in most/all situations and shots on court. You simply can’t do great shots with the wrong grip, and in most situations you can’t add power to your shots if you hold the racket the wrong way. There are SO many other things to take into consideration when hitting good strokes, but if the grip is wrong the other things won’t matter.

There are 4 key grips in badminton, that is:
• The forehand basic grip
• The thumb grip (for backhand shots)
• The bevel grip (for smooth shots and backhand shots)
• The hammer/panhandle grip

In this guide we have tutorials about all 4 grips, with in-depth walkthrough and exercises. Go through them and try them out on court. It is very important to train specific exercises where you use these grips, so you know precise what you are doing and why you do it. Also try holding the wrong grip in different shots, just to see what and why they won’t work for you.

I change my grip to a new position after almost each stroke, the racket/grip really changes a lot inside of my hand – Small details matter!
Thomas Laybourn – Former World no. 1 and World Champion

Here are some other things to think about in order for you to have the correct racket and grip position, and to add the power:
• Have loose fingers so you more easily can change the grip inside of your hand
• Have a small angle on the wrist so you can rotate the forearm to generate more power
• Use fingerpower when adding power to your shots. Tighten the grip on impact with the shuttle.
• Use the forearm rotation to generate the power in your shots

The grip size & grip model
The right badminton grip size can maximize your performance. Badminton grips (towel grip, replacement grip or overgrip) can also help absorb the sweat flowing from your arm; and provide you with a comfortable feel of your racket throughout your game. When it comes to choosing grips, understand that there is no one “best” grip – you should use a grip to suit your style of play and size of your hand. Don’t have the grip size to big, then it will be more tricky to change around and also use the finger power.

The grip size is not always the same size from the big brands. So really focus on what suits you. If you change racket model, you might also want to change your grip “setup”.

G3, G4 and G5 are the common sizes for racket handle. G3 means a larger racket handle whereas G5 is the smallest racket handle. Choose the size of the racket handle based on the size of your palm.

G3 = 95mm (large) G4 = 89mm (medium) G5 = 83mm (small)

Good luck choosing the correct grip and size for you, it really means a lot, so try different choices out!

The Forehand Basic Grip
The forehand grip is the most used grip in badminton, and the most important thing to learn. The forehand grip technique is the base/neutral grip, and the grip that is closest to all the other grips, and in this how to tutorial, I will show you where to use it, and how to use it – Let´s GO😃

The Thumb Grip
The thumb grip is the most used grip in badminton when using the backhand, and the grip where you add power to your shots. The thumb grip can also be the ending up point from the bevel grip, meaning that you can start your power shot at the bevel grip, and then rotating the grip inside your hand ending up with a thumb grip, that way you can generate more power.

The Bevel Grip
This grip is the most talked about thing, and the most important thing to learn, you use in most backhand shots. Different badminton grip technique can be used, and in this how to tutorial we look at the The Bevel Grip.

The bevel grip is used in all smooth movements and precise hits. It is crucial to hold the grip with loose fingers to have good control of the shot. The bevel grip can also be a start position for the thumb power drive where you push with the fingers to generate power while the grip changes “around” to a thumb grip.

The Hammer/Panhandle Grip
The hammer/panhandle grip is used in many places on court, but still be careful using it too much, as you can get “locked” in that position. The hammer grip is the grip most beginners and kids use, as it is the most natural grip to do, because you think the strings need to be parallel towards the shuttle, but that is wrong. If you hold a 100% hammer/panhandle grip then you can´t rotate the forearm and add power to your shots.

Finger power
Being able to use the fingers together with the correct grip and rotation, is some of the most important thing to learn in badminton. If you don’t use finger power, you won’t be able to hit hard strokes with small and quick movements.

Summary
That’s it, now you have learned all these grips, and also learned a bit about finger power. Now it is up to you to master it and try it out on court. Have patience, it takes a while to get it under your skin. The grip change and decision about which grip to use, have to come automatically when playing, you just don’t have the time to think too much about this.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!