sorry about that adz

i have not had a chance to look at it but i think the width of the photos may have caused them to be resized - i will look at it in the next few hours

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The Grip - well those pics of the grip Adz look more like strangling the cat, I thought, oops!

Anyway to add the pics to a post, firstly upload them into squashgame (see tab under Member Services).

To add a pic, select Edit, Update Reply, Add images now, Select one, Add Caption, then put in the display order of pic in article, save  - then all should be well.  I think it will automatically resize the pic if it is too big.

Now about the pics - what is wrong with using the Library pics as an example, and saying a slight turn to the left will open the racket more on the backhand, and a slight turn to the right will open the grip a little more on t he forehand.  The turn/twist of the fingers around the grip is ever so slight.

If this is still doubledutch I give up.

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Hi

In the text editor, the icon (looks like a mountain) next to the smiley says "inert/edit image", so it may be that as I haven't tried it. I'll see if I can scale the pics up later as I can't read the text.

Are 'butts' (on rackets so no lude comments ) not all the same shape? Apologies if its a stupid question; as I had assumed they were standard or something.

Its also time for me to o and play squash. TIme to be cannon fodder to the club coach as he stuff's me 9-0 9-0 9-0 9-0 and so on!

Nick.

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http://www.squashgame.info/images/personal/pe5184286.jpg - GRIP

http://www.squashgame.info/images/personal/pe5184313.jpg - Backhand

http://www.squashgame.info/images/personal/pe5184337.jpg - Forehand

Not entirely sure how to get the pictures larger as they were fine when I uploaded them!!

Maybe a need for me to set up a photobucket account and post them there, but I'm off to play squash now so it'll have to wait!!

Adz

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Well, now you can see just how bored I am on a Froday afternoon in work!

Excuse the lack of racquet for the example, but a "date-stamper" box was the closest thing I could find to demonstrate on!

Rita / Ray - Can you help with the images please? I've uploaded 3 (V Grip, BHand Grip and FHand Grip) and have NO idea how to insert them here!!

If someone can upload them then I can show you all what I mean by my Grip vs the Traditional Grip.

Cheers

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Nick

As far as I can tell changing your grip this way feels uncomfortable as you have a racquet butt which is squarish - try putting 2 grips on.  Use a spongy one last - a nice thick spongy one - titan do them and they are great.  Under that though use either another grip or some tape and cardboard to shape the butt so that it is round and not squarish.  If you think about it you cannot hold a round butt such that one way is more uncomfortable as the whole thing is symmetrical - try it with something round of a simillar size like a tin of hairspray or something like that.

Hope you understand what I mean and that it helps.

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Hi Rita,

Thanks for the response. I've been through various web sites and books looking for directions on grip and they all pretty much say the same thing. However when I bring the racket up so my hand is a little lower than head height and above the front of my shoulder and upper arm pull and ache! Feels like my arm wants to rip from my shoulder

The coach reckoned I need to persevere with it and eventually the muscles will adapt etc so it becomes a more natural grip/stroke.

Maybe I'll try and get my wife to photograph my grip and stroke over the weekend to see if someone can spot something obvious (like I have weird shaped arms ) or something.

With my current play I don't have a problem with the ball shooting up into the air; unless I mis hit it of course.

Nick.

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Nick - it sounds as though you are hitting the ball with a "frying pan" type grip/swing. Go to the Squash Library/Strokes Movement, and have a good read.  If you are right-handed move the V towards the lefthand shoulder which will really open up the racket face, then try driving the ball, and see how you go. If the ball keeps shooting up into the air it will mean there is no pronation/supination in your swing.

The grip/swing is the key to game improvement, and shot development, and you are wise to look closely at what you are doing.

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Hi

I found this discussion quite interesting, as I may have a grip issue.

I am always getting told by the coach at my gym that I play with a closed grip and that will always limit my playing ability. I tend to hold the racket slightly to the right of center as I find this most comfortable.

However he thinks I should be holding it slightly to the left which is mentioned in some of the posts in the thread.

When I hold the grip slightly to left, it feels wrong and very uncomfortable; especially on lifting the racket up. Particularly on the front of the shoulder I can feel it pulling and very uncomfortable. When trying to serve the racket even feels in completely the wrong direction...... I've tried changing the way I hold the racket, but as it gets so uncomfortable I naturally tend to go back to my original grip.

I use an overgrip on my racket to prevent it from twisting in my hand.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Nick.

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Nicol David and Natalie Grinham, the World's best No. 1 and No. 2 females are ready for the XXXX Dutch Open.

At this link there are some action shots of Nicol.  Take a look at her grip.  She has an oversize head on the racket, and maybe likes to counter-balance the weight of the racket with the shorter grip?  She is definitely focussing on racket head control as far as is practicable.

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When you click around the Tournament News links you will see all manner of swings, grips, footwork, etc and there are always some great action shots of the major tournaments - I like 'em!.  Each one of those swings do tell a story about the shot. What the player is trying to do. About the players style. 

There is a lot of predictability in some of the player's games too, particularly the women.

Go have a look and enjoy.

Tournament News archives for your convenience.

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Rita/Dave/Adz,

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences on this one.

Ray - your point about customization is absolutely valid.

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Scar - here are my further comments on this.  V formed by the Grip.

The use of the grip/open racket face is really about using the strings of the racket to the best advantage andcan be likened to a musician playing a delicate tune.  If you do not have a good sense of feel of the racket during the swing mucking about too much too soon might only be more confusing.

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So then Rita - would you recommend having the V to the left of the left edge of the racquet handle? (which would give the natural open face)

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Just a further point on this.  I have noticed the further the V is formed to the left-front in the grip (and I have insisted on this for those players who want to pat or wack the ball with a flat racket face), the easer it is to get the pronation.  If then, there is no pronation the drive will keep going up in the air.

The subtle part is then, especially if the newbie player cannot "get it" do you just let it be for a while and come back to it.  Or, do you keep doing the adjustment after every rally, otherwise the grip will gradually wriggle around a few degrees and stay there unbeknown to the player.

Having this very open racket approach to the hit gives a lot more disguise to the shot too. Rodney Martin is a good example of this style.  Later in his squash career, he also shortened his grip, as well as really turned his V to the left, and he was very accurate with his volleys into the nick.  Also his racket head seemed to be always controlled through all shots.

Sorry a bit more on this.  I liken the use of the racket face to a musician using the strings of an instrument, and the more experienced you get, the sweeter the tune, more subtle the shots.

See the "Relevant Content" tabs on the top lefthand column.

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you make a good point adz

i would like to take it one step further. every piece of information on this site should be regarded as a starting point or fundamentals. each person is truly individual and so what is really "right" for anyone will vary.

i was going to make that point in a blog over the next day or two.

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This is a common problem that I've found with junior players who consistently worry about their grip position. Yes there is a "textbook" grip position where if you imagine the grip as rectangular, the V is on the forehand top/front edge. This gives an open racquet face on both the forehand and backhand.

However! After years of being forced into playing like this as a junior (but never listening!!) I realised that this might be "textbook" but it doesn't suit the game of everyone. Since then I have come to realise that there is a range of positions to hold the grip, as long as you can sufficiently open both faces for your shots. I have my V further towards the front face of the forehand shot which naturally give me an over-open face on the backhand and a slightly closed face on the forehand which I have to compensate for in my swing. But the key there was "compensate!" As long as you can compensate for your grip then there is no right or wrong answer to a point. If you have to drastically alter your grip between points then it will work against you in a fast paced match, however if you can compensate for this with wrist position then there should be no problems!

Cheers

Adz

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I went through the same problems.  I find it good if you have your grip slightly left as you put it which gives you a more natural open face but you can combine this with wrist movement to to open the face more for certain shots.  You really want a grip that feels right for your forehand and backhand without changing it.  To get this right try standing on the T and hitting the ball to the left wall with your forehand and when it comes back hit it to the right wall with your backhand and so on.  You can also try figure of 8s to get the same kind of practice.

Also I notice that if you have a racquet with more of a square grip then this can interfere with the comfort of your grip. I got round this by adding an extra grip (which is usually good anyway) and used one of those thick spongy grips so the whole handle had more of a round feel to it.

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