How to force myself to correct my grip?
Published: 19 Apr 2016 - 18:18 by sirdavy
Updated: 04 Aug 2016 - 09:14
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I've played for years holding my racquet like a chopper but now I've started having some lessons and my coach is trying to get me to alter my grip to a more orthodox open face. I can see the benefits in control but I'm finding it hard to maintain the grip. Firstly, I slip into old habits when I need power and 'unconciously' revert to a chopper grip and hammer the ball with the racquet's face parallel to the front wall, heel of my palm behind the grip. Secondly, the rectangular cross section of a squash racquet seems to encourage holding it like a chopper and when my hand gets sweaty my grip slips back to my old ways. One person recently recommended holding the racquet higher up the handle (choking it) for a while as this prevents it twisting and would get me into a good habit. Does anyone else have any tips like this?
Aside from persistance and drills, is there anything I can do to encourage myself to play with an open grip? Is there a way to over-grip a racquet handle so that it forces the racquet to be open-faced in your hand? (Is there a way to realign the actual handle so the rectangular cross section is twisted through 8 degrees or so?!) Would I benefit using sweat-inhibiting spray on my hand to aid grip?
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From rippa rit - 04 Aug 2016 - 09:14
From hamburglar - 29 Jul 2016 - 13:20
Davy, if you're hitting the ball the way you describe, you must be hitting the ball far in front of you, and not next to you where it should be. It would drive me nuts to lose power like this. I would start with your contact position and the results with a decent grip rather than just starting with your grip, then countless repetition so that it feels normal in games.
From raystrach - 01 Jun 2016 - 12:18 - Updated: 01 Jun 2016 - 12:19
hi sirdavy
obviously the grip is important and mattdp offers some useful advice, but remember that the grip is only part of the whole package.
if your coach is trying to change your grip, it will need to be in conjunction with other changes otherwise it could even be counterproductive.
i have seen some very good players with a grip and general technique that are completely away from the coaching manuals.
the question is, is your non-preferred grip the result of other issues. eg. the position of your elbow or how you address the ball when hitting.
for example, if you have a hammer type grip, it may be because you hold your elbow too high which will turn your backhand into a cricket off-drive (are you familiar with the game of cricket?)
in this case, you have to use a hammer grip to be able to hit the ball well. a classic grip simply will not work in this scenario.
it is obviously impossible to provide specific advice to you, but by getting other technical issues right, it may help solve the grip problem, because if other aspects of technique are right, then the new grip becomes the most effective way of hitting.
on the other hand, it is possible that by changing the grip, it may force you to change other aspects of your technique. a good coach will recognise which approach to take for you personally.
Of course, the big problem with all this change, is that we have to wipe away many years of muscle memory and other automation, and then replace them with a new set of sensations. it takes time and persistence.
have fun doing it!
rs
From Djekenf - 31 May 2016 - 21:34
I read somewhere that you could try drawing a V on the grip to remind yourself for a while.
Also, make sure you have the right thickness of grip and grp material e.g. a karakal PU grip is quite tacky, and pair that the correct thickness (e.g. 1 grip vs 2) to maintain your hand in the right position without slipping.
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The thread about the correct grip is here and there are many tips and videos about why the grip slips back into the old frying pan style. Listed under Gold Members in the browser you will find a heap of very helpful videos.
Let's know how it goes.
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