How to Hold a Pickleball Paddle

If you are a starter at pickleball, you might find it a bit overwhelming to hold the paddle correctly. There are three common grips– eastern, continental, and western. Choosing the right grip is important to determining your playability, as each grip has its advantages and downsides. Choosing the grip style also depends on your style and what feels more comfortable to you.

As you should know, how you hold your pickleball paddle makes a big difference in your game. A good grip allows you to hit the ball strongly, generate power accurately, and perform various shots for a better game and more wins. This article will discuss how to hold your paddle and all possible types of grips most simply.

After reading this article, you will get to know:

• How to choose the right pickleball grip for your game.
• How to exploit weaknesses in your opponents’ pickleball grips.
• How to make effective changes to your pickleball grip.
• How to determine the correct pressure for your pickleball grip.

Why Correctly Holding Your Pickleball Paddle Matters

It’s the paddle that matters most in pickleball, and it matters most in your game how you hold your paddle. In other words, how many grips can you apply properly?

For basic strokes like groundstroke, dink, and volley and other basic shots like serve, drive, block shots, etc., you will need different grips during the game.

how to hold your pickleball paddle with different grips

There are three basic grips you can learn while you develop your pickleball skills. The following sections are going to discover them well.

Eastern Pickleball Grip – Best grip for beginners

Let’s talk first about the Eastern grip. Referred to as shaking hand grips, this gripping style is great for fresh pickleball players. It offers a handy way to hold your paddle that works well for hitting the ball in different ways.

The Eastern grip is like a mix of other grips which makes it good for both hitting the ball hard and soft. It’s helpful for forehand shots, though backhands might be a bit tricky.

How to use the Eastern grip:

• Just put your hand out like you’re offering a handshake:
• Put your hand on the front of the paddle.
• Slide your hand down to hold the handle.
• Wrap your fingers around the paddle
• Make sure your index finger knuckle is in the right spot

If you’re new to pickleball, it’s a nice grip to start with because it’s easy to switch between shots. It’s often called the ‘handshake’ grip because you hold the paddle like you’re shaking someone’s hands with it.

Continental Pickleball Grip – Best for backhands

The Continental grip is a popular hold for pickleball paddles, especially for beginners. It’s also called the ‘hammer grip’ because it’s like you are holding a hammer. And it’s completely the opposite style of the Western grip.

To use it, put the knuckle of your pointer finger just to the right of the flat part on top of the handle. Hold the paddle like you’re shaking hands, with your fingers pointing up and the V made by your thumb and index finger pointing at you.

However, the best way to have a continental grip:

• Start with your eastern grip. 
• Put your playing hand on the paddle face and slide it down the face of the paddle, gripping the handle.
• Unlike the western grip, turn your paddle face 60-90 degrees in the opposite direction.
• Then, rotate the paddle about 60-90 degrees toward the ground. For right-hand players, turn the right side of the paddle face; for left-hand players, turn the left side of the paddle face.

The good thing about the continental grip is that it works well for serving and overhead shots. You can use it for those shots or even use it all the time to make it easier on your arm.

You might feel using a continental grip is a bit tricky at first, especially if you are a starter. But with practice, it gets easier.

Western Pickleball Grip – Best for forehands

Western pickleball grip—it’s a bit unique and less used in pickleball. Not a good grip for beginners, but if you are an advanced player, you can try this grip as you can add a lot of spin to the ball when you hit powerful shots.

This grip is great for strong forehand shots, but it makes hitting backhands a bit tricky. Some players using this grip even hit both forehand and backhand shots on the same side of the paddle.

How to use the Western Grip:

• Start with the Eastern Grip.
• Put your hand on the paddle face, slide it down, and hold the handle.
• Turn the paddle a bit, like you’re turning a doorknob, about 60-90 degrees (left side for righties, right side for lefties).
• Hold it like you would hold a frying pan.

It’s a cool technique for adding spin to the ball, especially for powerful shots or making the ball spin in the air. If you’ve started with the Eastern grip, switching to the Western grip is easy. Just turn your hand a bit, like turning a doorknob.

With the Western grip, your palm is usually behind the paddle for forehands, which makes them strong. But for backhands, your palm is in front of the paddle, making those shots a bit weaker. So, if you’re playing against someone with a Western grip, aiming for their backhand side might be a smart strategy. Besides, some players who use this grip might use a two-handed backhand to make up for a weaker backhand shot.

3 possible variations in continental grip

While using the continental grip, you may apply slight variation in holding our pickleball paddle. However, you should not mix up these changes with grip style. What you will do is find the perfect angle in the following ways:

Strong Grip: When the “v” faces the right direction, it’s key for powerful and aggressive shots.

Use the string grip when you want to:

• Delivering a forehand shot
• Execute a backhand shot
• Engage in dinking
• Position near the net, regardless of forehand or backhand plays
• Intend to add spin to the ball
• Aim for a slicing maneuver

Neutral Grip: If the “v” points to the middle of the handle, it’s a balanced grip—great for versatile shots.

Use the neutral grip when you want to:

• Execute a forehand shot
• Perform a backhand shot
• Engage in dinking
• position close to the net, whether for forehand or backhand plays
• Intend to put a spin on the ball
• Employ a slicing technique

Weak Grip: When the “v” faces the left side, it’s a weak grip.

How to hold a pickleball paddle when serving

How you serve is like the foundation for a good pickleball game. Therefore, how you hold your paddle during serving makes a big difference in how well you hit the ball.

For serving, especially for beginners, there are two popular grips– continental and eastern. Between them, the eastern grip can be a favorite choice because it feels natural to most players because of its super versatility.

But when it’s serving time in pickleball, your go-to grip is the continental grip, also known as the hammer or handshake grip. Just hold the paddle like a hammer, making sure the handle sits in your palm, and wrap your index finger and thumb around the grip.

How to hold a pickleball paddle in the kitchen

When you’re at the kitchen line in a pickleball game, be ready for those overhead smashes from your opponent.

Here’s an effective trick to defend it. Stand your ground without stepping back, and keep that paddle up. Hold it vertically in front of you high enough to control a potential smash from your opponent. Let the ball bounce off your steady paddle.

It might seem a bit strange. However, it’s a good defensive move. It can surprise your opponent, especially if they don’t think you’re a pro. The ball zips back to their side of the net, catching them off-guard. Easy peasy!

How to hold a pickleball paddle when at the net

When you’re at the pickleball net, go for the continental grip—it gives you more power and control over your shots. Keep your paddle held high above the net to handle balls at different heights effectively. Continental grip is not only great for hitting dink shots but also perfect for serving up your pickleball skills.

When and How You Can Change Your Pickleball Grip

Changing grips between two shots during a pickleball game is not that easy due to its fast-paced nature and shorter court length. Like in other similar court sports, you will not have enough time to rotate between grips. For example, the tennis court is 78 feet long, whereas the pickleball court is only 44 feet, almost 40% shorter than the tennis one.

Besides, we, picklers, tend to play more often from the non-volley zone, and therefore the reflex action needs to be less than a second. But practically, it’s much tougher to hold the paddle the other way, and we have to stick to one grip the same way throughout a single serve. However, with skills, you can also take a chance on several grips instantly.

When you are making serves while standing close to the baseline, you will have the option to rotate between different grips. Again, skill matters; as you improve the game, becoming an advanced pro day by day, you will have better grab and adjustment with your paddles. And the desired twist, or changing the entire grip, will become easier for you.

How to change the grips

While playing near the baseline, use a western grip for a forehand drive. For the backhand drive from the same area, use a continental grip. Practice toggling between the grips quickly. And concentrate your focus on the hand movement. Try to have the neutral eastern grip all the way; it increases the chances for faster rotation between the western and continental grips.

And you should hold the pickleball paddle loosely. A loose wrist will allow you to alternate or change angles, while a stiff wrist will create obstacles and cause pain.

How to check your grip pressure

Once you grasp the various ways to hold a pickleball paddle, the next step is understanding how much pressure to apply. This leads us to the importance of paddle size.

Paddles come in different sizes and weights, and finding the right size is crucial for your performance. Size matters because it affects your grip on the paddle. A too-small grip causes cramped space, leading to excessive pressure on your hand, arm, and wrist, risking injuries. On the flip side, a too-large grip makes it tough to control the paddle.

Why is grip pressure important in pickleball

Knowing about grip pressure level is as same as learning how to hold a paddle in pickleball if you want to become a pro. Professional pickleball players and instructors usually count grip pressure on a scale from 1 to 10. A 0 means no pressure, risking your paddle slipping, while a 10 indicates an extremely tight grip.

Holding your paddle too tight can strain your wrists and arms, leading to issues like tennis elbow. It’s a level you want to steer clear of unless needed.

For softer shots like the third-shot drop or dink, the sweet spot is a grip pressure between 3 and 4. This range offers good control and the flexibility to adjust your paddle as you play.

Should I use a loose or tight grip?

Hold your pickleball paddle with a loose grip for better control. Avoid a tight grip, as it adds pressure to your arms and wrists, affecting your shots.

Check your grip pressure on a scale of 1 to 10, with 4 to 5 for softer shots and 7 to 8 for aggressive plays. Having control over your pressure level makes it easier to handle the ball.

Which paddle angles are best for a ready position

You can receive pickleball shots from different directions on the court—both the forehand and backhand sides. To handle this, grab your paddle at an angle that works for attacking and defending shots on both sides.

For good coverage, position your paddle face at 10 or 11 o’clock as if you’re on a clock face. Follow the 2 or 1 o’clock if you are a leftie. Such a grip puts you in a semi-backhand stance and makes it easy for you to have a quicker reaction time.

Besides, this grip allows you to switch to a forehand shot when needed. Just avoid turning too much towards 9 o’clock (or 3 o’clock for lefties) to stay versatile.

Why are adjustments the key on the pickleball court

You need to change the ready position and paddle angle depending on different things on the pickleball court. Like, the position of your opponents, where you are on the court, and the kind of shot played altogether determined how you should adjust to win each set.

Having your paddle around 10 or 11 o’clock and at your belly button is generally good. But, there are exceptions, too. For example, if your competitors keep returning balls to your shoulders, you might need to hold your paddle higher. Contrarily, if they go for a low shot to your “chicken wing” area, you might want to lift your paddle for a Scorpion shot.

Thus, adjusting your game on the pickleball court helps you play well and stay ahead of your opponents.

10 Best tips to hold the pickleball paddle correctly

• Use an eastern grip with your index knuckle on the third panel of the paddle face.
• Consider using both hands for more control and power during serves.
• Hold the paddle loosely for control and to prevent strains.
• Grip the paddle firmly but not too tight. Keep your fingers and wrists comfortable—not too stiff.
• Hold the paddle ready for volleys with a slightly bent elbow and an open paddle face.
• When playing near the net, be quick with your grip because of the non-volley zone.
• Keep the same grip when you serve for better consistency, especially from the baseline.
• Try changing your grip during practice to get better at using different grips in different situations.
• Experiment with different sizes’ grips to find the one that feels just right for you.
• Adjust your grip depending on the kind of shot you’re making, whether it’s a drive, dink, or smash.

FAQs

What is a backhand grip?

Switching to the backhand grip for nailing those tricky backhand shots is a smart move in pickleball strategy. It’s pretty simple- begin with the eastern forehand grip, then twist your wrist until the paddle face flips. Practice smoothly shifting from the eastern forehand grip to the backhand grip.

What is the most common grip in pickleball?

The most commonly used grip in pickleball is the eastern grip, which is also called the shake hands grip. In this grip, you hold the paddle as if you were shaking hands with someone, making it a widely adopted and straightforward choice for players.

Final Verdicts

Holding your pickleball paddle the right way is a game-changer. Whether you go for the continental, eastern, or western grip, it’s all about what feels comfy for you.

Starting with the right grip means better control and stronger shots. Give each grip a shot, find your favorite, and let your paddle be your secret weapon on the pickleball court. And keep practicing.

Happy pickleballing!