Though shops often have a huge selection of racket grips, there are 3 main types of badminton grips. I'm going to go through each of them, as well as some tools and grip accessories. I'll also show you how to grip the different grips onto your racket too, so let's get into it!
Graps / Wraps / Overgrips
Graps (or wraps or overgrips) are super thin and feel a bit tacky or sticky. They also tend to be the cheapest option for grips.
Graps can come as individual grips, packs of 3 or 5 and also big rolls of 30 grips too. Generally, they go onto your racket handle either on top of a standard grip or original grip or straight onto the wood or plastic after taking the original grip off. If you put it directly onto the handle, you'll be able to feel the ridges of your racket handle a lot more which I actually like, but some might not so this is something to consider.
Also, when I went to the French Open in 2022, I actually saw they had a special French International Open grip too which was pretty cool!
PU Replacement Grips
PU replacement grips are generally thicker and can replace your racket grip completely. So you can remove the original grip that came with your racket and replace it with something like this which feels a bit thicker and is potentially more comfortable for some.
They can come in individual grips, or more premium ones can often come in box packaging. There are many different options - some have a more tacky feel and others will have a drier feel. You can also get ribbed versions meaning there's a lining on the inside which you can feel when you wrap the grip on.
The difference between PU grips and wraps or graps is that PU grips will have fully taped undersides whereas graps or wraps are not lined with double-sided tape so you're expected to have something on underneath to allow it to stick directly on.
Towel Grip
Towel grips are, as it says, like a towel. They're mainly cotton and come in a single piece or a full roll. I used to use towel grips a lot but now I've moved on to using graps. That being said, lots of pro players use towel grips, including legendary players like Lin Dan and Peter Gade.
I generally find the single-pack towel grips are much longer than what you need so you often have to cut it off at the very end which is quite wasteful. So if you use towel grips quite a lot, I would certainly recommend getting a big roll.
Towel grips also differ in thickness and I personally prefer the really thick ones so I found Yonex ones are great for me. If you prefer thinner ones, other brands such as Victor or Ashaway are really good as well. You just have to find the feel that you like!
Useful Tools And Accessories
Electrical tape - to use straight on top of the wooden racket handle to prevent moisture from getting onto the wood
Scissors - to cut off any excess tape or grip
Pliers - to remove staples or pins from the racket handle
Grip powder (UK here) - used on top of towel grip to make it less slippery
Cushion wrap - a very thin layer of foam that goes directly on the handle and is then layered with a wrap or PU grip
Remember to protect your precious badminton rackets from chips and scratches with the Premium Racket Protection Tape with free delivery worldwide on ckyew.com/shop.
How To Grip A Badminton Racket
Step 1: Remove the racket's original grip (optional)
If you're removing the racket's original grip, you can use pliers to remove any staples or pins that are in the wood. This is important because if you are using a thin grip, you might be able to feel the staples when you hold your racket tight which can be uncomfortable. You also don't want to risk cutting your fingers on it too!
Once you've taken off all the original grip on the racket, you should see on genuine Yonex rackets, the original barcode.
I would also advise treating your wooden handle with a layer of electrical tape to prevent as much moisture as you can away from the wooden handle. It's an important precautionary measure, especially if you play in very humid conditions such as in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
For the electrical tape, I would start on the base side and will cover the little area between the butt cap and the wood. I will then pull the tape slightly whilst wrapping it around since electrical tape is a bit stretchy. Then I try and go as tight as possible across the whole racket and go all the way up to the cone ending on the line at the bottom of the cone. With electrical tape, you can either pull it to break it off or cut it with scissors.
You will be able to see and feel the ridges that I was talking about earlier on so if you're someone like me who prefers to really feel the ridges you will enjoy having a thinner grap on top of this.
Step 2: Gripping the racket
Grap/Wrap
When gripping the racket, you can do it two ways:
1. The normal way - start from the thin end of the grap, where the small backing tape is. For this technique, you will need to cut the end of the grip when you've finished and use the additional tape given to seal it.
2. The upside-down way - start from the thicker end of the grap, so you end with the thin section with backing tape. This technique means you don't need any additional tape to seal the end. This is the technique I personally prefer and will be demonstrating here.
On graps, you will also have a plastic film covering one side of the grap. This is the tacky side of the grip and as you peel this film off, this side should remain on the outside when gripping the racket.
So to start, I usually do three loops at the base of the racket. This is how I like my grips so if I hold my racket on the bottom there is that bit of extra squidginess which kind of automatically stops my hand from sliding off the racket.
I use one thumb to hold the grip down and then with a little bit of tension, roll it across and just continue pulling and taking off the backing tape as you wrap the grip around the handle.
It's personal preference how much of an overlap you have on the grip, but do try to keep the overlaps as consistent as possible. Then as you make your racket down the racket, you can remove the film completely.
When we come to the cone section, just keep going as usual and there may be some creases which is normal. Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, you can use the sticky section at the end to seal it down, so there's no need for the extra finishing tape.
That's it, you now have a complete grap that's ready to use!
Towel Grip
When gripping a towel grip, you first peel off the double-sided tape backing, and then what I do is attach the end to the back of the butt cap, twist it, then go onto the base of your racket handle. Don't worry about the bottom section at the moment – we'll come back to that later on.
What you want to do is follow the section of your grip that you've applied and slowly work your way up the racket. Again, I always use my index finger and middle finger just to pull the backing off the tape, then gently roll the racket to apply the grip.
I don’t like having ridges on my towel grip, so there’s no overlap and I try to make it as tight together as possible without having any gap or overlap. Now, at the cone section, it's your personal preference to go all the way up or not – I generally finish about midway, then you can take your scissors and cut it in this direction so it finishes along the racket:
You then wrap it around your racket and round it off! As for the base, you peel it off the bottom and tidy it up too.
Finally, I would rough up the grip ever so slightly - some people also use a pair of scissors to rough it up.
Cushion Wrap
For cushion wrap, you simply pull it out and wrap it around the racket handle. It’s a personal preference of how much cushioning you like on your racket handle. I personally like to do 2 layers for a bit more cushioning underneath the grip.
Once you're done, you can just tear it and it will stick to itself. From here, you can then put your desired grip on top.
PU Replacement Grip
Again, you can apply the grip the normal way or how I like to do it, upside down.
First you remove the backing tape and go straight onto the base of the racket. Again, I’ll do 3 loops around the base. This grip might be slightly harder to get right since you have the double-sided backing and if you make a mistake after removing it, you might tear off the sticky parts, which are supposed to provide lots of grip.
I continue going down the grip like usual, using some portion of overlap. Again, try to have a consistent level of overlap throughout. Then once you reach the end, finish it off as usual.
So there you have it, multiple types of grips and how to grip them. Hopefully, this provides you with a little more knowledge when going to the shop, enabling you to test and choose the right grips for yourself!
Always remember that it comes down to personal preference, so you can always try new ones, and see if you actually like it or not. In the meantime, I will see you in the next one!