HOW TO HOLD THE BADMINTON RACKET GRIP WITH UNDERSTANDING IN A SYSTEMATIC WAY

Generally we learn how to grip a racket when we start our badminton career, and I think the way of gripping is the most important thing for improving our badminton skill.

In my experiences, because my way of gripping was not correct, I couldn't hit powerful smashes, clears and lobs to opponents' back court deeply,  but I hit shots hardly and unnaturally to resolve these problems so that I hurt a shoulder and wrist.

Those are my bitter experiences.

Probably, guys reading this article grasp the way of gripping roughly same as I did,  so this time for whom, I am going to explain it within my understanding, systematically and clearly as much as possible.

The holding way of the racket, you learned at first could be wrong!?

For example, when we join into a junior team or club activities of schools, we usually learn the way of gripping first form seniors or coaches.

As for myself, I remember I learned it from my senior first when I was a high-school student(not sure).

In fact, it seems like I was forced to do hard physical training too much...

My experience of the past aside, when you learned the way of gripping, you were told, "like holding a knife" or "like shake hands", weren't you?

Following to the comparisons, we are likely to grip like a photo below:

Perhaps we gripped like this before improving it.

That is why I wasn't good at hitting powerful shots remarkably.

I'm going to explain later why the way of gripping makes our hitting powerful shots difficult,  the way of gripping like the photo above that when we usually learn at s first lesson, is a neutral gear of driving a car, figuratively speaking.

I means, currently I think, the neutral one is the way of gripping we do before changing it based on the purposes: "hit s smash" or "hit a cut drop".

Considering this, this way of gripping that we usually learn first is no wrong, but If you don't recognize "we sholud changing the way of it according to the shot we want to hit", it leads to long time suffering without notifying you have troubles in gripping.

the System of Gripping

Because it is necessary to grasp the system of gripping in order to think about changing the way of gripping according to purposes, I am going to explain the system of gripping as my opinion(but this is my current understanding, so if you have different one, please comment).

Classification by Angle of Racket Face

Considering the system of the holding the racket, at first I will talk about classifying it by the angle of the racket face.

It might be difficult to understand the way of thinking from the angle of the racket face. Frankly speaking, when you put the racket forehead quickly, how many degree is there from the floor to the racket face. That’s the thing what I want to say.
Probably it’s not clearly to imagine what I said yet. So I’ll explain it again with some pictures

引用元：goo.gl/Z404zZ

引用元：goo.gl/kyj7cO

I feel sorry for showing the different size of pictures. But in case of classify the system by the angle of the racket face, these are the basic way to hold the racket.

Let’s regard these picture as if you put the racket forehead quickly, and you look down the racket from directly above.
In this case, the photo on the top is 90 degree (vertical) to the floor from the racket head (face) and one on the bottom is 0 degree (horizontally).

Holding way in the photo on the top, is so-called “eastern grip” and one in the photo on the bottom is “western grip”.
Before that I said that I will explain the system depending on the angle of the racket face.

But there are different names depending on the angle of the racket face. So I can explain the system not only depending on the angle but also classifying them by the name.

It is helpful to organize information about holding the racket, just thinking from that point.

From my personal perspective, if I classify holding racket by the angle of racket angle, there can be four holding ways like “eastern grip”, “western grip”, “continental grip” and “semi-western grip”.

I was going to explain all holding ways at first but if I did that, I would burn out. So just let me explain “eastern grip” and “western grip” this time.

And I will explain the rest of the things next time.

classify the system by the placement of the thumb ( forehand grip and backhand grip)

I will explain the classification of holding the racket depending on “ the placement of the thumb” next to “the angle of the racket face”.

I’m exaggerating the classification such as “classify the system by the placement of the thumb”. But actually it’s simple. Just forehand grip or backhand grip.

Then if I described the difference between forehand grip and backhand grip, I would say that these have different placement of the thumb. Think about it from this point of view, it’s easy to understand these differences.

I will give you concrete examples about changing the position of the thumb. If you do backhand grip, your thumb needs to be extended. On the other hand, If you do forehand grip, your thumb needs to be bent just in opposite direction of backhand grip.

引用元：goo.gl/0UN84I

It’s not clear, but the photo on the top is backhand grip and one on the bottom is forehand grip.

From the photo on the top, you can see the extended thumb, and from the other one, you can see the bent thumb.
I will show you the picture which is the summary of the grip system later through, at first when you think about the grip system, following the each grip depending the angle of the racket face, there are forehand grip and backhand grip. That would be easy to understand the grip system.

Eastern grip
-forehand grip
-backhand grip

Western grip
-forehand grip
-backhand grip

Continental grip
-forehand grip
-backhand grip

Semi-western grip
-forehand grip
-backhand grip

like that.

classify the system by the placement of the grip in the hand (the grip which is for hitting the smash and the net shot)

From here on out, I’d like to describe the classification depending on the position of the grip in the hand.

From the different point of view, I would say that the differences is just holding the racket “by fingers” or “by hand”.

The question is that

“when you need to hold the racket by fingers”

or “when you need to hold the racket by hand”.

And the answer is that it depends on strength and weakness of the shot.

So you need to change the position of the grip in the hand. Which depends on that.

Probably you can imagine what I want to say. But I’d like to explain those combinations.

Briefly speaking,

If you hit the strong shot, you need to hold the racket by hand.

On the other hand,

If you hit the weakness shot, you need to hold the racket by fingers.

I will tell you more detail with some photos.

引用元：goo.gl/CC61Gm

引用元：goo.gl/pPJExS

I feel sorry for these photo. It’s not clear. (I’ll change them before long)

Anyway the photo on the bottom might be the overhead shot and trying to hit the strong shot (because of his muscle is buff. lol).

On the other hand one on the top is the forehand and trying to hit the net shot.

I’d like you to enlarge the photo and look at the hand carefully. Then do you understand the differences?

Look at one on the bottom hitting the strong shot, he hold the racket as if he hold the fist.

On the other hand, one on the top hitting the net shot, there is distance between fingers.

As described you can change the holding way, either holding the racket “by fingers” or “by hand”.

But it’s not only classified simply as I mentioned like holding the racket “by fingers or by hand” and in the way for the strong shot or the weak shot.

But also it might be different depending on strength and weakness of the shot like holding the racket “by fingers-ish hand” or “by hand-ish fingers” .(If I figure out this strict definition about it after this, I will add information.)

classify the system by length of the racket handle

At last, I’d like to explain about classification of the system by “length of the racket handle”.

In rephrasing that classification, I can say “Depending on the placement of gripping your racket from the bottom to the top of the handle”.

Which means you hold the racket handle far or close from that bottom.

It’s not that which one is superior.

But each of them has advantages, and you need to use different way of holding the racket depending on the purpose.

First of all, the advantage of holding the racket handle far from that bottom is that you can hit the fast shot and hit the shot further easier.

So it’s good for a smash shot, a clear shot and a lob shot.

However it’s not good for the controlled shot as a disadvantage.

Sometimes you can’t receive the smash or catch up with a game speed as a front player in the doubles match.

Next the advantage of holding the racket handle close to that bottom is the disadvantage I explained above.

You can think about is just posit each other.

So it is effective in the fast game.

But it would be the ineffective way in the game which is needed the strong shot and the further shot.

There is a reason which is easy to understand that those two way of holding the racket handle would need different controllability.

When you compare to the angle of the stood wrist, it’s obesely clear.

The angle of the stood wrist which is holding the racket handle close to that bottom is smaller and that makes a compact swing easy. Which means that this way is hight controllability and easy to catch up with the fast game.

＊ Sorry for explaining without pictures. I’ll add some later.

The system of holding the racket

I explained about classifying the way of holding the racket by four elements so far, which are

“the angle of the racket face”
“the placement of the thumb”
“the placement of the grip in the hand”
“length of the racket handle”

Then organizing them systematically,

◯Eastern grip
—forehand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short
—backhand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short

◯Western grip
—forehand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short
—backhand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short

◯Semi-western grip
—forehand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short
—backhand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short

◯Continental grip
—forehand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short
—backhand grip
—-strong
——long
——short
—-weak
——long
——short

it comes out like the form above.

By the way explaining so far is, if anything, a theory. So I think it was not clear how to hold the racket actually.

Then I’d like to explain it in practical way for using it in actual game next time.