Summer Slippery Grips

It's summer in Arkansas. If you play outside, you're likely sweating a lot. As your handle
gets wet from sweat, it can get slick. If your paddle starts to slide, that can cause real problems with your shots. What can you do to fix the problem? Here are a few things you can try.

Towel

It's a simple fix, but it works for a lot of players. Just keeping a dry towel in your bag to wipe your handle, your hand, and your arm too. For some people, this is all they need to maintain a grip. I almost always have a towel in my bag, summer or not.

Pro tip: don't leave your sweaty towel in your bag or your car. They get nasty quick. 

Sweat bands

Sweat bands can help stop the sweat from running down your arm onto your hand and paddle grip. You can also wring them out if they get saturated. 

Two paddles

Once you find a paddle you like, I highly advise purchasing two identical paddles of the same make, model, and similar weights. Having a backup paddle when you are playing tournaments is always a good idea in case one of your paddles breaks, or has an issue. But a slick grip due to sweat can quickly be remedied by swapping out the paddle you have been using and sweating on for a dry paddle from your bag. Leave the handle on the wet paddle sticking out or in the sun so it can dry out. It usually doesn't take long in the summer heat.

Overgrip

If those solutions don't resolve your grip problem, it might be time to put on a new grip on your paddle. Grips can lose their tackiness with use. Throwing on a new grip can help increase your grip. I personally like the Vulcan Max Tacky overgrip. I also like a slightly thicker handle, so I usually apply that grip right over the top of the manufacturer grip. I replace it every couple of months or sometimes more frequently if I feel I need to.

Other brands people seem to like are Tourna brand grips. Those can be purchased at big box stores. Gamma makes some quality grips as well. Grips aren't super expensive. Try out different ones and see what feels good to you.

You can use grips for tennis handles, but they will be longer than you need for a pickleball paddle. You can cut it in half and use the other half later. Most grips come with a finishing tape you use to finish the grip at the top. You can just use electrical tape if you don't have the manufacturer's tape.

Here is a good video on how to wrap your grip. If you wrap it and you're not satisfied, you can always back it off and rewrap it.

Gloves

Some people use a glove. I know some people who use golf gloves or racquetball gloves. I have used a Head brand glove. The left and right gloves are sold separately, so make sure you are getting the one you need for your dominant hand. I actually bought them for playing in the winter months. They are thin, but just having a little protection from the cold was enough to reduce discomfort from the cold while I was playing. But they do have rubberized grip, which also means they would work for the purpose ...at hand.

Other products for grip enhancement

There are a variety of other products people use to enhance their grip and combat slipping due to sweaty hands.

• Vulcan makes a rosin bag to absorb sweat and put some sticky rosin on your hands.

• Selkirk sells a tacky towel. 

I have tried both of these products. They make my hands feel a bit stickier than I like. The Vulcan Rosin Bag isn't as bad (in my opinion) in that way, but if you are looking for something to help reduce slippage, give them a try and see what works for you.

For what it's worth, I use a few of the ideas I listed above. I have two paddles, I use a towel to dry off my hand, arm, and grip, and I replace my overgrips on occasion. Those strategies seem adequate for me.

What works for you? Leave a comment below if you have a favorite solution or product for maintaining grip in the heat of summer.

Thanks!

No Fun David