The 30-second version
- For almost everything in pickleball, use a Continental (“handshake”) grip — it lets you hit forehands and backhands without switching, which is everything in fast hands battles at the kitchen.
- The Eastern forehand grip adds a little forehand drive power but weakens your backhand volley; reach for it deliberately, not as your home base.
- Semi-Western and Western grips roll heavy topspin on drives and serves but make dinking and blocking very hard — mostly for aggressive drivers and tennis converts.
- Grip pressure matters more than most players think: loose (3–4 out of 10) for dinks and resets, firmer only for blocks and drives.
- Most players over-switch. Pick Continental as your default and change only for one specific shot.
Part of our guide to improving your pickleball game.
If you remember one thing from this article, make it this: most recreational players should use a Continental grip for almost every shot. It is the single grip that lets you hit a forehand and a backhand without rotating your hand, and at the kitchen line — where points are won and lost in a blur of volleys — there is no time to switch. I teach Continental as home base to nearly every student, from first-timers to 4.0s, and then we add a grip change only when a specific shot demands it.
Let’s break down the grips, how to find each one, and — just as important — the grip size and pressure details that quietly decide whether your dinks float up or sit down. For the full hands-on walkthrough, pair this with how to hold a pickleball paddle.
The Continental grip: your default
The Continental grip is often called the “handshake” or “hammer” grip. Hold the paddle out in front of you edge-on and shake hands with the handle, as if you were about to hammer a nail with the paddle’s edge. The V formed by your thumb and index finger sits roughly on the top edge of the handle, and the face stays neutral — neither opened to the sky nor closed to the ground.
This neutral position is why Continental does so much. The same hand position works for dinks, volleys, serves, resets, and blocks, and it covers both wings. You never have to switch mid-exchange, which is a huge advantage when a ball comes back at you faster than you can think. If you only ever learn one grip, learn this one well.
Eastern forehand: a bit more drive, at a cost
From Continental, rotate your hand slightly toward your forehand side so your palm sits more directly behind the handle. That is the Eastern forehand grip. It puts your hand behind the ball on a forehand drive, so you get a little more natural power and a cleaner forehand groundstroke — a comfortable position for players coming from tennis.
The trade-off is real: with your hand rotated for the forehand, your backhand volley is weak and awkward, and you’ll feel the urge to switch grips at the net. For most rec players that switch costs more points than the extra forehand power earns. Use Eastern forehand as a deliberate choice for third-shot drives if you like it — not as your everyday grip.
Semi-Western and Western: topspin specialists
Keep rotating your hand under the handle and you reach Semi-Western and, further still, Western. Your palm ends up partly beneath the handle, and from there you can roll the wrist up through the ball to produce heavy topspin on drives and serves. Players with a big tennis forehand love what these grips do to a drive.
But the same geometry that spins a drive makes soft, low shots very hard. Dinking and blocking with a Western grip is genuinely difficult — the face wants to close, and you’ll shank low balls. These grips belong to aggressive, drive-heavy players who are willing to live with a harder soft game. If spin is what you’re after, you’ll usually get more mileage from technique than from a grip change; see how to add spin in pickleball.
Eastern backhand: the one-handed backhand grip
If you drive or slice a one-handed backhand, the Eastern backhand grip puts the knuckle of your index finger on the top edge of the handle, placing your hand behind the ball on that wing. It gives a one-handed backhand drive and slice real structure. Players who hit a two-handed backhand generally don’t need it — the second hand supplies the stability, and Continental in the dominant hand works fine.
Grip comparison at a glance
| Grip | How to find it | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental | “Shake hands” with the handle; V of thumb/index on the top edge | Everything — dinks, volleys, serves, resets, both wings | Slightly less raw forehand power than Eastern |
| Eastern forehand | From Continental, rotate hand toward the forehand side so the palm is behind the handle | Forehand drives and groundstrokes with a little more pop | Weak backhand volley; tempts you to switch at the net |
| Semi-Western / Western | Rotate the hand further under the handle; palm partly beneath it | Heavy topspin on drives and serves; aggressive drivers and tennis converts | Very hard to dink, block, and handle low balls |
| Eastern backhand | Index knuckle on the top edge; hand behind the ball on the backhand side | One-handed backhand drive and slice | Not needed for a two-handed backhand; another switch to manage |
Grip size: measure before you blame your stroke
Most pickleball paddles ship with one handle circumference, and it runs small. To check your fit, hold the paddle in a Continental grip and look at the gap between your fingertips and the base of your palm — you want room for about one index finger to slide in. Too small and you’ll squeeze the handle to keep it from twisting; too large and you lose wrist snap and feel.
The easy fix for a too-small handle is an overgrip: one or two wraps build up the circumference, improve traction, and absorb sweat. Build up gradually — a single overgrip changes the feel more than you’d expect. For specific picks, see best pickleball grips and overgrips.
Grip pressure: hold it like a bird
Pressure is the most overlooked variable in grip, and it fixes more mistakes than any grip change. The old coaching line is to hold the paddle “like a bird” — firm enough that it can’t fly away, loose enough that you don’t crush it. On a scale of 1 to 10, keep a loose 3–4 for dinks, resets, and any touch shot; that softness is what lets the ball die in the kitchen instead of springing off a tight paddle face. Firm up only for blocks against a hard drive and for your own drives, where you need a stable face.
Two more control details: choking up — sliding your hand higher on the handle — trades a little power and reach for noticeably more control, which is handy on resets and touch volleys. And extending your index finger up the handle, like a trigger finger along the face, steadies the paddle for many players on volleys and dinks. Try it; some love it, some don’t.
Troubleshooting: what your grip is telling you
- Dinks popping up high? Usually grip pressure that’s too tight, or a face opened too far — the ball rebounds off a tense paddle. Soften to a 3–4 and keep the face neutral in Continental.
- Weak, late backhand? Often a grip problem: you’re switched into an Eastern forehand and scrambling to recover, or squeezing a too-small handle. Set Continental as home base and let the backhand share it.
- No topspin on your drives? A dead-neutral, loose grip brushes flat. Firm the hand up on the drive, brush low-to-high through the ball, and if you drive a lot, experiment with a slightly more Eastern or Semi-Western position — just know what it costs your soft game. Full mechanics are in how to hit a drive in pickleball.
Which levels this skill helps
Dialing in one home-base grip and controlling your pressure is exactly the kind of fundamental that moves you through the lower brackets. If you’re working from 2.5 → 3.0, locking in Continental so you stop switching mid-point is a fast, visible win. Pushing from 3.0 → 3.5? That’s where pressure control, choking up on resets, and adding spin on drives start to separate you.
Frequently asked questions
Should I switch grips during a point?
Almost never at the rec level. The whole reason Continental is the pickleball default is that it covers both wings, so you don’t have to switch in a fast exchange. Add a grip change only as a deliberate choice before a specific shot, like a forehand drive.
What grip is best for beginners?
The Continental, or handshake, grip. It’s the most versatile and the easiest to build every other shot around, so you won’t have to relearn your foundation later.
My dinks keep popping up — is it my grip?
Often, yes. The usual culprit is gripping too tight; a tense paddle springs the ball up. Loosen to about a 3 or 4 out of 10 and keep the face neutral, and your dinks will start to settle.
Do I need a different grip to hit topspin?
Not necessarily. A lot of topspin comes from brushing up the back of the ball with a firmer hand, not from the grip itself. A Semi-Western grip helps on drives but hurts your dinks and blocks, so change technique first.
Want this dialed in on the court? I’ll check your grip, size, and pressure in person and build the right home base for your game — book a coaching session and we’ll get it right in one lesson.
— Jason Regan, USA Pickleball Ambassador & PCI-certified coach
