How to Regrip a Tennis Racket
Handling your tennis racket correctly will have a huge impact on how well you perform on the court. In this way, you can see how tennis grips are one the most important training aids out there and it is important to know how to regrip a tennis racket properly. However, you need to be able to determine when your racket needs regripping to ensure it performs the best it can. You have two options when it comes to attending to tennis racket grips. You can choose to replace the grip in its entirety, or instead attach an overgrip. This latter approach is often referred to as ‘regripping’.
How to Regrip a Tennis Racket Easily
Over time, tennis racket grips can become damaged and dirty. Eventually, even the best grips will begin to lose their performance-enhancing properties, with anti-slip finishes and other qualities quickly becoming diminished. When this happens, you will need to think about replacing your grip. If you have recently added a grip to your tennis racket but are finding it too thin for your liking, you may also want to increase its thickness. Thankfully, regripping your racket is relatively straightforward.
To begin, you will need to remove your existing overgrip. To begin, remove the rubber collar at the end of your racket handle. Once this has been removed, you can begin to remove the finishing tape that secures the overgrip to your racket handle. You may need to use scissors or another implement if the finishing tap is still well adhered to your racket. With the finishing tape removed, you can then begin to unwrap the grip itself.
Next you will need to prepare your new grip tape. Locate the tapered side of your grip tape and begin to unfurl it. Most grip tapes will include an adhesive backing on the tapered side. This backing material should be removed before continuing. When applying your new grip tape, you should refer to markings on your handle. The majority of tennis rackets will have etchings that determine the direction in which you should be wrapping any overgrip. When wrapping your grip, consider how thin or thick you want handle to be. If you want to go for a thinner grip, make sure you are wrapping tightly. However, if you wish to go for a wider handle, avoid wrapping too tightly or folding the grip around your handle too much.
When wrapping your handle, you should always start the butt of the racket. The tapered side of the overgrip should be angled up slightly. You should never layer the overgrip over the racket butt. When the overgrip has been wrapped to your liking and suits your preferred playing style, you can think about securing it. Once you have reached the top of the racket handle, you can remove any excess overgrip material. Scissors should be used here for a neat finish. Finishing tape should also be used to ensure the grip sticks firmly around the entire handle. Once all this has been done, you can replace the rubber collar at the base of your racket handle.
