How To Grip A Pickleball Paddle | Eastern, Western, & Continental

The Western Grip – The “Frying Pan” Grip

The Western pickleball grip is less common, but still seen around the courts. The Western pickleball grip resembles how you may hold a frying pan when you flip a pancake. The Western favors the forehand grip and offers a lot of spin, but does set up a difficult angle when attempting a backhand. Which is why you may see players with a Western grip hitting their backhands and forehands on the same side of the paddle. 

To find the Western Grip:

• Find the Eastern Grip.
• Place your playing hand on the face of the paddle and drag it down the face of the paddle, and grip the handle. 
• Rotate the paddle roughly 60-90 degrees toward the ground. (Left side of the paddle face for righties, and the right side of the paddle face for lefties.) 
• Your grip should sit in your hand like you would grip a frying pan

Here’s what it should look like:

The Continental Grip

Opposite of the Western, the Eastern plays into a player’s backhand more than their forehand because of the angle of the paddle in your hand. This grip is relatively common as many player’s often remain in a backhand grip to block volleys back to their opponents while at the kitchen line. However, it does make hitting a forehand difficult without changing your grip to accommodate. 

To find the Continental Grip:

• Find your Eastern grip. Place your playing hand on the face of the paddle and drag it down the face of the paddle, and grip the handle.
• Opposite the Western grip, rotate your paddle face 60-90 degrees the opposite direction. Rotate the paddle roughly 60-90 degrees toward the ground. (Right  side of the paddle face for righties, and the left side of the paddle face for lefties.)

Here’s what it should look like:

If you’re new to the game and looking for a recommendation on gripping a pickleball paddle, the Eastern may be your best bet to get started. Grips are a hard aspect of the game to break, so the sooner you get into the right grip, the more successful you will be.

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And there you have it! Hopefully this article helps you decide on what is the best way to grip a pickleball paddle. If you have any other questions, our Paddle Experts are here to help. You can contact them via phone at 866-382-3465, email at experts@justpaddles.com, or you can click here to live chat. Or, if you’re in the market for a new paddle then we’ve definitely got you covered. We’re JustPaddles and we’re with you from Click To Court!