Pickleball overgrip: how to wrap one and when to replace it

A pickleball overgrip costs a few pounds and changes more about how a paddle feels than any upgrade at ten times the price. It is also the one piece of kit almost everybody leaves on far too long.

Overgrip vs replacement grip

Two different things. The replacement grip is the thicker, cushioned layer that came on the paddle, wrapped directly onto the handle. The overgrip is a thin tape you wrap on top of it. You leave the original on and add over it — that is the whole point.

Each wrap of overgrip adds roughly 1/16 of an inch to the handle circumference, which is why it doubles as the standard fix for a paddle whose grip size is slightly too small.

Tacky or dry

Tacky grips feel sticky in the hand and give a very secure hold when dry. They turn slick once you sweat through them.
Dry grips feel almost like fabric or paper and absorb moisture rather than repelling it. Less immediately grippy, far better in heat and humidity.

If your hands sweat, buy dry. Tourna Grip (on Amazon) is the long-standing dry-feel option and the one most players with sweaty hands end up on. If you play indoors in air conditioning, a tacky grip is fine.

How to wrap one in five minutes

Peel the backing off and find the tapered end. That end starts at the butt of the handle.
Hold the tapered end against the butt cap and make one full turn to anchor it.
Wrap upward at a slight angle, overlapping each turn by about a third of the tape width.
Keep the tension light and even. Pulling hard stretches the tape and it unravels within a week.
Stop an inch or so below the paddle face, cut at an angle, and secure with the finishing tape in the pack.

When to replace it

The honest test is simple: if you find yourself gripping harder to keep the paddle from turning, it is done. For most players that is every four to six weeks of regular play, sooner in summer.

The surface has stopped feeling tacky or absorbent.
It has gone shiny or dark where your palm sits.
It has started to unravel at the top.
You have had a blister — that is friction the grip should have absorbed.

Overgrips and paddle weight

An overgrip adds a few grams at the handle, which shifts balance very slightly toward the handle and makes the paddle feel marginally more manoeuvrable. It is a small effect, but if you are also adding tungsten tape (on Amazon) to the head, the two work against each other. Do one change at a time and play a session before the next. Our guide to paddle weight explains why swing weight matters more than the number on the scale.

While you have the paddle in hand

If you play with a raw carbon face, its texture is what generates your spin, and it clogs with dust and ball residue. A paddle eraser (on Amazon) restores it in about thirty seconds. Worth doing whenever you change grips.

Everything in this piece lives in the accessories section of the store, and we sorted the genuinely useful from the gimmicks in what is worth buying and what is not. Surface roughness limits for paddles in sanctioned play are set by USA Pickleball.