Best Badminton Grip for Sweaty Hands: 3 Options To Reduce Slip

There’s nothing more annoying than losing grip in a badminton match that you’re winning.

• You know your skills and technique is better than your opponent.
• You might even have better stamina.

But that grip just keeps on slipping off, forcing you to lose points for no fault of your own. Ugh.

Fortunately, there are badminton grips ideally suited for those situations:

• Aside from classic overgrip tape…
• … special kinds of cloth, towel, and polyurethane (PU) grips…

… can help minimize the impact of sweat on your game.

Below, I’ll dive into the 3 best badminton grips for sweaty hands, plus a few extra tips and tools to help you minimize slip on the court.

Btw, I’m a professional badminton player since 8 years, and won 7x US Junior National Badminton championship. I too have sweaty hands in tournaments, so here’s what worked for me:

As a quick overview:

Let’s dive right in:

Best Badminton Grips for Sweaty Hands: Top 3 Options

Here are the best badminton grips for sweaty hands, along with their pros, cons, and where to pick them up:

Best Towel Grips: Yonex Towel Grip

If you’re concerned about sweat absorption, above all else, towel grips are the best grip option to start with.

As the name suggests, these grips are made with a towel-like material that absorbs sweat from the wrists and hands. You can imagine it like a built-in towel:

• Instead of using towels to wipe sweat over and over again.
• You can use a built-in towel in your badminton racket grip. Great concept, right?

And while they’re different from traditional tacky grip tape, their cushioning and texture still provide a great feeling and good control.

One potential drawback of towel grips is that they can get stiffer and dirtier faster than polyurethane grips (PU grips). But if sweaty palms have been interfering with your game lately, these grips are one of the best grip options to go for.

Pricing: $42 USD

Order the Yonex Towel Grip on Amazon

PU Grips: Yonex Dry Grap

Yonex Dry Grap isn’t made with cloth like the Yonex Towel Grip. Instead, it’s made with a PU material that absorbs moisture and helps keep your grip stable.

In my opinion, this is the second best grip option. At 0.65 mm thick, it provides a slightly thicker grip with a cushiony feel to absorb shock and improve shot control and handling.

And compared to other badminton grips for sweaty hands, Yonex Dry Grap (dry grips) offers a softer, more velvety surface — which is a bit different than the cloth-like feel you’d get with a towel grip.

All in all, it’s a great option for players who like the feel of PU grips, but need a bit more sweat-minimizing power.

Pricing: $11.99 USD

Order the Yonex Dry Grap on Amazon

Tacky Grips: Tourna Grip

Tourna Grip is most often used for tennis, but it also works well for other sports like squash and badminton.

According to Tourna, this grip is meant to get tackier the more you sweat.

And unlike smooth options like Yonex Super Grap (which is still a great overgrip in the right situations), it tends to hold up better under humid, sweaty conditions.

You can imagine this racket grip as the hardcore version for sweaty palms. If all else fails, this one here will work.

One potential downside of this grip is that it doesn’t always last a long time — but if you’re OK with regripping your racket a little more often, Tourna Grip could be well worth trying out.

Pricing: $22.65 USD

Order the Tourna Grip on Amazon

Grip Powder And Other Tips To Minimize Slip

When you’re playing in a humid or hot environment, your overgrip alone might not be enough to help you avoid the impact of sweat on your game. Luckily, there are other steps you can take to reduce moisture and slip, including:

• Trying grip powder. Grip powder acts as another line of defense against sweaty hands and slip. Some players prefer to use simple chalk powder, but for added grip, you can opt for racket-specific powders instead. These are made of materials like calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and resins, which give added grip control on top of absorbing sweat
• Picking up a sweat wristband. This will help prevent sweat and moisture from running down your arm and onto your hand.
• Wiping your hands off in between rallies (or whenever you have a chance). Although it seems like a no-brainer, this small habit is another simple way to manage sweat in longer matches.

Badminton Racket Handle Grips: The Takeaway 

If you’ve been looking for the best badminton grips for sweaty hands, you might be all too familiar with mishitting shots due to your grip slipping. Fortunately, the options and tips above can all help you improve control and sidestep the effect of sweat on your game.

Towel grips are probably your best place to start if you’re dealing with a lot of moisture. But other grips like the Yonex Dry Grap and Tourna Grip are also excellent options — especially when combined with a wristband and grip powder.

Looking for more help with badminton gear? Visit the blog today for in-depth reviews, roundups, and more to level up your game.

Frequently Asked Questions About Best Badminton Grips For Sweaty Hands

You might have some additional, pressing questions that are top of mind about finding the best badminton grip for sweaty hands. In this section, I’ll respond to the most common ones I’ve received:

How can you apply a grip tape on a badminton racket?

Here are the 5 simple steps to apply grip tape:

1. Remove the Old Grip: Start by carefully removing the old grip if it’s still on the racket.
2. Clean the Handle: Make sure the handle is clean.
3. Prepare the New Grip Tape: Unwrap the new grip tape. If the grip has a tapered end, start with that end at the bottom of the racket handle.
4. Start Wrapping: Begin wrapping from the bottom up. Make sure each wrap slightly overlaps the previous one. Keep the grip tape under constant tension.
5. Finish at the Top: When you reach the top of the handle, trim any excess grip tape. Secure the end with the finishing tape provided.

What can I do if I want a thinner grip to reduce sweaty hands?

If you’re looking for a thinner grip to help manage sweaty hands, the option you should generally go for is a towel grip.

Towel grips are the thinnest, long-enduring option for managing sweat. They provide a soft, absorbent surface that can help keep your hands dry during play.

If that doesn’t work, choose a thin replacement grip: Some replacement grips are specifically designed to be thinner. Look for those that advertise a slim profile or minimal padding.

Lastly, if both of the previous options don’t work, use grip powder regularly.