How to Hold a Badminton Racket: Grips for Beginners

Last updated: June 2026 · Written by the team at Badminton House

If you are new to badminton, the problem usually is not that you are weak — it is that the racket is sitting in your hand the wrong way. A tight, panhandle-style hold can make clears feel heavy, backhands feel powerless, and fast grip changes feel almost impossible during a rally.

This beginner guide explains badminton grip how to hold racket basics in plain language: the forehand handshake grip, the thumb-led backhand grip, the bevel grip for awkward backhands behind you, and why grip pressure should stay loose until the moment you hit the shuttle.

Use it as a practical starting point before your next club night, lesson, or drop-in session in Canada. You do not need advanced technique vocabulary yet — just the right hand position, a relaxed hold, and a few simple cues you can repeat on court.

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Why Your Badminton Grip Matters

Your grip is not just where your hand sits on the handle. It changes the racket face angle, how freely your wrist can move, how much leverage you can create, and how quickly you can adjust between forehand, backhand, bevel, and panhandle positions during a rally.

For beginners, the forehand grip is the starting point because it is the foundation for most forehand shots, including clears, drops, drives, and smashes. A good forehand grip gives you flexible wrist movement instead of forcing every shot with your arm.

The important detail is that one grip does not cover every situation. Players switch between grips depending on where the shuttle is, whether the shot is forehand or backhand, and whether they need power, control, or a quick net interception. If you hold the racket too tightly, those small grip changes become much harder mid-rally.

A simple test: hold the racket lightly enough that your fingers can adjust, then tighten only as you strike the shuttle. That loose-then-tight timing is what lets your grip support both control and power instead of fighting against them.

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Forehand Grip: The Handshake Starting Point

For most beginners, the forehand grip is the best starting point because it is the foundation for many common forehand strokes. Think of it as a handshake with the racket: the handle sits naturally in your fingers, your hand is relaxed, and the racket face stays flat to the floor as you set up.

That V shape is the easiest visual cue. If the V disappears because your hand has rolled too far around the handle, the racket face will usually point the wrong way at contact. If all four fingers are clamped together, the grip often becomes too tense and makes it harder to adjust during a rally.

Use this grip for most forehand clears, drops, drives, and smashes. You will still learn to change grips for backhand shots and special situations, but the forehand grip is the home base many beginners return to between shots.

A simple Canadian club-night test: before your next warm-up, hold the forehand grip and make a few slow shadow swings for a clear, drop, drive, and smash. If the racket face stays predictable and your hand does not feel locked, you are on the right track.

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Backhand Grip: Use Your Thumb for Leverage

To change from forehand grip to backhand grip, start from your handshake position and rotate the handle so the racket face is parallel to the floor. Then place your thumb on the flat side of the handle, in line with the racket face.

The thumb is the key. On backhand shots, pressing with the thumb gives you leverage through the handle, so you are not trying to lift or block the shuttle using only your wrist. That thumb pressure helps with control and power on non-dominant-side backhands, including backhand clears, drives, and defensive shots.

A good beginner test is to hold the racket in backhand grip and make a short pushing motion forward. If your thumb is sitting on the flat side, the racket face should feel stable as you push through the shot. If the racket twists in your hand, you are probably holding too loosely at contact, placing the thumb on the wrong bevel, or squeezing the handle from the start instead of tightening at the hit.

Use this backhand thumb grip when the shuttle is level with you or in front of you on the backhand side. If the shuttle has already travelled behind you, do not force the same thumb position — that is where the bevel grip comes in next.

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Bevel Grip: For Backhands Behind You

The bevel grip is the beginner-friendly answer to a very specific problem: a backhand shuttle that has already travelled behind your body. If you try to use a standard backhand thumb grip from that position, the racket face often points the wrong way and the shot feels jammed. The bevel grip lets the racket face sit at a more useful angle for rear-court backhand clears, drops, and smashes.

To find it, start in your backhand grip. Then rotate the racket head so the strings face diagonally instead of straight forward. For a right-handed player, that means moving the racket head anti-clockwise; for a left-handed player, clockwise. Your thumb should move off the flat backhand face and rest more on the ridge or bevel of the handle. When you look straight down the racket, the racket face should be tilted at roughly a 45-degree angle.

When to use the bevel grip

A good way to test this is with slow shadow swings. Set up as if the shuttle has gone past your non-racket shoulder, rotate from backhand to bevel, and make a controlled backhand clear motion. Do not squeeze the handle early. Keep the grip relaxed so your fingers can turn the racket, then tighten only as you would make contact.

If your bevel grip still feels awkward, check two things before blaming your racket: first, whether your thumb is truly on the bevel instead of flat on the back; second, whether the racket face is actually diagonal. Many beginners think they have changed grips, but only move the wrist while the handle stays in the same place. The handle should rotate in your fingers.

For more on how handle thickness affects grip changes, see our badminton grip size guide. If you are also maintaining an older racket, our gear maintenance checklist can help you decide when strings, grips, shoes, and shuttles need attention.

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Panhandle Grip: Useful Near the Net, Not for Everything

The panhandle grip gets its name because it looks like you are holding a frying pan. Instead of the racket sitting slightly slanted like a normal forehand grip, the racket face is held more squarely so it is directly parallel to the net.

That position can be useful in the front court. When the shuttle is close to the tape and you only need a short, direct movement, the panhandle grip works well for quick taps, net kills, fast interceptions, pushes, and kill shots.

A simple self-check: hold your racket out in front of you. If the strings are facing the net flat-on like a frying pan, you are in panhandle. That is fine near the net. If you notice you are still holding that shape for every rally shot, reset to your forehand grip first, then switch only when the shot demands it.

If the racket keeps twisting in your hand while you practise switching grips, the issue may be grip size or grip build-up rather than technique alone. See our badminton grip size guide and overgrip vs replacement grip guide for the gear side of the fix.

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Grip Pressure: Stay Loose, Then Tighten on Contact

The biggest beginner mistake is not usually choosing the wrong grip — it is squeezing the handle too hard. Your fingers should sit loosely around the grip most of the time, because a tight hand makes it harder to switch between forehand, backhand, bevel, and panhandle positions during a rally.

Think of the racket handle as something your fingers can adjust, not something your palm has to clamp. Stay relaxed while you prepare, then tighten only as you swing into the shuttle. At contact, the power comes from a short tightening action using the wrist, forearm, and thumb — especially on backhand shots where the thumb gives you leverage.

This loose-then-tighten habit also matters for comfort. Keeping a death grip on the handle when you are not hitting can add unnecessary strain, and a looser grip between shots may help you avoid tennis elbow symptoms. If your elbow or wrist already gets sore after badminton, see our guide to badminton elbow and wrist pain before blaming only your racket.

A simple check: if you cannot change from forehand grip to backhand grip without peeling your whole hand off the handle, you are probably holding too tightly. Loosen the last few fingers, let the handle turn slightly in your hand, then tighten only when the shuttle is about to meet the strings.

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Practice Drills and Gear Next Steps

You do not need a shuttle to build better grip habits. In fact, the best beginner practice is often slow, quiet, and repetitive: shadow swings and shadow badminton help you rehearse the forehand and backhand swing paths, follow-through, form, and grip changes before a rally speeds everything up.

Keep these reps slow at first. If your hand is locked tight before the swing, pause and reset. A loose grip makes it easier to change grips mid-rally; then you can tighten briefly at contact to add control and power.

For gear setup, the next two details are grip size and grip material. If the handle feels too bulky or too thin, read the G4, G5, and G6 badminton grip size guide. If you are deciding between an overgrip, replacement grip, or towel grip, use the badminton grip type guide.

The key is consistency: learn the correct grip shape, rehearse it without pressure, then bring it into easy rallies before trying to use it at full match speed.

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Which Grip Should You Choose?

If you are searching for badminton grip how to hold racket, the simplest answer is: start loose in a forehand grip, then switch based on where the shuttle is and which side of your body you are hitting from. Use this table as your on-court decision helper.

As you practise switching grips, also pay attention to grip pressure: stay relaxed before contact, then tighten as you hit. If your racket also needs maintenance while you are tuning your setup, Badminton House offers a Canada-wide stringing service.

Grip changes feel awkward at first, but they get cleaner with relaxed hands, simple repetition, and honest feedback. We play badminton ourselves, so if you are not sure whether your grip problem is technique, handle size, strings, or racket setup, contact us and we will help you think it through like a fellow player at the club.