Iron grip? Tired arm?

Frequently players tell me about their sore forearms.

There are probably lots of causes for this but the most common one is over gripping the racket.

Take the racket out of your hand between points so your arm and hand can relax.

It’s crazy to continually apply tension to the handle when you’re not actually hitting. And on hot, humid days it’s a good way to avoid soaking the handle with more sweat.

Relax your grip on the handle between shots too.

Just because the ball is in play doesn’t mean you must squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

Hold your racket mostly in your non-playing hand throughout long points. Give your poor playing hand a break by only squeezing during the actual hit.

Otherwise, hold the racket no tighter than a canary. Firm-up your grip as you come to the ball.

There’s no need to continually squeeze your racket.