How to Get the Right Badminton Grip Size

Nearly every racket in a UK club bag is a G4 or a G5, and most players could not tell you which one they own. That small code matters more than it looks. Grip size decides how much finger control you have, how hard you have to squeeze, and how fresh your forearm feels at the end of a long club night. Better still, it is the one part of a racket you can change at home in a couple of minutes.

What the G number actually means

Look at the sticker on the shaft or the label on the cone and you will see a code such as 3UG4 or 4UG5. The number with the U describes the frame weight. The G number is the grip size, and it runs the opposite way to what most people expect: the higher the number, the slimmer the handle. A G5 is thinner than a G4, and the G6 you sometimes see on Japanese market rackets is thinner again.

Manufacturers do not print the circumference anywhere on the racket, and published figures for what each size measures vary from source to source, so treat the G number as a relative guide rather than a precise measurement. For buying purposes you need two facts: G4 is the thicker of the two sizes commonly sold in the UK, and G5 is the slimmer one.

Why it matters for your game

A handle that is too thick sits in the palm rather than the fingers. Your fingers cannot wrap fully round it, changes between forehand and backhand grip get slower, and the fine control that makes net play work starts to fade.

A handle that is too thin creates the opposite problem. To stop the racket twisting on off-centre hits you squeeze harder, and holding a tight squeeze for a full session is exactly what leaves a forearm aching the next day. Good technique relies on a relaxed hold that only tightens in the split second around contact, and the right grip size is what makes that relaxed hold feel natural.

Start slim, then build up

The rule experienced players follow: it is easy to make a handle thicker and awkward to make it thinner. Slimming a handle down means stripping the factory grip off to the bare wood underneath, which is fiddly and hard to reverse. Thickening one takes a single overgrip and two minutes. So if you are choosing between sizes, take the slimmer option and build it up to the exact feel you want.

How much does one overgrip layer add?

An overgrip is a thin tacky layer that wraps over the factory grip. The Yonex Super Grap, one of the most popular overgrips in the game, is about 0.6 mm thick. Because each turn runs the whole way round the handle and overlaps the turn before it, one layer adds roughly 4 to 5 mm to the circumference. That is a genuinely noticeable step in the hand, not a subtle tweak: a G5 handle with one Super Grap on it feels close to a bare G4. Most players find their spot within one or two layers.

Wrapping it on properly

1. Peel off the backing film. The overgrip itself has a tapered end with a small adhesive tab, and that tapered end starts the wrap at the bottom of the handle.
2. Make one full turn around the base to anchor it, keeping the edge snug against the butt cap.
3. Spiral upwards with light, even tension, overlapping each turn by a few millimetres, up to about a third of the tape's width.
4. Finish just below the cone and lock the end down with the finishing tape supplied in the pack.

Wrinkles mean the tension was uneven. Unwind a few turns and redo them rather than living with a lumpy patch under your fingers.

When to stop adding layers

Two layers is a sensible ceiling. A badminton handle is octagonal, and those subtle edges are how your fingers know where the string face is pointing without looking. Every extra layer rounds the bevels off a little more, and past two the handle starts to feel like a broom pole: thick, round and vague. If you want more bulk than two overgrips give you, a thicker replacement grip underneath is the cleaner fix.

Finding your own size

No chart beats feel, but the signals are consistent. If the racket twists in your hand on mishits, or your forearm pumps up after an hour, go thicker by a layer. If grip changes feel clunky and your fingers feel bunched, peel a layer off. Fast doubles defence tends to reward a slimmer handle because quick finger work is everything, while players who mostly rally and smash from the back often prefer a little more to hold on to. Change one layer at a time and give each setup a full session before judging it.

A three pack of Super Grap costs £5.49, which makes grip size the cheapest experiment in badminton. The rest of the range lives in the grips collection.

Related reading: Overgrip vs Replacement Grip: Which Does Your Racket Need? and HEAD Overgrip 6 Pack: Dry or Sticky?