Pickleball Grip Styles: Continental, Eastern, and Western
Last updated: July 2026
Which one to actually learn, and why most players only need two.
Continental (shake-hands grip) is your net game grip — best for volleys and dinks at the kitchen line, but it's hard to generate topspin with it. Eastern is the versatile middle ground — good topspin, solid backhand control, works for most forehands and speed-ups. Western maximizes forehand topspin but makes backhands and blocking a real problem, which is why most coaches don't recommend it for pickleball at all. If you're starting out, learn Continental and Eastern and skip Western entirely — that covers the vast majority of situations you'll actually face.
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Continental: your net grip
Hold the paddle like you're shaking someone's hand. This is the grip you want at the kitchen line for volleys and dinks, and it also works fine in the transition zone. The tradeoff: generating topspin with a Continental grip requires an awkward wrist twist, so it's not the grip to reach for on a baseline drive where you want the ball to dip down into the court.
Eastern: the versatile default
Eastern is the grip most players should build their game around. It lets you generate real topspin while keeping decent backhand control, and it works well on forehand speed-ups when you're countering an attackable ball with pace. If you only learn one grip beyond Continental, make it this one.
Western: powerful, but a trap for most players
A Western grip closes the paddle face and can generate serious topspin on forehands, which sounds appealing. The problem is everything else — countering becomes very difficult unless you're willing to hit flat, paddle-face-up 'pancake' shots, and backhands become genuinely hard to execute. Most coaches steer players away from Western entirely for this reason; the forehand upside doesn't make up for what you lose everywhere else on the court.
What good players actually do
The honest answer is most strong players adjust grip slightly based on the shot rather than locking into one grip for the whole match — Continental at the net, Eastern or a slight variation on groundstrokes and speed-ups. If you're newer to the sport, don't overthink this: learn Continental first for net play, add Eastern once you're driving and speeding up regularly, and leave Western alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best pickleball grip for beginners?
Continental and Eastern. Continental covers net play (volleys, dinks); Eastern covers groundstrokes and speed-ups with real topspin. Most beginners don't need Western at all.
Why don't pros recommend the Western grip in pickleball?
It maximizes forehand topspin but makes backhands and blocking shots very difficult, so the tradeoff isn't worth it for most players — unlike in tennis, where more court time and different shot demands make it more viable.
Do I need to change my grip during a point?
Many strong players do — Continental at the net, shifting toward Eastern on groundstrokes. It's a normal adjustment, not something only advanced players do.
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