With sweaty hands, grip improves through three things at once: a grip that doesn't get saturated with moisture, a routine for keeping your hand dry during the match (wristband, towel, drying off between points), and stopping yourself from squeezing the handle harder than you need to. None of the three works on its own. Most players only change the overgrip, which is why halfway through the second set the racket is moving in their hand again.
Here's the full routine, before, during and after the match, plus the things that do nothing at all however often you hear them on court.
Before you play
Check the grip before you leave home, not on court
An overgrip that was already past it after the last match won't survive a new one. Do the quick test: hold the racket, twist your wrist and see whether the surface feels firm or slippery and flattened. If the material has lost its feel, change it before you play. A conventional fabric overgrip usually lasts between 4 and 8 matches, and a lot less if you sweat heavily. We break it down in how often to change your padel overgrip.
Clean, dry hands
No hand cream or sunscreen on your palms right before playing. It's the silliest reason for a racket slipping from the first point, and the easiest to avoid: wash your hands and dry them properly before picking up the racket. Sunscreen goes on arms and face, with enough time to absorb.
Carry spares in your bag
A spare overgrip, a dry wristband and a small towel take up no space. If you play in summer or on enclosed glass courts, the spare stops being a fussy habit and becomes the thing that saves your third set.
During the match
Wristbands: the cheapest thing that works
Sweat doesn't only come from your palm: it runs down your forearm into your hand. A wristband cuts it off on the way. If you sweat a lot, wear one on both wrists and change it when it's soaked; a saturated wristband stops absorbing and turns into a sponge that hands the moisture back.
Dry off between points, not once it's already slipping
Towel on the fence or on the bench, and a couple of seconds between points. It's what tennis pros do, and it isn't a quirk: every time you dry your hand before the grip gets soaked, you extend the life of the overgrip and avoid the moment when the racket flies out of your hand.
Loosen your hold
When the racket slips, the natural reaction is to squeeze. And squeezing is exactly what takes the wrist out of your volley, tires your forearm and loads your elbow. Grip pressure should be firm at impact and soft the rest of the time. If you catch yourself with a clenched hand between points, open it, move your fingers and take hold of the racket again.
Roll-on or resin, at the right moment
Grip products go on a dry hand or on the grip, not on top of a puddle. And you need the right effect: if your problem is sweat, you want a dry effect; a sticky effect is for hands that don't sweat but want more grip. The Helix roll-on comes in both versions (DRY KO, dry effect, and MAGNETIC, sticky) in a 60 ml format that fits in your bag and can be reapplied at the break.
The grip: the part that weighs most
Everything above helps, but the material in your hand sets the ceiling. A fabric overgrip, dry or tacky, works either by absorbing or by sticking, and both end the same way: once they're saturated with sweat, they slip. That's why some players change their overgrip every week and still have the same problem.
The alternative is a grip that doesn't absorb. The Helix Pro Grip is a 30 cm anti-sweat silicone overgrip with a design registered with the EUIPO: it repels sweat instead of absorbing it, so it doesn't saturate or loosen mid-match, and it lasts about 10 times longer than a conventional overgrip. It goes on in under a minute, with no tools.
If you want to see every option compared (tacky, dry, perforated, silicone, resin) and which one fits how much you sweat, it's all in the best padel grips if your hands sweat a lot.
And the handle underneath counts too
A handle that's too thin forces you to close your hand more and squeeze harder, which is exactly what you don't want when you sweat. If your racket's handle feels small, an undergrip adds a bit of thickness and gives you a more stable base before you fit the overgrip. That's what the Helix Pro Invicta, our silicone undergrip, does. Helps prevent tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis): it dampens vibration and lets you grip without over-squeezing, two of the causes that load the elbow the most. If you already have persistent elbow pain, see a professional.
After the match
- Dry the racket before putting it away. Run the towel over the handle and let it air. Storing a sweaty racket in a closed bag speeds up the grip's decline and leaves it smelling.
- Don't leave the racket in the car. Heat and humidity inside a closed boot in summer do no favours to the grip or the racket's core.
- Change the overgrip when it's due, not when it falls apart. An overgrip that no longer grips still looks perfectly fine. Feel is the indicator, not visible wear.
What doesn't work
- Drying a soaked overgrip to reuse it. Saturated fabric doesn't get its original feel back. You'll notice within two games.
- Covering your hand in talc. Too much does the opposite of what you want: it forms a layer that cakes up with sweat.
- Stretching the overgrip to the max when fitting it. Over-stretching leaves it thinner and with less feel. Firm, even tension, with a consistent overlap.
- Changing racket because you think the racket is to blame. If the problem always shows up at the same point in the match, it's grip, not the racket.
Summary: where to start
- Wristband and towel from the first point. Zero cost, immediate effect.
- A grip in good condition: if you sweat a lot, one that doesn't absorb sweat. It's the part that changes the feel most.
- A dry-effect roll-on for long matches and hot days.
- And check how you hold the racket: firm at impact, loose the rest of the time.
You can see all the grip gear in the padel collection.
If your hands sweat heavily off court too, in everyday life, talk to a dermatologist or your doctor: there are causes and treatments that no grip will fix.
Helix Pro Grip is a Spanish brand of silicone grips with a design registered at the EUIPO. More than 100,000 grips sold.