So this week I decided to finally tackle my messy platform tennis game, specifically my weak grip causing tons of mishits. Honestly, my hands were taking a beating, stinging after every session, and I was dropping my paddle way too often. Had to do something.
The Hand Pain Was Real
Every time I played, especially on those cold mornings, my hands felt like sandpaper. Blisters kept popping up, no joke. One session last Thursday was brutal – my palm was raw, I flubbed three easy returns in a row, and my partner just gave me that look. You know the one. I tried stuffing bandaids under my regular sports gloves, which felt pretty dumb, and yeah, didn’t last more than a few volleys.
Searching for Something Better
After that disaster, I Googled around like crazy. Forgot “platform tennis gloves” were even a thing! Mostly found fingerless golf gloves, which seem kinda similar but probably not the same grip. Kept digging, reading random forum rants about sweaty palms and lost points. Finally stumbled on several brands actually making gloves for this exact sport. Who knew? Not me, apparently.
Testing Out the Options
Alright, time to experiment. Bought three different pairs online:
- Option A: Thin leather palms, kinda like batting gloves. Felt snug right away.
- Option B: Thicker synthetic stuff, more padding overall. Weirdly stiffer.
- Option C: Some fancy sweat-wicking mesh material. Lightest of the bunch.
Took ’em all to my local court for solo drills. Started with Option A. Wore ’em around the house for an hour first to kinda loosen them up.
First Hit with the Gloves
I gotta be honest, first few swings with Option A felt weird. Like slipping your hand into an old baseball mitt. The leather grabbed the paddle handle immediately though – zero slip. Focused on just basic forehands and backhands. Shocking how much more securely the paddle sat in my hand! Didn’t death-grip it either. Tried Option B next – too bulky. Felt like I was wearing grocery bags, couldn’t feel the handle vibrations. Option C felt nice and cool, but the grip wasn’t quite as sticky as Option A’s leather, noticed a bit of paddle twist on hard volleys.
Option A Became My Favorite
Played three full matches wearing Option A over the last week. The difference? Night and day.
- Way Fewer Drops: Seriously, maybe dropped my paddle once? Felt glued to my hand, especially after working up a sweat. No awkward scrambling to pick it up mid-point.
- Bye-Bye Blisters: My palms haven’t complained once. Leather broke in nicely, felt super protective during those hard smashes.
- Control Boost: Mishits plummeted. Felt confident taking cuts at sharper angles knowing the paddle wouldn’t wobble.
- Cold Hands? Fixed: That morning chill hitting wet hands? Didn’t feel it. Just played.
Definitely Sticking with Them
It’s been about 3 weeks now. Hand pain? Gone. Mishits? Maybe once a set instead of constant frustration. Confidence way up. Seems like such a small change, but honestly, it fixed a bunch of dumb little problems that were tanking my game. If your hands hurt or your paddle slips, grabbing a pair of actual platform tennis gloves, especially ones with a good sticky leather palm, is a no-brainer win.