Table of Contents
It becomes difficult to function on a cricket pitch while batting if your bat grip isn’t in place. Due to the sweat accumulated on your palms, there are high chances of the bat slipping out, especially if you’ve batting gloves on. Replacing or putting on a cricket bat grip is a daunting but important task that a batter needs to fulfill.
With that being said, let’s have a look at how to put on a cricket bat grip.
A grip can be put on a cricket bat using a ‘gripper’ or a ‘cone’ or even a shopping bag. There are various grips available in the market. Be sure to choose the proper grip as per your sports needs and budget. Most importantly, do not forget to tape the bottom of the grip to keep it intact.
Why Change a Cricket Bat Grip?
Several numerous reasons come to mind as to why a batsman would prefer changing his cricket bat grip. One of the most common reasons is the wearing out of an old bat grip which makes batting uncomfortable. Batting with an old bat grip can make it painful to hold your bat; let alone play your shots freely. Hence, it becomes a necessity to change your grip in order to proceed with a smooth functioning cricket bat.
Another reason is purely based on the aesthetic choices of the batsman. Your existing bat doesn’t have the colour or choice of grip you prefer which allows you to buy the choice and colour of grip you want which is easy on the eyes and you prefer over the existing one; could vary from dotted grips to coloured and multicoloured grips. Sometimes players prefer more than one grip to play with, especially for heavy weighted bats which makes the bat seem lighter and comfortable to play with.
Apart from these, another reason can easily be providing a new set of confidence to the batsman when he/she switches to a new grip. It could be as little as the colour expresses your personality or the grip allows you to be more comfortable as a batter which will help you score big runs.
Choose and Buy a Bat Grip for Your Bat Handle
There are different types of bat grips available based on the thickness of the rubber used for it which makes the durability of the grip pretty impactful and ensure effective results. Overall, there are three types of grips which are mentioned below:
Chevron Grips
The first type of grips is the Chevron Grips. They are quite simple but have proven to be very effective in use. They’re a bat grip made of thin rubber which provides ample grip on the bat. It works best on the bats whose handles are a tad too thick as they don’t make the handle feel thicker, rather make it easier for the batsman to grip and play his shots.
Dynamic Grips
As it is out there, there are multiple options in the medium thickness category of a bat grip and there are plenty of advantages going forward with the medium grip, one being the grip makes the bat feel lighter.
A great option for players to pick from is the Dynamic grip for a medium thickness. The Dynamic grip is made of a half and half combination, wherein one half of the grip is made of a chevron type grip while the other is made of a ring-type slightly thicker grip.
The dynamic grip provides an extra cushion for your bottom hand as it is thicker towards the bottom hand side. This type of grip is a perfect solution to making your bat feel lighter and provides extra comfort while lifting the bat for hours and hours.
Octopus Grips
Last but not least are the thicker rubber grips available for use, commonly known as the Octopus grips. They are made of thicker rubber and provide the players with maximum durability. Another reason that makes these types of grips a better choice is if the bat handle is on the thinner side of the spectrum.
One of the key things to remember while purchasing a thick grip is if the grip is not too rigid as it can lead to repetitive strain injury due to a heavy load of training and playing.
These were the three most preferred types of grips available for use in the market.
This part of the process is a rather simpler one to move forward with as removing the old grip is rather a piece of a cake job. You can either roll up the rubber grip and slide it off or simply cut it off or tear it and throw it away to make space for a new one. What makes it easier is the fact that old grips become worn out over time and the rubber can be quickly torn apart.
In the end, you will have your empty handle with you, ready for a new grip to make its way and begin use.
Put the Cricket Grip on the Handle
This part of the process is of the utmost importance. The cricket bat grips by nature are designed to be grippy and once you put them on the handle, especially the new ones, they get attached to the handle in a way it is tough to pull them out. This proves their durability and them being made of good rubber material.
However, there are certain ways you can use that can help you to put the cricket grip on the handle as putting on grips on the handle for the first time can be very difficult and intimidating. However, with the help of a few simple tricks, you might have plenty of people hovering over your head asking you to help them put grips on their bats.
Use a Cricket Grip Cone
Using a cricket grip cone is one of the easiest ways to put a grip on your bat and there are certain steps to follow to apply it perfectly. First and foremost, you need to place the grip over the pointed end of the cone and roll it towards the fat end of the cone. However, one must stop rolling midway through the cone.
After you’ve done this step, remove the grip from the cone and turn it the other way round which puts the un-rolled end on top of the point. After having done this, roll the grip down to the bottom of the cone (metal base), which leaves you the whole grip being wrapped around itself in sort of a doughnut shape.
In addition to that, the next step is to get the bat and place the open end of the cone where the grip is, on top of the handle of the bat. Then, roll the grip down to the bottom of the bat and make sure the grip remains in a doughnut shape throughout the process.
In the end, unroll the grip upwards and make sure to keep going until the grip is completely unfolded. If that hasn’t been done with perfection, you may find an extra amount of grip either on the bottom or top of the handle.
Use a Plastic Bag
Using a plastic bag is one of the most economical methods of putting on a cricket bat grip. It’s as easy as it can be once you get a hang of it. First things first, get a plastic bag and put the bag inside the grip with its open end at the bottom of the grip.
With the bag being inside the grip, you should place the open end of the bag over the top of the handle of the bat. After having done that, you need to firmly slide the bag and as a result, the grip will keep going down the handle, as far as it can go. The next step needs to be carried out carefully because as you will see, the plastic bag is now stuck inside the grip.
To remove that, one must slightly cut open the very top of the bag near the top of the handle. Then you need to roll the grip from the top down towards the middle of the handle. When it has gone as far as it is easy to do so, you can then cut the top half of the bag off and pull it away. Then you simply roll the grip back up to the top and repeat the same process for the remaining half of the bag which is still inside the bottom half of the grip.
Add a Second Grip on the Bat if Needed
A double grip layer can be added to improve control of the grip of the batsman over his bat. A second grip always makes the bat feel lighter as well as provides an extra cushion while batting which allows the batter to play his shots freely.
Tape the Base of the Grip
The base of the grip is always a matter of concern while batting as constant use of the bottom hand during play and the friction caused can cause the grip to slightly keep moving upwards resulting in disrupting the focus of the batsman. To avoid that from happening, taping the base of the grip is an effective solution as it keeps the grip from moving too much and stays exactly in the same spot.
Conclusion
We hope this article helps you with the type of grip you’d like to purchase as well as provides you with all the information you need to help yourself while putting on your cricket bat grip. A grip is always important for a batter to accumulate comfort during his gameplay. Take good care of it and always have some spare with you.
