u/Eicerp

I’m currently playing with a Kuikma Hybrid Pro. I have access to an Oxdog Hyper Pro 2.0 and a Wilson Endure V1 as well, and trying them has made me wonder how much of the difference is just familiarity.

With the Kuikma I get decent depth on lobs and volleys, but I still miss the sweet spot more often than I’d like. With the Oxdog, my lobs tend to land short and some defensive shots end up in the net.

I was hoping the Wilson would be more forgiving and help me get depth on defensive shots and lobs without having to swing as much, while still keeping blocks and volleys under control.

I tried it today and honestly it was a disaster 😂 Missed the sweet spot, sent blocks into the back glass, hit volleys too hard or in the wrong direction. Even completely missed a couple of balls on overheads and low groundstrokes.

It was against good opponents, so probably not the best time to try something unfamiliar. Switched back to the Kuikma and things immediately got better.

Now I’m wondering if I’ve been judging unfamiliar rackets too quickly. Obviously I’m used to the Kuikma, so it makes sense that it feels better straight away. But how do you tell the difference between needing time to adjust and a racket simply not suiting you?

Have you ever struggled with a racket at first, stuck with it, and ended up preferring it? How much time did you give it, and did you mainly adjust through matches or drills?

I’m not looking for more racket suggestions. Just trying to figure out whether to give these a proper chance or stick with what already works.

I’m trying to nail down my basic grip once and for all. Every single YouTube video out there just tells you to "use the Continental grip," but they never actually zoom in and show you the exact alignment.

Look at the attached photos. If I just grab the racket to shake hands with someone, or if I pretend to hammer a nail, my hand ends up exactly like this. But from what I can gather online, I actually need to twist my hand a bit further to the left for it to count as a true Continental. Is that correct? Do I need to rotate it more?

Two more things I need to clear up:

Pinky placement: Is it better to learn to use a grip where the pinky sits right at the very bottom edge of the handle? I’ve tried doing that, but it feels way less stable right now than holding it slightly higher up (about 1,5-2 cm from the bottom edge). Should I force myself to stick it down there anyway?
Index finger height: As you can see in these specific pictures, I keep my index finger just a little bit above the middle finger. Is it perfectly "okay" to hold it like this as a default position, instead of forcing a massive gap?

Just to be clear: I’m not an advanced player. I know pros switch their grips around constantly mid-point, but I’m saving that for later. Right now, I just want one solid default grip that I can burn into my muscle memory while I learn the game.

Appreciate the help!

How long do you give a new racket before deciding it’s not for you?

Need to lock in my default grip – Is this actually Continental? (Pics included)