“Diligence is the mother of good fortune.” — Miguel de Cervantes
“Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick
“Do not assume that she who seeks to comfort you now, lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes do you good. Her life may also have much sadness and difficulty, that remains far beyond yours. Were it otherwise, she would never have been able to find these words.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
“It is a secret in the Oxford sense; you may tell it to only one person at a time.” — Oliver Franks, English civil servant & philosopher
One would think that a pickleball paddle needs little attention and that day-in and day-out it just works the way it was intended to work and basically this is true, but there are a couple of things to consider about maintaining your paddle. One item which may need some care is the grip. Just think about how many times you might grip and re-grip that paddle. Consider how much perspiration might be shed onto that paddle over time.
It is only logical then, that whatever material the paddle grip is made of will change texture, thickness and perhaps position over time. If your paddle grip is slipping or slippery, perhaps it is time to get an overgrip. An overgrip is one that goes on top of the existing grip and sometimes they are made of materials designed to keep the moisture collecting on the handle to a minimum to avoid slippage.
NOTE – If your paddle feels just large/wide enough with the grip you already have, then you wouldn’t want an overgrip and perhaps replacing the grip with a different material is the solution (see replacement videos below). Of course these can all be done by some sporting good stores that carry pickleball supplies, etc., but it is something that can be done “at home” by most average players with relative ease.
The videos below demonstrate the various techniques involved.
Add an Overgrip
(to an Existing Grip)
How to over-grip your pickleball paddle’s existing grip — with Mark Renneson
How to over-grip your pickleball paddle’s existing grip — Jennifer Lucore and Bob Youngren
Changing the Grip Completely
(with a New Grip)
How to Change a Replacement Grip on your pickleball paddle — Jennifer Lucore and Bob Youngren
How to Change a Replacement Grip on your pickleball paddle — Neil Friedenberg
“Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.” — Confucius
“Much talking is the cause of danger. Silence is the means of avoiding misfortune. The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, without speech, fly freely about.” — Saskya Pandita
“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.” — Robert Brault
“If some people got their rights they would complain of being deprived of their wrongs.” — Oliver Herford
“Remember tonight for it is the beginning of always.” — Dante Alighieri
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than the dirt itself.” — Charles Dickens
“Money isn’t everything but it sure keeps you in touch with your children.” — J. Paul Getty
“You’re either at the table or on the menu.” — Al Capone
“I want to be somebody’s favorite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need to survive, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain I will keep it safe. I will keep it safe.[ed]” — Andrea Gibson
“What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.” — Andre Agassi
“The real menace in dealing with a five-year-old is that in no time at all you begin to sound like a five-year-old.” — Jean Kerr
My wife and I feel very fortunate to live in North Phoenix in an area that is considered “the desert.” It has its issues of course such as all the animals that want to eat our plants, invade our house and bite or sting us. Other than that, it is a beautiful area. No, really! It is very beautiful. So many people think of the Sonoran Desert as a desolate place, but it has a lot of color, a variety of plants and flowers and of course an abundance of animals.
We get pleasure from the natural landscape that surprises us with waves of color during certain times of the year. One such plant that found a home on our land without any human help is an Ironwood tree. It is amazing how this tree can survive with all of the animals digging holes around the roots and the dearth of water. Truth be told, I do “sneak” some extra water to it now and then although it doesn’t like our household water too much because of the salts and chlorine.
Here is a picture of the Ironwood tree that has seen its share of trials and yet it continues to provide a blanket of pink each spring. My only regret is that it wasn’t near one of our Palo Verde trees for the photo which, this year, have been covered with an overabundance of yellow blooms. Did someone say pollen?
