Padel Overgrip Guide: Tack, Thickness, and When to Change

An overgrip is applied over the base grip of your padel racquet. It's the surface your hand actually contacts during play, and it determines how the racquet feels in your hand — not abstractly, but specifically during a smash, a defensive wall shot, and a soft touch at the net. Most players underestimate how much the overgrip affects performance and replace it less frequently than they should.

Tack: tacky vs. dry

Tacky overgrips have a slightly sticky surface that bonds lightly to your palm. They improve grip security without requiring you to squeeze hard, which reduces hand and forearm fatigue over a long session. Tacky grips work well in lower humidity conditions where sweat isn't constant. The downside: they degrade faster, particularly in humid conditions or heavy sweating, where the tack breaks down and the surface becomes slick faster than a dry grip would.

Dry overgrips — sometimes called absorbent or towel grips — are designed to manage moisture. They absorb sweat rather than repelling it, which keeps the surface feel consistent even when you're generating heat. Many players who sweat heavily in the hand prefer this category. The trade-off is a slightly less secure feel in dry conditions and a surface texture that some players find less precise on finesse shots.

Thickness

Standard overgrips in padel run between 0.5mm and 0.7mm. This sounds like a negligible range but affects grip circumference noticeably when your hand has a specific size and preference. A thicker overgrip adds diameter, which can reduce the tendency to over-squeeze — useful for players with smaller hands or those managing elbow issues. A thinner overgrip preserves more of the base grip's feel and is preferred by players who want maximum feedback from the racquet frame. Stacking two overgrips is common but changes the feel substantially; if you need more diameter, a replacement grip swap is usually cleaner than doubling overgrips.

When to change

Change your overgrip when it loses tack, shows visible wear at the palm or heel of the hand, feels slick at the start of a session rather than mid-session, or develops odor from absorbed sweat. For players who play two to three times per week in moderate conditions, an overgrip typically lasts two to four sessions before meaningful degradation. In summer heat or high-intensity play, that drops to one or two sessions. Carrying spares in your bag and swapping at changeover during a long match is not excessive — it's basic grip maintenance that keeps your contact point consistent.