How to Use a Heat Shrink Sleeve on a Bad Tennis Racket for a Better Feel

What can make a tennis racket bad for a player is the wrong grip size. Playing with a grip that is too small can increase the fatigue factor on your arm and can lead to tennis elbow. The best way to increase the size of the racket handle is to build it up with a heat shrink sleeve, making it more comfortable and easier on your arm muscles.

Things You'll Need

  • Needle-nose pliers
  • Heat gun
  • Utility knife
  • Replacement grip with finish tape
  • Scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the existing grip from the tennis racket handle. If there is a staple holding the grip to the butt cap, use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove it. Clean the handle of any pieces of the old grip's sticky backing before continuing.

    • 2

      Slide on the correct size heat shrink sleeve. The sleeves come in black or white. The white sleeve will build up the handle 1/16 inch (half a grip size) and the black sleeve will build up the handle 1/8 inch (full grip size). Take note of where the top of the grip stops and the racket's throat begins as this is where the sleeve must be trimmed after it has shrunk down on the handle. Position the sleeve so it evenly extends past the top of the grip and past the butt cap.

    • 3

      Hold the racket in one hand and with a heat gun, start to heat the sleeve. Begin at the butt cap and keep the heat gun moving. Do not get too close to the sleeve and do not stay in one area too long as this will melt the sleeve, causing a hole, or there will be uneven shrinking. Work your way from the butt cap to the top of the grip while rotating the handle.

    • 4

      Trim the butt cap so less than 1/8 inch of the cap is visible when you're done. Place the racket on a stable surface and apply pressure with a sharp utility knife while rotating the handle to remove the excess sleeve. Gently score around the top where the grip ends until the excess material is free. To remove, carefully make a lengthwise cut on the freed up material and peel it off. Be careful not to scratch the shaft of the racket.

    • 5

      Hold the racket so the butt cap is pointing towards the ceiling. Install a new replacement grip by wrapping it in a spiral fashion around the handle. Start at butt cap and wrap down the handle to where the heat shrink sleeve ends. Overlap the grip 1/16 inch as you wrap. Finish by cutting any excess grip with scissors and use the provided trim tape to wrap around the replacement grip to hold it in place.