So I'm an avid doubles player, and I'm currently using a Yonex Arcsaber 7. Teh racket itself is great, but I happened to have it in g2. G3 is much better sized/perfect for me. When I play with G2, i feel like I'm losing too much power, and my smashes are flat. So is there any "magical" way of making the grip size smaller apart from like slicing the wood or something. If not, I was thinking of removing the original black grip that comes with the racket, and putting atheltic tape and a towel grip over it. However, I heard that using a racket wit a grip over bare wood can destroy your hand after several games. Any suggestions?
What you're suggesting is pretty much what I do. Remove the factory grip and replace with an overgrip on the wood. I also put some tape underneath in case sweat gets through the overgrip and over time causes damage to the wood. It is harder on your hard (i.e. less cushioned) but I find it ok and it's much better for me than playing with a grip that's just too big. It will change the feel of the racket (obviously!) but if you don't like it you can always put a replacement grip back on. In years gone by I have also tried sanding down the wooden grip. If you try this make sure you don't sand off the bevels!
Grip size reduced by shaving the wooden handle. I regularly sand by hand or with a power sander and have used a router to cut the wooden handle down to size, even on brand new £100+ rackets. That's because we cannot get the smaller size grip in England. Then I use my favourite Karakal grip directly on the wood. My problem is not knowing the exact reduction I have to make and have calculated once that if I took 1mm down each side of a G3 grip I will get G1 or G5 depending on whether it's Yonex or not. It's been extremely successful and many players cannot thank me enough for it and making their play so much better. Hope this helps and if you know of the exact dimensions, across the flats, not the diameter, please let me know.
remember the use electrical tape to wrap the bare wood before wrapping with the grip, I know people who put two extra thin grips on to make it fit
1st layer - Electrical tape on wood handle. 2nd layer - Cushion wrap (5 layers) 3rd layer - AC102EX overgrip. 2 layer round at bottom cap，all the way wrap up to cone area. Manually adjust your own desire length. That's my way to grip my own racket.
