Grip is the strength nobody trains until it lets them down. You feel it when you can't rip the ball out of a maul, when a ball-carrier twists out of your tackle, or when your forearms are burning three minutes into a round of jiu-jitsu and your hands won't close any more.
This guide covers why grip matters in rugby and grappling, the different kinds of grip strength, and a simple plan with exercises, sets and reps you can add to your training.
Why grip strength matters
At the breakdown
Jackalling (getting over the ball after a tackle and trying to win it) is a grip contest. You need to get your hands on the ball and hold on while the opposition try to clear you out. A strong grip, together with a strong back and legs, lets you stay on the ball for the crucial extra second it takes to win a penalty or a turnover.
In the maul and in contact
Mauls are won by binding tightly and holding on while you drive. Ripping the ball in a maul, holding on to a ball-carrier in a choke tackle, keeping your bind in a scrum and keeping the ball secure when you're held up all depend on your hands and forearms. Ball security matters for backs too: a stronger grip makes it harder for defenders to strip the ball.
In BJJ and wrestling
In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grip is everything. In the gi, you're gripping sleeves, collars and trousers for most of every round, controlling an opponent's posture and breaking their grips at the same time. In no-gi grappling and wrestling, you're gripping wrists, necks and limbs with no fabric to hold, so hand strength and the way you lock your hands matter even more. Grip endurance often decides who controls the second half of a round. If you're new to the sport, JitsAI explains how gi and no-gi grips differ and why many players train both.
Whatever your sport, a strong grip also helps in the gym: deadlifts, rows and pull-ups are often limited by your hands before your back gives out.
The three kinds of grip strength
Grip isn't one thing. It helps to train three qualities:
- Crushing grip: closing your hand hard, as in a handshake or squeezing a gi sleeve. Trained with grippers and thick-handled holds.
- Support grip: holding on for a long time, as in a maul or a long grip fight. Trained with carries and hangs.
- Pinch grip: holding with your fingers and thumb, as when you grab the edge of a ball or a collar. Trained with plate pinches.
Wrist strength and the forearm extensors (the muscles on the back of the forearm) matter too, both for control and for keeping your elbows and wrists healthy.
The best grip exercises
Farmer's carries
Pick up a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall and walk. Carries train support grip, your traps and your core all at once.
- How: 3 to 4 sets of 30 to 40 metres, with 90 seconds' rest.
- Progress: add weight, or use thicker handles.
Dead hangs
Hang from a pull-up bar with straight arms and active shoulders for as long as you can.
- How: 3 sets of as long as possible, resting 90 seconds. Aim to build to 60 seconds or more.
- Progress: add a weight belt, or hang from one hand at a time with the other lightly assisting.
Towel or gi pull-ups and hangs
Drape two towels (or an old gi jacket) over the bar and hang or do pull-ups holding the fabric. This is as close to a gi grip as you'll get in the gym, and it builds the crushing strength you need for rips and binds too.
- How: 3 sets of 5 to 8 pull-ups, or 3 hangs of 20 to 40 seconds.
- Progress: go from two towels to one, or add weight.
Plate pinches
Pinch two weight plates together, smooth sides out, and hold them at your side.
- How: 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds per hand.
- Progress: use heavier plates, or a single wider plate.
Thick-bar holds and rows
Wrap a fat-grip attachment or a towel around a barbell or dumbbell handle to make it thicker. Holding a thick bar trains crushing grip and is similar to holding a ball or a limb.
- How: 3 sets of 8 to 10 rows, or 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds.
Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls
Simple, unglamorous and effective for the forearm muscles, and useful for keeping your elbows healthy.
- How: 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 of each.
Rice bucket or band extensions
Open your hand against a thick rubber band around your fingers, or push your fingers open in a bucket of rice. This balances all the closing work and helps protect your elbows and fingers.
- How: 2 sets of 20 to 30 reps.
A simple grip plan
Add grip work two or three times a week, at the end of your gym sessions. Grip recovers quickly, but don't train it hard the day before a match or a hard sparring session.
| Session | Exercises | Sets x reps or time |
|---|---|---|
| A | Farmer's carries; towel pull-ups; reverse wrist curls | 4 x 30 m; 3 x 5 to 8; 2 x 20 |
| B | Dead hangs; plate pinches; band extensions | 3 x max time; 3 x 20 to 30 s each hand; 2 x 25 |
| C (optional) | Thick-bar rows; wrist curls | 3 x 8 to 10; 2 x 15 to 20 |
Run it for six to eight weeks, adding a little weight or time each week. Then test yourself: how long can you hang, and how far can you carry your bodyweight split between both hands?
Tips for rugby players and grapplers
- Lift without straps when you can. Save straps for your heaviest deadlift sets, and let your hands do the work the rest of the time.
- Train your grip with your sport. Ball-ripping drills, wrestling hand-fighting and gi grip fighting all build sport-specific grip. The exercises above add strength on top.
- Look after your fingers. Gi grips are hard on finger joints. Open-hand work, a sensible amount of grip fighting and resting sore joints will keep you training. If a finger joint stays swollen or painful, get it checked by a physio.
- Don't neglect your neck and back. Your grip is only as useful as the body behind it. Strong legs, back and neck win the breakdown and the maul, and help protect you in contact. Our rugby training guide covers the big lifts.
Conditioning your grip
Grip endurance and general fitness go together. When you're blowing, your grip goes first. Hard conditioning work like our assault bike workouts helps you keep your grip, and your decision-making, late in the game or the round. And if you grapple, look after your ears as well as your hands: our guide to cauliflower ear explains why.