The Straight Grip



Straight grip is probably the most commonly used grip in carrom today in all the forms. For the straight grip, the hand is held palm side down, with your finger tips staying lightly on the carrom boards. You wrist has to rest on the frame of the carrom. The shot is then made by your index finger (or at times by the middle finger also) with a slow forward ?push? of by your finger. Many player of carrom believe that if they hold the striker between the thumb and third finger, and then release the striker as they are making the stroke on a carrom coin, it adds greater stability and increased accuracy to their shot.

A common mistake is normally made by the starter; that is to ?cock? their index finger behind the tip of the thumb, and then release the finger violently, ?stapling? the striker with the tip of their finger. This could in turn have a bad result, and more significantly, it becomes very difficult to have accuracy level when making such shot in this style. A better way is to rest the index finger lightly on the carrom boards, straight behind and simply touch the striker, and then make a shot with slight ?push? of the finger. This approach would in turn result in far better accuracy and more fun experience of the game.

The Scissor Grip

Scissor grip is less common grip that is used for forward shots. In scissor grip, the stroke is made by the middle finger that is laid horizontal on the carrom board and perpendicular to the planned path way of the striker. The index finger stays atop the middle finger, holding it back until the moment of release that offers a ?snap?, which could make great power when performed correctly. As a result, many players who use the straight grip for their usual shots are recognized as to use the scissor grip when breaking.