I'd also recommend practising without the wrap as much as possible. Your grip and finger strength will increase over time and the mokgum won't feel as slippery. Plus, wrappings on a mokgum if not done properly can slip.

If you do sweat a lot and want to improve your grip Master Ghim's suggestion of sanding the mokgum is an excellent one. Also sweat bands on the wrists can help too.

.....maybe a matching headband, oh and of course some leg warmers....*cue cheese 80's workout music*

It never occurred to me to take sandpaper to it. In my naivety I "presumed" that out of the package would be perfect, more or less...I was only imitating the mok gum belonging to another student when I added the wrap, as his has the wrap and I know that it came that way. Thanks for that suggestion.

Hoorah for cheesy 80's work out music!

*dances off singing YMCA*

Charles doesn't sweat - he's too cool.

I've never been a fan of wrapping the handle with grip tape, but that's just my personal preference. Or is that non-preference? I've sanded my handles and even cut grooves and notches in them to add texture. Nowadays my choice of mogum is an ebony wood mogum from the Philipines. Its handle is carved to resemble a dragon, providing plenty of texture. I also prefer it because it's much closer the weight and balance of my jingum.

I can start dripping sweat just standing in the meditation stance.
When i first started HDGD, there were nights when you could see puddles forming at my feet during basic drills. Really.
It's much better now, but i still sweat a lot, so the grip tape is necessary.
But since i use a kagum almost all the time now, it doesn't matter much anymore.

Just for the record, I do not recommend sanding. It seems to be even slicker now. Thanks for the suggestions. Looks Like I just need to be willing to make the jump to a more expensive piece of equipment. Maybe in a few more months.

Live and learn I guess.

That's odd. How many layers did you remove?

Grip strengthening...
I don't disagree that practice leads to improvement, but there are practical limits that tend to get glossed over in the name of "martial art". Produce enough sweat across the surface of the hand and no amount of strength will counter the slippage. This is not one of those things that you can just "overcome" by trying harder. I gave it a year before I began to look for alternatives. I don't have a weak grip. I do not have an incorrect grip. I have one hell of a sweaty grip. I lie awake at nights bemoaning the horror of it.

Reducing the slickness of the gripping surface is the only solution - by one means or another. Sanding, adding texture/roughness, or taping/wrapping all serve that purpose. I have seen two fellow students lose their sword due to sweat, and have done so once myself. In two of the three incidents, the sword hit classmates. No one was injured, but both were bruised and justifiably ticked off.

By all means, start with no wrap. Improve your grip. 18 days is no measure one way or another, haha. If after 6-10 months or so you still can't maintain a secure grip, it's time to look at wrapping or sanding the handle.

Just to confuse you further, don't 'over grip'. Too much tension will wear you out, make you slow and sweat even more. So relax when you need to relax and grip when you need to grip. Apply this to every part of every action. See what happens...to your mind as well as your body.

I did a light sanding... I can still see a bit of the varnish in places.

Very good point.

In a final note, I did find some coarser grit sand paper (80) and it's just fine now. Just in time for class tonight

Pray for me, we're working on SSG Ee Bon tonight...

I have had all of my swords welded to my arm...saves time...

I never liked the feel of the varnish that the mokum is covered with. Early in training I applied a chemical varnish remover to the entire length of the mokum. I let it sit until the finish bubbled off and then washed and wiped the sword down to remove most of the varnish and chemical remover. I followed this with sanding and steel wool treatment. I then found a lemon oil that did not make the handle slippery and applied several light coats.
After 3 years, the handle is still very smooth and feels very natural in my hands.