Tennis Grip

In the modern era, tennis grips have evolved along with changing equipment and court surfaces to help shape the progression of our sport.

Players are faster and stronger than ever, and their grips play a central role in controlling the extra power they can generate with topspin.

As a beginner, understanding why the shift in grips has occurred and the optimal grips to use will make you a better tennis player and enable you to compete at higher levels of the sport.

Different Types of Grips

Forehand Grips

The forehand is often the more natural groundstroke for players to learn and therefore has a tendency to become a player’s favourite shot.

Let’s take a look at the different types of forehand grips.

Continental Grip

As we covered in the history of tennis grips section, the continental grip dominated the early years of competitive tennis, but it has disappeared from the modern port as far as forehands go.

Despite that, we like to share how to form it to give players context for how grips have evolved, but you’ll also use this grip for a handful of other shots as well cover later on.

Advantages

• Easy to handle low bouncing balls
• Little to no grip change required for other shots

Disadvantages

• Lack of topspin
• Lower power potential
• Difficulty handling high bouncing balls

How to Form a Continental Grip

To form the continental grip, place the palm side of your index finger’s bottom knuckle against the second bevel if you’re right-handed or the eighth bevel if you’re left-handed.

Then, position the butt of the racquet’s handle at the base of your palm and then wrap your fingers around the handle.

2.Eastern Grip

The eastern forehand grip perhaps reached the peak of its popularity during the late 80s and 90s, with Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf serving as excellent examples of players who used this grip to dominate.

These days, the eastern grip remains somewhat popular among tour and recreation players, but more often than not, players who appear to have an easter grip are using a slightly modified version.

Advantages

• Quick grip changes, ideal for serve and volley
• Sufficient topspin production
• Works well on faster court surfaces
• Easier for beginners to learn

Disadvantages

• Less topspin vs. western counterparts
• Difficulty handling higher bouncing balls
• Not ideal for aggressive baseline play

How to Form an Eastern Grip

To form the eastern grip, place the palm side of your index finger’s bottom knuckle against the third bevel if you’re right-handed or the seventh bevel if you’re left-handed.

Then, position the butt of the racquet’s handle at the base of your palm and wrap your fingers around the handle.

3.Semi-Western Grip

The Semi western grip falls neatly between the eastern and western and has become the most common forehand tennis grip in modern tennis because it allows for excellent topspin and quick grip changes.

In the 90s and into the new millennium, players like Andre Agassi and Martina Hingis put the semi-western grip to work. However, these days it’s become the most prevalent grip that you’ll find used throughout the ranks, including top pros like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.

Advantages

• Excellent topspin
• Quick grip changes
• Ideal for baseline and all-court play
• Great defence against higher bouncing balls
• Works well on all court surfaces

Disadvantages

• Some difficulty with low balls or shots that cause players to stretch wide outside their strike zone

How to Form a Semi-Western Grip

To form the semi-western grip, place the palm side of your index finger’s bottom knuckle against the fourth bevel if you’re right-handed or the sixth bevel if you’re left-handed.

Then, position the butt of the racquet’s handle at the base of your palm and wrap your fingers around the handle.

4.Western Grip

The western grip is the last of the four primary forehand tennis grips, which falls a step beyond the semi-western and allows players to generate maximum topspin.

The western grip exists on the pro tour, and you’ll find plenty of amateur players using – especially players from Europe where clay is a popular court surface, such as Europe and Latin America. Clay makes for the slowest court surface, and the ball bounces higher, which the topspin of more extreme grips accentuate.

Although you’ll find a handful of tour-level players using, it tends to be a bit too extreme for many players. At the beginner level, it can be hard to fathom how to hit a forehand with this grip.

Advantages

• Maximum topspin
• Works well on slower court surfaces
• Ideal for baseline play
• Well-suited for high bouncing balls

Disadvantages

• Challenging to switch grips quickly
• Difficult for beginners to learn
• Hard to handle low balls or shots that cause players to stretch wide outside their strike zone

How to form a Western Grip

To form the western grip, place the palm side of your index finger’s bottom knuckle against the fifth bevel if you’re right-handed or left-handed – it’s the halfway point around the handle.

Then, position the butt of the racquet’s handle at the base of your palm and wrap your fingers around the handle.