Techniques: Grip Guide

12/23/02

By Jon Levey, TENNIS Magazine

No matter how much time you spend finding the perfect frame and then complementing it with just the right strings, the most important part of your racquet might just be your grip--not what it's made of, but how you hold it. Because where you position your hand over the eight-sided handle can have the greatest impact on the spin, power, and control of each shot you hit. Placing the base knuckle of your index finger against particular sides (more commonly called "bevels") of the handle can result in various grips, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Below are pictures and descriptions of the most popular and useful grips.

Continental Grip Also known as the "hammer" grip, because you hold the racquet as if you are going to hammer a nail with the side of the frame, the Continental is the one grip that can be used for every shot. But its primary uses are for serves, volleys, overheads, slices, and defensive shots. Plus: Hitting with the Continental grip on the serve and overhead allows your arm to naturally pronate through the shot. This results in the best shot and the least amount of stress on the arm. Because you don't have to change grips when you switch between forehand and backhand, the Continental is the best choice to use up at the net, where quick hands are called for. On ground strokes, the strike zone for the Continental grip is to the side of the body, so it's a good choice for defensive shots on balls that you are late getting to. Minus: You can hit flat or with slice using the Continental grip, but it's very difficult to put topspin on the ball. That means to hit the ball with pace you have to hit it just above net level, leaving you very little margin for error. This also makes hitting off a high ball or one with a lot of pace difficult to control. So consistency becomes a problem. That's why it's not recommended to use the Continental as your primary grip for ground strokes.
Eastern Forehand Grip Place your hand flat against the strings of the racquet and then slide it down to the grip. Or place the racquet flat on a table, close your eyes, then pick it up. These are just a few of the tricks you can use to hold the racquet with an Eastern forehand grip. The more technical way is to hold the racquet in a Continental grip and then turn your hand clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties), so that the base knuckle of your index finger slides over one bevel. Plus: This is a very versatile grip, allowing the player to brush up the back of the ball for topspin or flatten out the shot to drive through it for more power and penetration. It's easy to switch quickly to other grips from the Eastern, making it a wise choice for those players who like to transition to the net. Minus: The strike zone is higher and farther out in front than the Continental grip, but it's still not a great option for returning high shots. An Eastern forehand can be very powerful and penetrating, but because it tends to flatten out some, it can be inconsistent and difficult to sustain long rallies with. It's not the best choice for someone looking to put more topspin on his or her shots.
Semi-Western Forehand Moving your knuckle one more bevel clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties) from the Eastern forehand grip puts you in a semi-Western. This has become the grip of choice for all the power baseliners on the professional tours. Plus: It allows the player to apply more topspin to the ball than the Eastern forehand, giving the shot greater safety and control, especially on topspin lobs and short angles. Still, you can drive through the ball with this grip to hit a flatter drive for a putaway. It also affords the player the option of taking a bigger swing at the ball since the topspin will help keep it in the court. With a strike zone higher and farther out in front of the body than the Eastern forehand, it's good for controlling high shots. Minus: But it's bad for returning low balls. Since the grip naturally closes the racquet face, forcing you to come from underneath the shot, it's not particularly suited for bringing a ball up and over the net. This, along with having to make a significant grip change to get to the Continental, is why so many power baseliners are uncomfortable making the transition to net.
Western Forehand From a semi-Western grip, shift your knuckle one more bevel clockwise (counterclockwise for lefties) and now you've got a full Western grip. Looking down at the racquet, your knuckle should be on the very bottom of the grip. Clay courters and players who hit with heavy topspin favor this grip. Plus: This is an extreme grip. The positioning of the wrist forces the racquet to whip up the back of the ball severely, generating tremendous topspin. You can hit the ball well above net level and it will stop drop in the court, and the resulting high bounce will push your opponent behind the baseline. The strike zone is higher and farther out in front than all other forehand grips. The ability to handle high balls is what makes it so popular with clay-court players and juniors. Minus: Low balls are murder. That's why professionals with this grip generally don't do well on faster surfaces where the ball skids and stays low after the bounce. Also, you have to have tremendous racquet-head speed to get the necessary pace and spin on the ball. Otherwise, your shot will lack speed and depth. For some, it's also difficult to flatten their shots out, so putting balls away becomes a problem.
Eastern Backhand Grip From a Continental grip, shift your knuckle one bevel counterclockwise (clockwise for a lefty) so that it's on the very top of the grip. If you drilled a nail through that knuckle, it would go right through the center of the grip (not recommended). Plus: As with the Eastern forehand, this is a versatile grip that provides good stability for the wrist. You can roll the ball for some spin or hit through it for a more penetrating drive. With a very subtle grip change back to Continental, a player can hit a slice or make the transition to net and volley with relative ease. Minus: While excellent on low balls, an Eastern backhand grip is not ideal for hitting topspin shots above the shoulder. It can be very difficult to control these balls, and many times a player is forced to slice the ball back defensively.
Extreme Eastern Backhand Grip The backhand answer to the Western forehand (a reason some refer to this as a semi-Western backhand), the base knuckle of your index finger is still on top of the grip, but now the rest of your knuckles join it in a straight line. It looks as if you're making a fist with your hand over the grip. Plus: Just as with the Western grips, this is an extremely popular one with the clay courters. It naturally closes the racquet face more than a regular Eastern backhand and moves the strike zone higher and farther out in front, making it more conducive for handling high balls and returning them with topspin. Some of the most powerful backhands in tennis are held with this grip. Minus: It has similar limitations to the Western forehand grips as well. It's not well suited for hitting low balls, and because it's a rather extreme grip it's difficult to make quick changes and transition to net. Generally, players who use this grip prefer the baseline and playing singles.
Two-handed Backhand Hold the racquet in your dominant hand with a Continental to Eastern backhand grip. Now take your non-dominant hand and put it above your playing hand, holding the racquet with an Eastern forehand grip. Plus: Excellent grip for players not strong enough to hit a one-handed backhand or who have good coordination with both hands. A more compact stroke than the one-hander, the two-hander relies on shoulder rotation and a short swing to provide power. That's why it's particularly effective on the return of serve. It's good on low shots, and the added arm lets you power through on the high ones. Minus: Because both hands are on the racquet, the two-hander limits a player's reach. So doing anything with wide shots can be tough, especially since it's difficult to rotate your upper body when stretched. Also, two-handers can become dependent on topspin. Hitting an effective slice calls for extending out through the shot with a steady front shoulder. This is unnatural for two-handers, who are taught to open their hips and rotate their shoulders. Taking the non-dominant hand off the racquet to hit the slice or volley is also troubling for many two-handers and is why they are generally not comfortable at the net.