Tennis Grips Explained

You cannot play tennis if you cannot hold the tennis racquet. Over the years several different grips, or ways to hold the racquet, have been developed. Each have built into them many pros and cons. However, the most difficult part for most players is knowing how to grip the racquet. This article will break down the grips and describe exactly how to find the proper grip.

The first step in finding the proper grip needs to be racquet orientation. For each grip describe, the racquet must be kept with the string bed perpendicular to the court or simply the string bed must face the net. I will refer to this position as RP1 throughout this article. From this position each grip can be achieved. The second step is to look at the bottom of the handle and notice that the buttcap has eight panels. Label the top panel one and count accordingly clockwise finishing with the number 8; left handed players count counter-clockwise. Now let's move onto the descriptions of the grips most commonly used in tennis.

The first grip ever developed for tennis was the Continental grip. It is the original. This grip can be used effectively for every stroke in tennis; however, in today's game it is primarily used on the serve, overhead, and volley. Place the racquet in RP1. Now place the base knuckle of your index (or pointer) finger on your playing hand on panel 2. Now grasp the handle. This grip takes some time to get used to, so practice is an absolute must!

The next grip developed was the Eastern grip. This grip allows to player to hit the ball somewhat harder than the Continental and to impart greater spin than the Continental grip. It is primary used for groundstrokes and occasionally on the volley. To find the Eastern grip, place the racquet in RP1. Place the base knuckle of your index finger squarely in panel two. Grasp the racquet. This grip feels much more comfortable than the Continental but do not fall into the trap of using it for the serve!

The third grip to be discussed is the Semi-Western. This grip was developed to impart even greater spin on the ball than the Eastern. Place the racquet in RP1. Place the base knuckle of your index finger on panel 3. Grasp the racquet. To get the most out of this grip, players should start swinging with a more exaggerated low to high swing path and contact the ball higher (around mid chest). This will allow the player to generate more topspin on the ball.

The final grip to be covered is the Full Western. This grip is all about generating topspin. It is the preferred grip to be shown to young children because it is the easiest way for them to hold a racquet. Place the racquet in RP1. Place the base knuckle of your index finger on panel 4. An even more exaggerated low to high swing path is used. Here players need to focus more on brushing the ball and not driving the ball. This grip is primarily used to generate huge amounts of topspin and as a way to handle high bouncing balls without the need to back up to far.

Learning the grips of tennis is essential to developing a well rounded game. It is also key in learning how to play opponents that use a particular grip. Each grip usually comes with a distinct playing style. This information can mean the difference in winning and losing.