Tennis Racket Pro may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
How Do I Grip a Tennis Racket?
If you are a novice tennis player, you may not realize that the way in which you grip your tennis racket has a profound effect on your tennis game. In fact, there are many different types of ways to grip a tennis racket. Six main ways of gripping have been shown to have different outcomes on where the ball goes once it is hit.
New players will want to start with the most basic grip. In order to understand how to grip the racket, you will need a brief introduction to the technical terms of the handle.
A tennis racket handle is comprised of eight sides, which are called bevels. In order to grip the tennis racket for the basic grip (also called Continental grip), you need to make a “V” with your forefinger and thumb. To do this, you place the knuckle of your index finger on bevel 2. You should use this grip for volleys and regular serves.
The Eastern Forehand grip is used by professional tennis player Lindsay Davenport. This type of grip is ideal for slices and swings. To find this grip, you will want to place the knuckle over your index finger on the third bevel. This type of grip is not good for topspin, but it is a basic grip.
What Are the Other Types of Grips?
The Continental and the Eastern Forehand are the two most popular grips for beginning players. But as experienced players know, there are pros and cons to each grip type. In addition, experienced players know more advanced grip styles. If you would like to learn more about these advanced types of grips, read on!
The Semi-Western grip is great for topspin and swinging upwards. However, it is not ideal when you want to hit balls that are low to the ground or for slicing. This grip is used by many professional tennis players. In order to achieve this grip, you will need to place the knuckle over your index finger on the 4th bevel.
For players who love to promote topspin, the Western grip may be your preferred gripping style. Like the Semi-Western style, this is not ideal for slicing or for hitting balls that are low on the ground. To achieve the Western grip, you will want to place your knuckle (the one over your index finger) on the 5th bevel.
Some players find this position uncomfortable, but the unique racket position is ideal for players who want to create spin on the ball.
The Eastern Backhand grip is ideal for hitting balls that are low to the ground. It is also the most widely used backhand grip. It allows you to achieve a stable grip and may even let you create some topspin.
You will want to make sure that both the heel of your hand and your knuckle over your index finger are located on the 1st bevel in order to achieve this grip. A more advanced version of this is called the Extreme Eastern Backhand Grip, but it is not ideal for beginning or intermediate players since it can be hard to transition to this grip.
The Two-Handed Backhand Grip is perhaps the most difficult backhand grip to master. It requires that both hands are on the handle of the racket. You will want to do the Continental grip with your dominant hand and place your non-dominant hand on the 6th bevel.
Summary
There are a number of ways to grip a tennis racket. Some of these grip styles are more suited for beginning players, such as the Eastern Forehand grip and the Continental grip. The Semi-Western grip and the Western grip provide an additional challenge to intermediate and advanced players who have already mastered the basic grip styles.
Several types of backhand grips were also discussed and are ideal for professional players. It is important to note that each style has its own special pros and cons.
The most advanced players are able to switch between different grip styles depending on their opponent’s swing and the direction of the ball. With practice, you will also be able to determine which grip styles you have mastered and which situations demand certain grip styles.