What Grip Do You Use On Tennis Forehands?

In the 1960s and 70s, tennis players held the racket the same way for forehands, backhands, volleys and serves; this was with the continental grip. The style of tennis has continued to change over the years and along with this change has come a variety of grips. The grip you use depends on the type of shot you plan to hit and the amount of spin you want to impart on the ball.

Grip Choices

There are four grip choices for forehand strokes: the continental, eastern, semi-western and western. The continental is referred to as the "hammer" grip because it is similar to the way you would hold a hammer if you were hitting a nail. The eastern grip is called the "shake hands" grip because it is as if you were shaking hands with your racket. The semi-western grip is found by laying your racket flat on the ground, picking it up and keeping your hand in place. The most extreme and the most uncomfortable is the western grip; your palm faces up when holding the racket.

Basic Forehand Grip

If you play tennis, chances are the grip you started hitting forehands with -- and still might be using -- is the eastern forehand. Most tennis teaching professionals teach beginners the eastern forehand grip because it is versatile and a more natural grip. Your palm is directly behind the handle, which gives you a stable and solid feel when contacting the ball. Your wrist is in a comfortable position because it is in alignment with the racket. The eastern forehand grip allows you to hit relatively flat, with topspin or back spin.

Extreme Spin Grips

As players become more advanced, they start to evolve toward grips that allow them to hit with power and spin. The semi-western and western grips are used for extreme spin. With the semi-western grip, the palm of your hand rotates slightly to where it is close to the bottom of the handle. The western grip has your palm completely underneath the handle. Although you can generate a lot of spin with these grips, hitting low balls is more difficult, and when forced to hit low balls your shots might land short due to the heavy spin.

Forehand Slice Approach Grip

The forehand slice approach shot is hit when an incoming ball lands short, allowing you to pressure your opponent by coming to the net in hopes of ending the point or causing an error. The continental grip is used to execute this shot. With this grip, the hitting surface of the racket is slightly open, or angled upward, which allows you to put slice, or back spin, on the ball. The effect is a ball that skids and stays low when it contacts the court's surface. Your opponent must hit under the ball to return it back over the net. This sets you up for a put-away shot.

Forehand Volley Grip

The continental grip allows you to hit piercing forehand volleys with back spin. In general, it is a good overall grip to use while playing a variety of shots at the net. The pace of the balls being hit toward you doesn't always allow you enough time to change your grip; without switching, you can hit forehand volleys, backhand volleys, half volleys or overheads.