One of the essential aspects of tennis is to understand the overall concept of tennis grips – what they are and their usage. A tennis grip is nothing but the way you hold the racquet. With the help of different tennis grips, you’ll be able to hit various types of shots.
Generally, there are four types of tennis grips such as the continental, semi-western, eastern, and last but not least eastern. Here, we bring you a detailed blog on the most loved and popular tennis grips with both their advantages and disadvantages.
Types of Tennis Grips
The Continental grip
The term continental grip is one of those tennis grips where the palm side of your index knuckle should line up with a bevel for right-handers and a bevel for left-handers. This grip is also popularly known as the chopper grip. Besides this, it is considered to be one of the most loved tennis racket grips for overheads, drop shots, slice serves, and volleying.
Another thing about the continental grip is that it provides you with easy access to pick up shots, is quite good at handling low balls, and last but not least is also capable of adding side spin or underspin. Well, the continental grip doesn’t have much role to play in your power or topspin.
Advantages of Continental Grip
- It can be put to use for various defensive shots such as wide balls or drop shots.
- It is mainly used for volleys as the open racquet face delivers both underspin and control
- If you wish to hit quick shots at the net, then you must make use of continental grip for both forehand and backhand.
Disadvantages of Continental Grip
- There is quite a lack of consistency.
- It is really difficult to put topspin on the ball if using a Continental grip for forehand shots.
The Semi-Western Grip
The semi-western is considered to be one of the easiest grips for playing that falls between eastern and western grips. Here, the left-handers make use of bevels whereas the right-hander’s use bevels. The semi-western grip provides you with an all-around grip which is amazing for grass, clay, and hard courts.
It also seems to be perfect for grip changes, and also allows the players to slip between their forehand grip for baseline play and a Continental grip for serving and volleys. There are times when low balls could pose a problem for this grip as the closed tennis racket face might not be the right contact point for returning them successfully.
Advantages of The Semi-Western Grip
- This grip provides you with more safety and control
- It also gives you the much needed power and top spin.
- It also allows for contact points for shots farther in front of you
Disadvantages of The Semi-Western Grip
- It becomes extremely difficult to hit the low balls.
- It is also quite tough to change from Semi-Western to the Continental grip for volleys
The Western grip
The western grip is much more of an extreme version of the semi-western grip. Its main use is to generate the maximum topspin. With the help of a western grip, you’ll be able to take the advantage of a slow-moving court and also have an easy time tackling high ball bounces.
As the racket face is a bit close, there could be a problem with low balls as it can change the grip for a volley rapidly. If you’re a beginner then the grip could be a bit difficult for you to master. No matter if you play with the left hand or right one, the western grip needs the midway point on the handle, which is bevel
Advantages of The Western Grip
- It has the ability to create more topspin than any other tennis grip.
- The contact points are right in front of you.
- The balls bounce high and fast more often.
Disadvantages of The Western Grip
- It is highly difficult to return the low balls
- It is a tough call to change to and from a western grip.
- It is also difficult to use it on faster surfaces.
The Eastern grip
The eastern grip provides the tennis players to smash flat shots that give the ball more speed and power too. If you’re a right-handed player then you should opt for bevel and then put the base knuckle of your index finger there to find an Eastern forehand grip. Suppose you’re a left-handed player, then you be at the bevel.
The eastern backhand grip is considered to be one of the best grips for a kick serve. Well, when it comes to forehand and backhand strokes, an Eastern grip provides less topspin when compared to a Western or Semi-Western grip, and is less reliable for hitting high bouncing balls at the baseline.
Advantages of The Eastern Grip
- It offers you a lot of control and the ability to put a spin on the ball
- Here, it is quite easy to change from an Eastern backhand to a Continental grip for tennis players who enjoy playing at the net
- It is also possible to use it for a kick serve
Disadvantages of The Eastern Grip
- It is extremely difficult to hit shots at shoulder-height
Conclusion
These tennis grips might have a big impact on your game. So, next time you pick a grip make sure to consider the things above. We hope this blog on tennis grips will be of help to you for the time you pick your next one for your important games.
