Tennis Grip
You may think that when playing tennis all you do is grab your racquet and go, but your tennis grip is more important to your tennis game than you might think. In fact, the way you hold your tennis racquet - your tennis grip - is one of the most vital ingredients in your overall performance on the tennis court.
When you are not swinging your racquet, your hold on the racquet should be loose. However, when you get ready to hit that ball, you want to tighten your grasp on the racquet. There are several different tennis grips that you can use during your swing. You will surely find one that you are comfortable with.
The Tennis Grip - Eastern Forehand Grip
The Eastern Forehand is the most common tennis grip learned by beginning tennis players. Hold the racquet with the face, or string area, toward your body and grasp the racquet handle with your whole hand, with your fingers spaced a bit apart. Let your thumb rest on top of the handle, forming a V with your first finger. It should feel like you are shaking hands with the racquet.
The Tennis Grip - Continental Grip
The Continental Grip is more advanced, and better players use it for both serving the ball and hitting volleys. Many tennis grips are described by the placement of the base knuckle of the index finger of your racquet-holding hand. For the Continental, your knuckle should be on the first bevel of your racquet handle.
The Tennis Grip -Western Forehand Grip
For the Western Forehand Grip, the base knuckle of your first finger is on the bottom of your racquet handle with your palm totally under the racquet, facing up. The full Western Forehand is preferred by many clay-court players.
The Tennis Grip - Semi-Western Forehand Grip
This grip is favored by many tennis pros. For the correct hand placement, simply move your racquet hand slightly clockwise from the Eastern Grip. The base knuckle of your index finger should be over the second bevel of the racquet handle.
The Tennis Grip - Eastern Backhand
For this commonly used backhand grip, your base knuckle moves to the top of your racquet's handle. Your palm should be facing on a downward angle.
The Tennis Grip - Extreme Eastern or Semi-Western Backhand
This is a highly advanced backhand grip and is usually only used by very skilled tennis players. To accomplish it, move your hand slightly counter-clockwise from where it is for the Eastern Backhand. Your base knuckle should be on the fourth bevel of your racquet handle.
The Tennis Grip - Two-Handed Backhand
The Two-Handed Backhand is a popular tennis grip, and it is not very difficult. With your dominant playing hand, hold the racquet in the Continental Grip. At the same time, place your other hand just above the dominant hand using a Semi-Western Forehand Grip.
These are all of the most commonly used tennis grips, and with practice you should
grow comfortable using each one of them whenever appropriate.