Best Tennis Forehand Grip? Eastern vs Semi Western vs Western - Forehand Grips Explained

Sports
Published on Apr 30, 2024
Best Tennis Forehand Grip? Eastern vs Semi Western vs Western - Forehand Grips Explained. The grip you use on your tennis forehand will determine a lot in your tennis game.Turn your forehand into a weapon with out FREE guide - https://www.top-tennis-training.com/free-guide/
There are three main tennis forehand grips that you can use, the eastern tennis forehand grip, the semi-western tennis forehand grip, and the western tennis forehand grip.
Your forehand grip will build the basis of your game style in rallies.

The Foundation of All Tennis Grips
There are two main pressure points on your hand when holding a tennis racket. The base of your index knuckle and the heel pad on the palm. Where you position both of these pressure points will determine which grip you're using.
It's important to spread the hand out, over the grip, especially the index finger.
This will allow you to maneuver the racket with more ease and feel what the racket is doing.
You want to avoid holding the racket like a club, with all your fingers squashed together.

The Eight Bevels on A Tennis Racket
There are eight bevels on your tennis racket, starting with number one at the top. For right-handers, you go clockwise from 1-8, and for left-handers, you go anti-clockwise.
Each bevel is a straight line before a sharp edge that goes onto the next bevel.

Eastern Forehand Grip
If you place both your index base knuckle and heel pad on bevel three of the tennis racket, this would make an eastern forehand grip. This grip allows you to hit flatter, produce a longer contact zone, and suits a more aggressive game style.
Dealing with low and medium height balls is easy with this grip, but many players struggle to handle high balls using the eastern forehand grip.
This grip works well on faster surfaces such as grass, artificial grass, fast hard courts, carpet courts, and indoor surfaces.
Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro are two players who use the eastern forehand grip.

Semi-Western Forehand Grip
Place the heel pad and index knuckle on bevel four, this makes the semi-western forehand grip. This grip will allow you to deal with high, medium, and low balls but some players will struggle to generate power on lower balls. Ideal for players who like to mix up play, sometimes using heavy topspin and sometimes flattening out the ball.
This grip will work well on all court surfaces including grass, clay, and hard courts. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray use the semi-western forehand grip.

Western Forehand Grip
If you place the base index knuckle and heel pad on bevel five, this makes the western forehand grip. This grip helps players produce lots of topspin since the strings are closed most of the way. The contact point has to be timed perfectly in order to make the most of this grip.
The western forehand grip suits players who play on clay and high bouncing hard courts, but you may find it hard to produce power with this grip.
Kyle Edmund and Jack Sock use the western forehand grip.

Which Tennis Forehand Grip Is the Best?
The best grip will be different for each and every player. For a more attacking game style, the semi-western or eastern would suit them more. For someone who mainly plays on clay and likes to grind, they might prefer the western forehand grip.

Which Grip Do the Pros Use?
Most ATP and WTA players use the semi-western forehand grip since it allows you to produce both heavy topspin and a flatter forehand when you need it.

Video Timeline
00:00 - Best Tennis Forehand Grip Video Intro
00:44 - Pressure Points and Tennis Racket Bevels Explained
2:21 - Your Forehand Grip Will Help or Hinder Your Gamestyle
3:13 - Eastern Forehand Grip Explained
7:01 - Semi-Western Forehand Grip Explained
9:10 - Western Forehand Grip Explained
13:08 - Which Forehand Grip Is Best?

#Tennis #TennisForehand #ForehandGrips