What is your primary service grip

[kevhen]

I use eastern backhand like 75% (slice and topspin, eastern forehand like 20% (flat), and continental like 5% (hard serve wide from duece court). I used to hit only with the eastern forehand grip when I was 3.5.

My guess is that 60% use continental, 20% eastern backhand (heavy spinners), 20% eastern forehand (beginners and tall guys), and maybe a couple percent use a western grip.

Eastern backhand is two bevels left of eastern forehand, continental one bevel left, semi-western one bevel right of eastern and western two bevels right of eastern.

 

[TwistServe]

Me is continental 95%, 5% eastern backhand.

 

[SageOfDeath]

when I'm try to put more spin into the ball I go for eastern backhand.

 

[Return_Ace]

Eastern backhand is two bevels left of eastern forehand, continental one bevel left, semi-western one bevel right of eastern and western two bevels right of eastern.

You know i was just about to say that what you said was a complete load of rubbish......................then i remembered i was left-handed

Anyways, for me i use a continental grip but is moved a bit towards eastern BH, so what does that count as?

 

[POGO]

For flat and slice, I use continental, but for topspin or kickserve, I use eastern backhand grip.

 

[safin_protege]

I use continental for all my serves. I may adjust it for a kickserve, but I don't notice...

 

[fishuuuuu]

Continental for all serves*. Seems to work well enough.

 

[theace21]

Eastern backhand...

 

[Junkball]

Continental-but's mostly based on feel so I don't really know most of the time.

Kevhen, what's with the poll rampage?

 

[donnyz89]

western and semi-western? those are not the correct service grips and anyone who uses them needs to change.

I use a semi-western back-hand which is more extreme than the eastern backhand grip for both slice and flat. I use to use continental for flat but i find a bh grip forces more rotation to generate power and it works pretty well.

 

[nViATi]

my grip is between continental and eastern . yeah i have pretty weird strokes

 

[smarttennis]

continental on all types, kick, slice, and flat. I just adjust either the toss or wrist.

 

[divito]

Mine is too hard to classify and changes every serve, as do most of my strokes depending on the ball.

 

[Ztalin]

How the hell do you serve with an eastern backhand grip? Seriously, wouldn't you mishit every time?

 

[x Southpaw x]

How the hell do you serve with an eastern backhand grip? Seriously, wouldn't you mishit every time?

I do. In fact, the extra spin it gives me helps my serves get a lot more consistent, allowing me to hit with more power, and still get a high percentage of first and second serves in. And no, once you use the eastern backhand grip for topspin etc, you'd hardly ever mishit after that.

 

[Ztalin]

But when you swing that way, the graphit is in direct line with the ball. I even do that some times with continental. Do you c*ock your wrist back or what? I mean, to make a more square racquet head face that won't chop at the ball like a knife. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I always hit the graphite when trying to use that grip, and even sometimes with continental.

 

[finchy]

kevhen, why did you make so many polls? uh...try spreading them out over a course of time.

 

[ffrpg]

I use a contential grip for all my serves. I've tried the eastern backhand grip for kick serves, but I'm not really a big fan of it.

 

[mucat]

But when you swing that way, the graphit is in direct line with the ball. I even do that some times with continental. Do you c*ock your wrist back or what? I mean, to make a more square racquet head face that won't chop at the ball like a knife. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I always hit the graphite when trying to use that grip, and even sometimes with continental.

How's your stance? Maybe try use a more closed stance?

 

[TheGreatBernie]

But when you swing that way, the graphit is in direct line with the ball. I even do that some times with continental. Do you c*ock your wrist back or what? I mean, to make a more square racquet head face that won't chop at the ball like a knife. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I always hit the graphite when trying to use that grip, and even sometimes with continental.

I know exactly what you mean, Ztalin. I've had that problem with the eastern for years until it clicked for me recently.

Yes, if you swing directly at the ball or if you're trying to brush up the back of the ball the racket frame is in direct line with the ball. BUT, here's what I figured out and it's a little tricky. You have to turn your should and waist right before you make contact with the ball. So when you make contact, you're facing the court mostly. Not entirely but you're definitely not facing sideways while swinging. This opens up the racket face which allows for the ball to make contact with the string bed.

Tip: Try doing this. This is what made it click for me. Don't toss the ball over your head to do the kick. Instead, toss it at 2 o'clock and a little in front of you. Make contact with the ball from 8 to 2 o'clock. This should help you get a feel for how the eastern backhand grip works. When you get the feel, start tossing it a little bit closer to you. Say 1 o'clock and strike the ball at 7 to 1 o'clock. Then when that's okay, toss it directly over your head so that it will land on your face if you miss. Then there you go, you have your kick serve.

For a long time I was smacking the ball with the frame of the racket until I finally gave up on the eastern backhand grip for serving. I recently gave it another shot and now it makes sense to me and it feels really nice.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ztalin]

I know exactly what you mean, Ztalin. I've had that problem with the eastern for years until it clicked for me recently.

Yes, if you swing directly at the ball or if you're trying to brush up the back of the ball the racket frame is in direct line with the ball. BUT, here's what I figured out and it's a little tricky. You have to turn your should and waist right before you make contact with the ball. So when you make contact, you're facing the court mostly. Not entirely but you're definitely not facing sideways while swinging. This opens up the racket face which allows for the ball to make contact with the string bed.

Tip: Try doing this. This is what made it click for me. Don't toss the ball over your head to do the kick. Instead, toss it at 2 o'clock and a little in front of you. Make contact with the ball from 8 to 2 o'clock. This should help you get a feel for how the eastern backhand grip works. When you get the feel, start tossing it a little bit closer to you. Say 1 o'clock and strike the ball at 7 to 1 o'clock. Then when that's okay, toss it directly over your head so that it will land on your face if you miss. Then there you go, you have your kick serve.

For a long time I was smacking the ball with the frame of the racket until I finally gave up on the eastern backhand grip for serving. I recently gave it another shot and now it makes sense to me and it feels really nice.

Hope this helps.

All right, thanks man.

Makse me mad though. I woke up at 6:30 am this morning and was going to practice my kick serve for an hour or two, and it's pouring rain.

 

[tennisboy87]

I use a continental grip for all of my serves.

 

[Tim Tennis]

Continental most of the time then sometimes Eastern backhand.

 

[TennsDog]

Continental for all serves. I guess I may tweak it a tiny bit for slice, but I don't think I change it a whole grip. I don't think there is really any need for any other grip, unless you are attempting to get a lot more spin than what you get with continental. That is one thing that they talk about good servers: they can use the same grip, toss, and motion for every serve.

 

[westside]

I use continental grip for all of my serves

 

[Galactus]

++ Test post ++

 

[Rickson]

Who the hell uses a western forehand grip on a serve?

 

[POGO]

Who the hell uses a western forehand grip on a serve?

maybe that person meant eastern backhand grip, as both western forehand and eastern backhand are positioned the same

 

[Rickson]

maybe that person meant eastern backhand grip, as both western forehand and eastern backhand are positioned the same

Kevhen pointed out that he meant the western forehand grip.

 

[TwistServe]

maybe that person meant eastern backhand grip, as both western forehand and eastern backhand are positioned the same

Mega uses the western forehand grip on serves.

 

[Serve-And-Volley]

I don't care what serve I'm trying to do I always use continental. It is a versitile service grip you can kick or slice with it as well as slam the flat serve. I really don't know how anyone can use a western or semi-western service grip? That is just weird....

 

[FREDDY]

im not sure i just get that grip and it works.

 

[ucd_ace]

I have a friend who uses a western forehand grip to hit his serves... and it is a western forehand... he hits it with the other side of the racquet than you would use with a backhand grip. It's just strange and not very effective, but he gets it in and since nobody is used to it it can give some people problems.