Major problems converting to the continental grip for serving

[USS Tang]

Continental on all strokes for me. Comes naturally to me, but maybe that's because it was standard instruction 50 years ago. If you have doubts about the efficacy of the continental grip, watch any video of Ilie Nastase. A good one is 1972 U.S. Open final on You Tube.

[TennisCJC]

Originally Posted by USS Tang

Continental on all strokes for me. Comes naturally to me, but maybe that's because it was standard instruction 50 years ago. If you have doubts about the efficacy of the continental grip, watch any video of Ilie Nastase. A good one is 1972 U.S. Open final on You Tube.

Wasn't the 1972 US Open final on grass? Wasn't the conti widely used on tour for groundstrokes when 3 of the 4 majors were played on grass? Is not the conti optimal for a low bouncing court surface like grass?

Sorry to be a bit sarcastic in tone but you get my drift.

Yes, you can play really good tennis even today with a conti grip but soft E and SW grips are really more suited for todays game, surfaces and equipment. I am in my mid 50s and play and practice with a lot of guys that still use a conti and they play very good tennis. By the way, almost all these conti ground stroke players like the ball below the waist off the ground. They can crack a forehand if it is about thigh high. They also hate a topspin ball the bounces up about shoulder high.

Conti is great for serve - even required for high level serve. And conti is great for volleys. But, I would recommend soft E or SW for FH and E BH or 2 handed BH for someone learning the game today or for someone interested in learning the modern style.

[tennisdad65]

When I started playing decades ago, I served using the Eastern grip with my index finger straightened out along the length of the handle

Switching to simple eastern took a while, and then to conti was another adventure.

[LeeD]

Just pronate, turning your forearm like you're hitting a modern forehand, every single service swing.
When you need more spin, add more backhand to your grip.

[USS Tang]

TennisCJC, for today's mindless baseline-to-baseline, whack-a-mole game, I agree with you. Eastern for forehand and two-hand backhand, especially for beginners.
And, double yes, for serve and for volley, continental grip is indispensable. That's why today's top ten players cannot volley as well as Roche, Laver, Rosewall, Edburg, or McEnroe did.

[Avles]

Originally Posted by USS Tang

TennisCJC, for today's mindless baseline-to-baseline, whack-a-mole game, I agree with you. Eastern for forehand and two-hand backhand, especially for beginners.
And, double yes, for serve and for volley, continental grip is indispensable. That's why today's top ten players cannot volley as well as Roche, Laver, Rosewall, Edburg, or McEnroe did.

Looking at the volleys of the top 10 doesn't make much sense since none of them rely on their volleys to the extent that those players did.

Looking at more recent players who use (or used) a lot of S&V...e.g. Rafter, Sampras, Llodra, Stepanek-- do any of them use a conti grip for the FH? Does anyone?

[TennisCJC]

Originally Posted by Avles

Looking at the volleys of the top 10 doesn't make much sense since none of them rely on their volleys to the extent that those players did.

Looking at more recent players who use (or used) a lot of S&V...e.g. Rafter, Sampras, Llodra, Stepanek-- do any of them use a conti grip for the FH? Does anyone?

I am at work and cannot look up all these pros, but I think:

Sampras: EFH, everything else conti
Stepanek: seems to be between EFH and conti on FH, 2 HBH, conti everything else

But, Pat Cash was a great S&V who use a soft EFH shaded a bit toward SW if memory is correct.

Bryan brothers are great S&V players and they use modern grips off the ground.

For anyone learning the game, I would not teach conti FH groundstrokes. My view is soft E to SW on the FH, 1 handed EBH or 2 HBH with conti/EFH combo, and conti for volleys and serves is the new standard. Tennis has always had a lot of exceptions but I doubt we will see a conti FH in the top 10 in singles in the next decade. Even if attacking the net become more popular, I think the model will be like Federer with modern grips off the ground and conti at the net.

[dominikk1985]

Use a BH grip (but more pistol instead of hammer grip like in a1HBH) for some time.

that Forces you to use a lot of pronation and internal shoulder Rotation to square up the racket. then when you go back to a Conti grip you will have no Problems squaring up.