forehand grip...

salsainglesa

salsainglesa

Semi-Pro
http://www.atpworldtour.com/5/photos/gallery/2009/miami2/tues18.jpg

Looks like semiwestern to me... i know its a subjetc of discussion how the grips are named, but, it doesnt seem as an extra ultra super full western i am usedto hear he uses..

there is much enfasis on where the base of the knuckle is, and not enough to the angle in wich the racket is n reference to thepalm of your hand...


one more thing

my aprettiation is not that he yanks the ball with his forehand, but he inclines his body, and that is the reason the follow trough is up high.
Whenever he warms up, he finishes his stroke to the other side of his body.
relaxed

so, everything is much and illusion, and maybe immitating nadal¡'s apparent forehand mechanics is not the way he hits it.
 
J

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
Nadal's grip in that picture does look like Federer's, not even semiwestern, more like mild SW/extreme eastern. Yet people swear that Nadal uses full western.
 
T

tudwell

G.O.A.T.
Lol at Nadal using an extreme eastern. Watch him sometime. When returning serve, he waits in a semi-western. This is his neutral grip. If he gets a forehand, he rotates the racquet into a western grip. If he gets a backhand, he rotates it into a continental (almost eastern backhand). He has very extreme grips. How else do you think he hits with so much topspin?
 
J

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
tudwell said:
Lol at Nadal using an extreme eastern. Watch him sometime. When returning serve, he waits in a semi-western. This is his neutral grip. If he gets a forehand, he rotates the racquet into a western grip. If he gets a backhand, he rotates it into a continental (almost eastern backhand). He has very extreme grips. How else do you think he hits with so much topspin?
Click to expand...

Are you saying that in that picture he uses a western grip?

Here's another picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelerhardsson/1431847541/
 
J

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
This is hilarious. How about this one:

Sony+Ericsson+Open+Day+11+LFoK8e-vaeil.jpg


Still full western?
 
Last edited:
Xuxa Kuerten

Xuxa Kuerten

Rookie
Rafa uses 4.5 grip. Neither full western, neither full semi-western. Not many players use full western grips on their forehands. You may take a look at brazilians Saretta and Bellucci to check a more extreme grip (though not always full western).
 
B

bchamaki

Guest
looks to me like one hellava semi-western. Pros switch between grips depending on shots. Even roger switches close to a western for inside out forehands.

agree with Jedi
 
salsainglesa

salsainglesa

Semi-Pro
i think the change in grips is also an illusion...they simple extend or flex the wrist to change the angle on theraquet face, is helluva lot easier... why, if tennis is economy in motion, they would look for harder options, i nstead of the easiest one andmore confortable, even morenatural...

three movements from the wrist: flexion-extension (opens closes the raquet face); ulnar-radial deviation (fixed mostly, might be used scarcely), and pronation-supination (windshield wiper)

actually, the wind shield wiper bieng more an effectfrom the rotation happening in the shoulder articulation in the same axis of the pronation when thearm is flly extended.

also, its noticeable, that nadals forehandhae a more open raquet face... than say federer, wich is sometimes closed at sharp angles...
 
Xuxa Kuerten

Xuxa Kuerten

Rookie
salsainglesa said:
i think the change in grips is also an illusion...they simple extend or flex the wrist to change the angle on theraquet face, is helluva lot easier... why, if tennis is economy in motion, they would look for harder options, i nstead of the easiest one andmore confortable, even morenatural...

three movements from the wrist: flexion-extension (opens closes the raquet face); ulnar-radial deviation (fixed mostly, might be used scarcely), and pronation-supination (windshield wiper)

actually, the wind shield wiper bieng more an effectfrom the rotation happening in the shoulder articulation in the same axis of the pronation when thearm is flly extended.

also, its noticeable, that nadals forehandhae a more open raquet face... than say federer, wich is sometimes closed at sharp angles...
Click to expand...

I've read on a interview with Federer in a brazilian tennis magazine once and he said he sometimes changes his grips on higher balls. I've also talked a few times with a few brazilians pros and coaches and all of them say that it's quite common to make slight changes on grips according to the position of the balls. I myself have always been trained to use not so eastern grips on those highest balls. I imagine the pros wouldn't have much problems to do that. Maybe I'm wrong or the technique that is taught here is very peculiar, I don't know. But I agree with you that wrist movements may be deceptive to determine the grip. Gasquet and Stepanek are good examples. They generally play with a extreme eastern (the Czech with the most orthodox grip), but it looks like they play with full eastern.
 
paulorenzo

paulorenzo

Hall of Fame
salsainglesa said:
i think the change in grips is also an illusion...they simple extend or flex the wrist to change the angle on theraquet face, is helluva lot easier... why, if tennis is economy in motion, they would look for harder options, i nstead of the easiest one andmore confortable, even morenatural...

three movements from the wrist: flexion-extension (opens closes the raquet face); ulnar-radial deviation (fixed mostly, might be used scarcely), and pronation-supination (windshield wiper)

actually, the wind shield wiper bieng more an effectfrom the rotation happening in the shoulder articulation in the same axis of the pronation when thearm is flly extended.

also, its noticeable, that nadals forehandhae a more open raquet face... than say federer, wich is sometimes closed at sharp angles...
Click to expand...

i have noticed that. i read an article saying roger uses a grip in between and eastern and a semi-western for his forehand, implying his base knuckle is in between bevels, which would explain the appearance of a more closed racquet face in comparison to nadal's semi-western/strong semi-western forehand.
 
J

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
Xuxa Kuerten said:
I've read on a interview with Federer in a brazilian tennis magazine once and he said he sometimes changes his grips on higher balls. I've also talked a few times with a few brazilians pros and coaches and all of them say that it's quite common to make slight changes on grips according to the position of the balls. I myself have always been trained to use not so eastern grips on those highest balls. I imagine the pros wouldn't have much problems to do that. Maybe I'm wrong or the technique that is taught here is very peculiar, I don't know. But I agree with you that wrist movements may be deceptive to determine the grip. Gasquet and Stepanek are good examples. They generally play with a extreme eastern (the Czech with the most orthodox grip), but it looks like they play with full eastern.
Click to expand...

I agree. Leaving aside the nonsense that the heel pad has to be on the same bevel as the knuckle, Rafa's grip is sometime SW and sometime mild western.
 
J

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
This is semiwestern:

Sony+Ericsson+Open+Day+11+LFoK8e-vaeil.jpg


This is extreme SW/mild western:

Sony+Ericsson+Open+Day+6+RD6PTHfHYCYl.jpg


And this is full western:

Sony+Ericsson+Open+Day+3+eTOKm6nqtwpl.jpg


Actually, the second one might be SW too, but I'm not sure.
 
Last edited:
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