Primary grip for all forehands?

[Rickson]

I use the semi western grip for the vast majority of my forehands, but I tend to go eastern on very low balls and I use a nearly full western on very high balls. I can probably hit all of the forehands in the sw grip, but I choose not to do that. Should I keep the sw grip on all forehands or is it better to switch grips on certain shots?

 

[Gmedlo]

I think a slice forehand would look hilarious with a SW :lol:

 

[Rickson]

I think a slice forehand would look hilarious with a SW :lol:

The funny thing is I can do it. It's a good disguise tactic too.

 

[Vision84]

I use continental when slicing forehands or chipping the return. Also I tend to go more eastern on occasion for driving return of serve. I haven't figured out yet to well how to block a serve with my semi western.

 

[Hot Sauce]

Does the forehand slice count? I use an eastern for all my drive forehands but a continental for the slice.

 

[North]

I use sw most of the time and occasionally change to eastern for low balls. I will use continental for forehand slice, which I mostly use for approach shots off low short balls.

 

[my_forehand]

Rickson, I do what you do. Just change sometimes, but if you don't like changing, don't.

I use the eatern for low balls or when I'm way behind the baseline.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

I've found that I actually prefer semi-western for low balls. The added spin help me to clobber that thing and still bring it down in time.

 

[fer]

I change grip on occasions because I like going to the net after a short ball.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Eastern FH is my primary grip but will often switch to SW to hit topspin on balls higher than waist level. Not sure, but I think that I might shift to a conti or semi-conti grip for drop shots or to hit extreme slice shots -- I often make grips changes automatically and am not always aware of making the change.

 

[tennisplayer1981]

SW is my primary forehand grip, but I switch to full western when necessary. Eastern and Continental- not so much.

 

[slice bh compliment]

I play with pretty heavy topspin. Not positive what I use, but it does change.

Continental on the lowest balls and of course for the slices.

Eastern for just about everything. Semi western, I think, for the high balls.

 

[Caladbolg]

The funny thing is I can do it. It's a good disguise tactic too.

hey, is laying back the wrist with the semi-western grip or western possible? and hitting with a straight arm with the semi-western?

 

[Bungalo Bill]

hey, is laying back the wrist with the semi-western grip or western possible? and hitting with a straight arm with the semi-western?

Yes. Layback the wrist though.

 

[split-step]

I use my eastern grip for all topspin and flat forehands. I slice with continental (always defensive slice)

 

[Caladbolg]

Yes. Layback the wrist though.

I feel that if i attempt hitting with the s-w grip, i end up using my wrist more, sort of like moving the racquet upwards, and a little pain in the right side of my wrist (<this could be just me though), not much of a straighter path, and also for this grip, do you hit the ball or swing the racquet with the racquet face a little closed like this: / (but imagine this little line which would be the racquet face is traveling from left to right) or do you always have the face horizontal in every shot?

 

[[d]ragon]

i use SW on all forehand shots whether the ball is high or low and make the adjustment with my body instead of my grip. the exceptions are slices (continental) and inside-in (extreme eastern)

 

[orangettecoleman]

i use an eastern grip for my slice forehand and move it over a little to SW to hit topspin. I use the slice forehand most of the time though because i can hack it down right where i want it most of the time. zzzzzzz-splat!

 

[Rickson]

hey, is laying back the wrist with the semi-western grip or western possible?

Absolutely.

and hitting with a straight arm with the semi-western?

Roger Federer can hit with a straight arm while using a semi western grip.

 

[czech09]

Groundstrokes: Extreme Eastern or Semi-Western depending on height.

Lobs: Western

 

[Caladbolg]

Absolutely.



Roger Federer can hit with a straight arm while using a semi western grip.

I really don't think Federer uses a full SW grip as his main grip, it is either an Eastern or in between Eastern and Semi-western, as wikipedia says, and you can clearly see it on photos and the way he hits, it's a much more straighter plane

 

[Sentinel]

At the baseline, other than the rare continental chop of a ball that is far to the right, its always a SW.

Gmedlo, a slice forehand with the SW is quite doable, I've done it on low balls ... too lazy to change grip , but I am trying to improve

 

[A.Davidson]

Eastern all the way!

Because I don't NEED to hit topspin!

 

[Rickson]

I really don't think Federer uses a full SW grip as his main grip, it is either an Eastern or in between Eastern and Semi-western, as wikipedia says, and you can clearly see it on photos and the way he hits, it's a much more straighter plane

Even the Bryan brothers confirmed that Roger's grip is indeed a sw.

 

[Caladbolg]

Even the Bryan brothers confirmed that Roger's grip is indeed a sw.

His grip is as i said between an eastern and semi-western, the one in between those and you can know also because when he takes his racquet back, the strings are facing the ground, his whole racquet is as if it were placed in the ground, and you can't do this with a semi-western, well you can but you have to turn or bend your wrist a little, and i've seen federer closely and he doesn't do this, also his arm and hand is straighter when he does his fh hand, which again would look different with a sw and he's had to do some kind of bend he doesn't do