Proper Eastern forehand grip

[Curious]

I’ve just noticed that my forehand grip is not a correct Eastern grip. My index knuckle is on bevel 3 but the heel pad is shifted towards bevel 2. I feel that it contributes to racket face opening up too much on forward swing and at contact. Also having the heel pad located perfectly on bevel 3 gives a more solid grip. Does anyone know and agree with what I’m saying?

 

[Dragy]

This is about SW, otherwise relevant:

 

[Dragy]

Generally if you’re happy with your swing, your grip is not strongly closed yet, and you get outs/not enough spin on comfortable height balls, absolutely go for closing it a bit with half-bevel shift. Going from tight fist to more diagonal grip with spread fingers does the same, and I agree feels more solid and smooth.

 

[Curious]

Generally if you’re happy with your swing, your grip is not strongly closed yet, and you get outs/not enough spin on comfortable height balls, absolutely go for closing it a bit with half-bevel shift. Going from tight fist to more diagonal grip with spread fingers does the same, and I agree feels more solid and smooth.

My point is putting the heel pad on bevel 3 to have a stronger more stable grip. You know the bevel 3 is perfectly aligned with the string bed.

 

[Dragy]

My point is putting the heel pad on bevel 3 to have a stronger more stable grip. You know the bevel 3 is perfectly aligned with the string bed.

I don’t buy the idea that putting heel pad behind some exact bevel gives some extra strength and stability. In my view, most acceleration is delivered to racquet while it’s laid back, so it’s full grip pull, not palm push. Then internal rotation and some all-arm upward lift come into play, so dealing with bevels 4-5, and most likely via index knuckle and upper phalanx. At contact grip is loose, wrist isn’t forcing anything, no direct “palm resistance against the ball”, mostly RHS and RH mass are significant.
So I would not consider palm position, but swing shape, contact location, racquet face angle at contact. Grip should fit and support those elements.

 

[Searah]

i think the only way to know if to go by b-levels and such.

i get told having the racket on the ground then pick it up is "semi-western" however that is eastern for me.
smaller hand? maybe.
smaller grip size? maybe.

thats how i pick up the racket and it's def not semi-western. i've even been told i play as semi-continental. but am totally sure it's at least eastern.

 

[Dragy]

i think the only way to know if to go by b-levels and such.

i get told having the racket on the ground then pick it up is "semi-western" however that is eastern for me.
smaller hand? maybe.
smaller grip size? maybe.

thats how i pick up the racket and it's def not semi-western. i've even been told i play as semi-continental. but am totally sure it's at least eastern.

Try to pick it from a table with handle hanging off the edge you can end up as far as full W

 

[Curious]

I don’t buy the idea that putting heel pad behind some exact bevel gives some extra strength and stability. In my view, most acceleration is delivered to racquet while it’s laid back, so it’s full grip pull, not palm push. Then internal rotation and some all-arm upward lift come into play, so dealing with bevels 4-5, and most likely via index knuckle and upper phalanx. At contact grip is loose, wrist isn’t forcing anything, no direct “palm resistance against the ball”, mostly RHS and RH mass are significant.
So I would not consider palm position, but swing shape, contact location, racquet face angle at contact. Grip should fit and support those elements.

Do you think it matters whether my heel pad is on bevel 3 or 2 with my index finger still being on bevel 3? If it does, how?

 

[Dragy]

Do you think it matters whether my heel pad is on bevel 3 or 2 with my index finger still being on bevel 3? If it does, how?

Didn’t you get it from the vid? Moving heel pad from 2 to 3 bevel will close racquet face quite a bit. I won’t recommend trying to hit TS forehands with heel pad on bevel 2.

 

[Curious]

Didn’t you get it from the vid? Moving heel pad from 2 to 3 bevel will close racquet face quite a bit. I won’t recommend trying to hit TS forehands with heel pad on bevel 2.

Ok. That’s also what I said in the OP.

 

[Born_to_slice]

My heel pad is a maybe little bit towards the bevel 2 but it's still about 85% on bevel 3. Putting it both perfectly aligned on bevel 3 feels a bit stiff but putting the heel pad completely on bevel 2 while index knuckle is on bevel 3 feels is even more weird.

 

[Curious]

My heel pad is a maybe little bit towards the bevel 2 but it's still about 85% on bevel 3. Putting it both perfectly aligned on bevel 3 feels a bit stiff but putting the heel pad completely on bevel 2 while index knuckle is on bevel 3 feels is even more weird.

Mine was like yours I think, more on the edge between 2 and 3.
With both knuckle and heel pad on 3 I feel my palm is perfectly aligned with the stringbed hence helps my proprioception ( a better sense of the stringbed angle in the air without looking at it)
Also feel the stringbed is better supported by my hand and my body being behind it, athough Dragy doesn’t believe this is a thing.

 

[Dragy]

Also feel the stringbed is better supported by my hand and my body being behind it, athough Dragy doesn’t believe this is a thing.

Absolutely. There’s no such thing as body behind the stringbed at contact, with neither shoulder nor wrist being fixed.
However, the feel on off-center hits varies giving false feedback that it’s better with tight grip, hand supporting racquet position, body resisting the ball... It’s the best when the racquet hoop mass dominates the ball, and it’s not related much with features of aftershock delivered to arm.
Also, I’ve been lacking the ability to put strong spin on the ball, hitting low-to-high with too open RF. So all I focus on is producing a strong cut across the ball, though with good extension through and past contact.

 

[Dragy]

With both knuckle and heel pad on 3 I feel my palm is perfectly aligned with the stringbed hence helps my proprioception ( a better sense of the stringbed angle in the air without looking at it)

Also my friend, how your improved proprioception corresponds with your issues of hitting out with too open RF?

 

[Curious]

Also my friend, how your improved proprioception corresponds with your issues of hitting out with too open RF?

I haven’t yet hit since I discovered this.

 

[Born_to_slice]

Mine was like yours I think, more on the edge between 2 and 3.
With both knuckle and heel pad on 3 I feel my palm is perfectly aligned with the stringbed hence helps my proprioception ( a better sense of the stringbed angle in the air without looking at it)
Also feel the stringbed is better supported by my hand and my body being behind it, athough Dragy doesn’t believe this is a thing.

I hold the grip very low and loose, so half of my palm pad is not even on the grip. If I choke it up, heel pad gets on bevel 3 completely, but that feels like holding a cutting board.

 

[heninfan99]

the index knuckle is the key...interesting to note that different grip sizes often effect how the rest of the hand wraps around, whether I uase 5/8 or a 1/4 grip size the index knuckle is always on the correct bevel, that's the key.

 

[2nd Serve Ace]

If you kind of "trigger" the index finger down the handle, believe you can get the base knuckle and palm pad on bevel 3.

 

[mucat]

EFH user here. I feel like the heel pad should be at bevel 3 or 4. The idea is to have the palm directly behind the racket to have the strongest support.
Of course, no one needs to go 100% pure, our grips varies, also depends on racket grip size.

 

[navigator]

If it feels comfortable in your hand when you hit the ball... that's your grip. No need to unnecessarily complicate things.

 

[Curious]

The idea is to have the palm directly behind the racket to have the strongest support.

Exactly my thoughts.

If it feels comfortable in your hand when you hit the ball... that's your grip. No need to unnecessarily complicate things.

I presume you use Eastern fh grip. Could it be that you have been using the same grip for ages and this sort of detail sounds trivial to you? Or you’ve been using it the right way with a good heel pad alignment all along?
Anyway I’d really like you to try two different types and see if you might feel the same thing as I and mucat claim. Index knuckle on bevel 3 in both but heel pad variation on bevel 2 and 3.

PS: mucat said “the strongest support” only but I also think it improves my perception of where the racket face is with the palm perfectly behind it. I tried it the first time last night and felt a significant improvement ( I know you’ll say ‘show me the results’ though)

 

[golden chicken]

Actually, it doesn't really matter where your hand is, so long as your swing path and racket face angle at contact achieve the desired result. If you are not achieving the desired result, then change something until you do.

And then stick with it.

 

[navigator]

I presume you use Eastern fh grip. Could it be that you have been using the same grip for ages and this sort of detail sounds trivial to you? Or you’ve been using it the right way with a good heel pad alignment all along?
Anyway I’d really like you to try two different types and see if you might feel the same thing as I and mucat claim. Index knuckle on bevel 3 in both but heel pad variation on bevel 2 and 3.

PS: mucat said “the strongest support” only but I also think it improves my perception of where the racket face is with the palm perfectly behind it. I tried it the first time last night and felt a significant improvement ( I know you’ll say ‘show me the results’ though)

Two years ago I couldn't have answered this... I only kinda sorta knew what continental and western grips were. Then I looked up eastern after it was discussed here. Anyway... for my FH sometimes I use a continental grip, sometimes eastern and sometimes something in between. It just depends on what I'm trying to do and where the ball is. But I don't actually think about it, although sometimes I end up in the wrong grip due to circumstances. I don't think I change grips very quickly. No one showed me how to grip a racquet, which I think was pretty common in the '70s. You just picked up the racquet and started hitting the ball and figured out what felt and worked best. Among my friends there was every grip imaginable, from continental to extreme western. Again, I don't think the details really matter - what matters is how the racquet feels when you're hitting the ball. When you find something you like, you're done - the bevel position isn't important. Don't overthink rec tennis - none of us are training for Junior Wimbledon.

 

[pencilcheck]

However I think some people in this forum wants to break through, and I think if Fed can break through himself without much coaching, maybe with our diverse opinions, just maybe, we will also arrive to similar conclusion but I guess time is against us, as most of us plateaued and still hit like a 3.5 after 40-50.

 

[Curious]

When you find something you like, you're done

Good point and also points to a fact: the diversity of people, their mentality and approach to tennis. At one end you have those who have no idea what a grip is and those at the other end who check every 30 seconds to see if they have the right grip. It’s also a personality thing.
In my experience if someone is obsessed about technique stuff it’s almost impossible to talk them out of it. Not talking about myself only.