Do you know that different tennis strokes use different tennis grips? If not, find out the correct tennis grips for a perfect shot.
Many of my friends started playing tennis with one type of grip, i.e., the eastern forehand grip, for every stroke. They have no idea of topspin and underspin. They are happy just putting the ball over. Therefore, when someone tells them they need to change their grip for different strokes, they find it very challenging. Therefore, it is difficult for them to change their habits.
In this lesson, I want to share with you how to find the correct tennis grips for different types of shots. With the knowledge of best technique, learning tennis becomes easier and you progress to more advanced techniques.
Learn Correct Tennis Grips To Play Your Best Shots
How to count the bevels
First of all, let’s start by learning more about your tennis racket. The racket handle is made up of eight sides and they are called bevels. To identify each bevel, I want you to hold the racket with the edge of the frame pointing to the sky.
The bevel that is facing up is “bevel 1”. If you are a right-hander, go in a clockwise direction. The next bevel is “bevel 2”. Now, shift one bevel down, and that is “bevel 3”, and so on. Finally, stop at “bevel 5”, which is at the bottom of the handle.
For a left-hander, you will be going in an anti-clockwise direction, as shown in the picture below.
How to grip the racket correctly
Since, you have learnt how to count the bevels, the next stage is to learn how to grip the racket at the right bevel to play each shot.
On your palm, draw a mark, i.e., a dot or a cross, indicating the knuckle of the index finger.
Here, when you want to hold the racket in a continental grip at bevel 2, place that mark on the bevel. Further, if you want to hold the racket in the eastern forehand grip at bevel 3, move the mark to bevel 3.
Spread your fingers
Next, you can spread your fingers over the handle while maintaining the correct grip. Your index finger should feel as if it’s squeezing a trigger on a pistol. This will help you experience better control when you play the shots.
Common gripping mistakes among beginners
When you are gripping the racket, avoid gripping it so tightly that you tighten your entire forearm. Another common mistake that I observed among many beginners is they love to stick out the index finger out straight along the handle. This is a very weak grip. You’ll never play powerfully like this. Keep your index finger bent, as if you are squeezing a trigger.
Different grips and their functions
Do you want to know where to grip your racket? And how to play the different techniques like serve, forehand and backhand?
Here, in the image below I have compiled a table with a summary of different strokes, which you can easily check through.
Click here to download the summary for your easy reference.
Final words
Finally, getting familiar with the different grips and holding the racket correctly are crucial to your foundation. At the initial stage, you may be very conscious of the grip and keep looking at it to ensure it is correct. Once you get familiar with the grip, it’s all about feel. So, play more tennis, experience the different strokes, and in no time, you will have no issue with the grip.