Nuggets for Improving Your Tennis Game - The Grip
Lets begin with the fundamental fundamentals…
Back in the day (and I mean way back) the “handshake” grip was taught exclusively. Probably relative to golf which uses a laced version of the same handshake with the club. With this grip, the vee between the dominant hand’s thumb and index finger is placed directly on top of the racquet handle. This “shake” is also known as an eastern grip.
Today, players at all levels begin and stick with what is commonly known as a semi-western or western grip. This grip is accomplished by beginning with
the handshake grip and (keeping the racquet face vertical) rotating the hand clockwise around the handle until the vee is somewhere between two and three o’clock.
Point of contact - the western grips now allow players to contact the ball way out in front of their bodies. This is good for two reasons: one, it allows a much more open body stance (facing more to the net) which allows better court mobility; and two, the distance to strike is increased, allowing the player to impart more spin and more power with a longer swing.
Strength in the swing - Because of the angle of rotation between the wrist and racquet, the player holds the racquet more firmly and swings more solidly.
Andre Aggassi and Michael Chang are perfect earlier examples of young up-coming players utilizing the new western grips.
I would strongly recommend to beginners: Don’t listen to anyone tell you to handshake with the racquet.
I would recommend to intermediate players that just want to take the game to the next level: Start by rotating the hand back and feel the extra spin and power that you can generate. As you start to hit the ball further out in front of your body, you will notice your stance will remain slightly more open which, in turn, will allow you to move and react more quickly to your opponents next shot.
Be well and play good tennis,
Rob
Rob Scott has played tennis for over thirty years and worked and coached as a teaching pro for tots, teens and adults.
Read other helpful articles about tennis at http://help-my-tennis-game.blogspot.com/
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