Bradford Athletics

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Bradford Tennis Tips - Grips

How to Hold a Tennis Racquet With a Semi-Western Grip

This grip has gained in popularity in the last decade because many players want something in between a full Western and full Eastern grip.

• STEP 1: Study the racquet handle. It is eight-sided: four sides are flat; four sides are beveled.
• STEP 2: Place the racquet in your hand in the Continental grip (see previous page).
• STEP 3: Move your hand to the right from this grip, with the base knuckle of your index pointer finger on the bottom right bevel of the racquet.
• STEP 4: Use only on a forehand. In fact, Semi-Western grip is recommended by some schools as the number one forehand grip.
• STEP 5: Hit shots with a quick, upward motion when using this grip.
• STEP 6: Keep your fingers together, just as you would on the Western or Eastern grip.

Tips

• Use this grip no matter what your playing level. It is the preference of clay court baseline players.
• Be aware that when using this grip, it is more difficult to make the move to another grip for a backhand or a volley.