How to Grip a Tennis Racket: Continental, Eastern, Semi-Western and Western

Hold a tennis racket by placing the base knuckle of your index finger and the heel of your hand on a particular flat side, or bevel, of the handle. Different bevels give different grips. Beginners usually start with a continental grip (the "hammer" hold) for serves and volleys and an eastern forehand grip (the "handshake" hold) for forehands. Both are easy to find and forgiving, and they leave room to move toward stronger grips later.

The handle and its eight bevels

A racket handle is not round. Look at the butt end and you will see an octagon with eight flat faces. Coaches number these bevels so that grips can be described precisely.

• Hold the racket in front of you with the string face vertical, edge pointing up and down, as if about to chop.
• The flat face on top is bevel 1.
• For right-handers, count clockwise around the handle: 2, 3, 4 and so on. Left-handers count anticlockwise.

Two reference points sit on the bevels: the index knuckle (the big knuckle at the base of the index finger) and the heel pad (the fleshy part at the bottom of the palm). Where they rest names the grip.

The main grips at a glance

Grip	Index knuckle on	Racket face	Best for
Continental	Bevel 2	Slightly open	Serve, volley, overhead, slice, defensive shots
Eastern forehand	Bevel 3	Flat at contact	Flat, steady forehands; a good first forehand grip
Semi-western	Bevel 4	Slightly closed	Topspin forehands; common among modern baseliners
Western	Bevel 5	Closed	Heavy topspin on high balls; awkward on low ones
Eastern backhand	Bevel 1	Flat for a one-hander	One-handed backhands and kick serves

Finding each grip

Continental: the hammer

Hold the racket on its edge and grip it as you would a hammer about to drive a nail, with the index knuckle on bevel 2. The V between thumb and index finger sits roughly on top of the handle. This grip lets the racket face tilt open naturally, which suits serves, volleys and slices. It feels strange for forehands at first, and that is normal.

Eastern forehand: the handshake

Lay your palm flat against the strings, slide the hand down to the handle and close your fingers, as if shaking hands. The index knuckle should land on bevel 3. The palm now sits behind the handle in line with the strings, so the racket face points where your palm points. This makes it intuitive for aiming forehands.

Semi-western

From the eastern grip, turn your hand a further bevel clockwise (for right-handers) so the index knuckle rests on bevel 4. The racket face closes slightly, encouraging a low-to-high swing that brushes up the back of the ball. Many club players settle here once they want more topspin.

Western

One more bevel round, to bevel 5, and the palm sits almost underneath the handle. It produces strong topspin on chest-high balls but makes low, skidding balls hard to dig out. Most beginners are better off not starting with it.

Two-handed backhand grips

For a two-handed backhand, the dominant hand usually takes a continental grip at the bottom of the handle, while the non-dominant hand sits above it in an eastern or semi-western forehand position. Many coaches describe the top hand as doing most of the work, a bit like a left-handed forehand for a right-handed player. Keep the hands touching rather than spread apart.

Switching grips during a rally

Most points require at least one grip change. The trick is to use the non-dominant hand.

1. Rest the free hand lightly on the throat of the racket (the open triangle above the handle) in the ready position.
2. As soon as you see which side the ball is coming to, turn the racket with that hand while the hitting hand relaxes.
3. Tighten slightly just before contact, then relax again.

Practising this slowly during warm-up rallies makes it automatic surprisingly quickly.

Common grip mistakes

• The frying-pan serve. Serving with a western-style grip feels natural to many beginners but blocks the wrist from snapping through the ball. Moving to continental is one of the most useful early changes.
• Squeezing too hard. A tight grip tires the forearm and deadens feel. On a scale of one to ten, aim for about three or four between shots.
• Fingers bunched together. Spread the index finger slightly up the handle, like a trigger finger, for better control.
• Choking up. Holding the racket far up the handle reduces reach and power. The heel pad should sit near the butt cap.
• Wrong handle size. A grip that is too small or too large makes every hold harder. The guide to choosing a tennis racket explains how grip size is measured, and the list of beginner racket mistakes shows how it goes wrong.

If the forearm, elbow or wrist aches after playing, rest and consider getting advice from a medical professional or a qualified coach before changing technique further.

Questions players ask

Which grip should a complete beginner use?

Eastern forehand for forehands and continental for serves and volleys is a widely taught starting point. It sits comfortably alongside the first-month plan in how to play tennis.

Do professionals all use the same grip?

No. Forehand grips vary a great deal at the top level, which shows that a range of grips can work. What matters is a grip that suits your swing and the balls you face most often.

Does an overgrip change the bevels?

A thin overgrip adds a little thickness and softens the edges, but the bevels can still be felt. Several layers can make them hard to find, so add them sparingly.