Which tennis grip to use for your forehand

Pick the bevel on purpose. Change it before the ball arrives.

Key facts

1
For a right-hander, the base knuckle on bevel 2 is continental, on bevel 3 eastern, on bevel 4 semi-western and on bevel 5 western.
Gripsnake, "Tennis Grip Basics: Understanding Bevels"
2
Natural contact height climbs with the grip: continental at the waist and out front, eastern waist to shoulder, semi-western at the shoulder, western above it.
TennisNation, "Ultimate Tennis Grip System Guide"
3
Forehand topspin rose from about 1,800 rpm in the continental era to a median of about 3,200 rpm for Nadal.
4
Federer's forehand grip runs eastern to semi-western and Nadal's semi-western to western, which is why Nadal meets the ball higher with a more closed face.
5
The kick serve wants a grip from continental to eastern backhand.

Why it works

The grip presets the face. With the knuckle on bevel 3, the face arrives near square at waist height. On bevel 5 it arrives closed, and to hit the ball at all you have to meet it higher and brush up.

That's why western grips make spin and hate low balls: the hand is behind and under the handle. Continental is the opposite. Its open face loves the low ball, the volley and the serve's edge-on drop, and it can't brush a high ball.

Every grip is a trade. Toward western, spin potential and strike height rise while low-ball reach and flat power fall. The semi-western is where the tour settled. And every shot has its own grip: serve on 2, forehand on 4, slice on 2, volley on 2. The change has to happen before the ball arrives.

The line to say on court
“The bevel sets the zone.”

Drill: The regrip ladder

15 min · with a partner

Make twenty shadow changes from your forehand grip to continental and back, calling the bevel numbers out loud.
Have your partner alternate a forehand feed and a volley feed for twenty balls. Change grips before each one.
Count the volleys hit with the continental, checked by the racquet arriving edge-on at the ready position.

Number to beat16 of 20 volleys hit with the continental grip

Faults and fixes

Hitting flat with a western grip

The face is closed and the path isn't steep enough.

FixMatch the path to the grip: swing low to high.

Forehand grip on the volley

The face closes and the low volley dies in the net.

FixUse the continental at the net, always.

Western grip on a low, fast ball

The hand is under the handle, so there's no reach.

FixUse eastern or semi-western for the flat ball, or take it on the rise.

Regripping in the backswing

The change starts when the ball is already on you.

FixChange grips in the split step.

Questions players ask

What grip should I use to volley?

Continental, every time. A forehand grip closes the face and the low volley dies in the net.

Is a western grip better for topspin?

It makes spin easier, because the closed face forces you to meet the ball higher and brush up. The cost is low balls: the hand sits under the handle and can't reach them.

When should I change grips?

In the split step, before the ball arrives. If you're still turning the handle in the backswing, you chose late.

My forehand floats long on low balls and sits up on high ones. Which grip?

Try semi-western, bevel 4, then match your swing path to it. Western would make the low balls worse, and eastern gives less spin on the high ones.

What this doesn't cover

Bevel labels for backhands and two-handers vary by source and by handedness, so this guide keeps to the forehand family. Bevel numbers here are for a right-hander. Mirror them if you're left-handed. There's no best grip, only a best grip for the balls you get.

Sources

Gripsnake, "Tennis Grip Basics: Understanding Bevels"
TennisNation, "Ultimate Tennis Grip System Guide"
Wikipedia, "Grip (tennis)"
ITF coaching manuals

StrikeHow to hit a modern topspin forehandTo hit a modern forehand, turn early, meet the ball about a racquet-length in front of your front foot, and swing up as much as forward. Contact has to happen out front, where the racquet head is still accelerating. The topspin isn't a wrist trick. It comes from a path that arrives at the ball travelling upward.StrikeHow to hit a volley in tennis: punch, don't swingTo hit a volley, catch the ball on the strings in front of you with a continental grip, keep the racquet ahead of your front shoulder, and step across into the ball. Don't swing. Depth at the net comes from your body moving forward plus the pace the other player gave you, not from your arm. A slightly open face adds a little steadying backspin.Move and reactWhat is a split step in tennis, and when to do itA split step is a small hop you make before every ball, timed so you land around the moment your opponent hits. Start it on their forward swing. The landing pre-stretches your leg muscles like a spring, so you push off harder toward the ball. Land too early and the spring goes slack. Land too late and you're still in the air.StrikeHow to hit a one-handed backhand, and handle the high ballTo hit a one-handed backhand, turn deeper than on your forehand and meet the ball a stride in front of your front foot, with a straight arm and a closed chest. Pull your off arm back as the hitting arm extends. Its weakness is the ball above the shoulder, so decide before the bounce: take it on the rise, or slice.