The Eastern vs Semi-Western Forehand Grip: Which Is Better?

[@RacquetFlex]

What's up athletes! Thanks for watching. Just wanted to clarify some players mentioned in the video. To clarify, Nadal is not using a full western grip. He's likely using a grip somewhere in between the semi-western and full western (especially earlier in his career). And now, may be using a full semi-western. These nuances are difficult to tell even with high-speed video because they're so nuanced, can change depending on the shot, and sometimes over a players' career. Upon closer inspection, it does look like Gasquet is using more of a full Eastern. However, it appears milder due to his flexed wrist and pronated forearm position during his backswing. On that note, it's not recommended to use anything milder than the standard Eastern grip if you're trying to hit a modern style forehand. Showing different players provides a starting point for the general grip types. But there are always slight differences from player to player. And ultimately, what's important is that each player experiments and finds their own preference. Hope this helps, and great luck out there!

[@rishabhbhansaly9223]

@RacquetFlex Love your videos. They are great source of knowledge for improving our technique. I have started playing tennis 6 months ago and have fallen in love with the sport. I have just one question: Is it a good idea to adjust the grip based on the height of the ball? For example we can use semi western or western grips for high balls and eastern forehand for really low balls. I have tried and have felt good about it but do not want to make it a habit if it is not a good technique. Thanks

[@luigin3213]

I would like a video explaining the various variations of the two-handed backhand and their characteristics, it would be incredible

[@ignatchakaroff3487]

I've been following tennis channels and videos for over 10 years and this by far the best explainer out there! The key takeaway for viewers should be that there is no one semi-western grip but multiple variations...

[@27blanx]

More western you go then the closer the elbow gets to the body it seems, yes? Closer contact point to the eyes. Great video, guys.

[@theyruinedyoutubeagain]

I understand what you're saying intuitively because I've been doing these things for ages, but seeing them explained so well is incredible. Really good writing!

[@smohan123]

yeah i’ve been figuring this stuff out through heuristics for the past few years of playing a bit higher level and watching videos. but none have broken this down so clearly and technically as these guys. liked and subbed, RaquetFlex!

[@mercuryrising4323]

Excellent tutorial. So articulate and clear. Well done sir. It helped me so much as I thought I had a continental grip but I actually have an Eastern grip. Mentally so liberating.

[@maikelalefceolin5595]

I started playing with semi western grip. I usually got a lot of spin with my strokes, but never got the power I wanted to. So that I decided to change do eastern grip, and I realize I have so much more feel with eastern, and not only this, I could hit ball foreward with more power and penetration. And how my ready position is on continental grip, the eastern for forehand is amazing for me now. How I learned the semi western, when I have to deal with a super high ball, I change to semi western to shot with heavy topspin

[@mikechan231]

Wow. So much info I’m going to have to watch this 2-3 times!

[@drewgiles-ry6op]

Thanks for the different "Semi Western Grips" i thought every SW grips are all the same this is ver helpful for us beginners

[@Huseyinisiksel.4924]

I've read so many times on the internet that many coaches start their students with a semi western grip and I always thought it was really weird. I'm a tennis coach aswell and in my country every kid starts with an eastern grip no matter who their coach is. Children can't get enough power with a semi western grip until he/she reaches a certain age. They either willingly change it to a semi western (when the time is right for it) or it naturally changes when they play with older opponents that hit with lots of power and spin which causes them to continuously receive high balls and the grip starts to slip to a more extreme position in order to hit comfortably. What grip do you think a beginner, especially a kid should start with and what does the majority of American coaches encourage their students to use?

[@orientalwoodworks]

In 10 years, some new world tennis champion is asked in an interview, “how did you develop those beautiful strokes“ he answers “well, there’s these guys on KZbin…

[@iSaiTek]

We need more video on the one handed backhand please 🙏 I want to learn this technique

[@vinhdoan9028]

It’s a good day when racquet flex posts videos. Welcome back

[@curttheboywonder]

I would love a video breaking down how the racquet/swing is putting spin on the ball at the actual contact point. How closed is the racquet face. Where is 12 o clock on the racquet facing. I’m really interested in learning more about the actual physics of it.

[@jordanfehr2757]

I tried switching to a semi western grip when I was younger and I was committed to it but my forehands were never as consistent.. ended up switching back to that eastern, just felt more comfortable to me, immediately the instructor at the club told me my forehands looked better.

[@Leo-nc3yx]

I had similar experience about switching grip as well,when I started playing tennis as a teenager I used an eastern grip just like Federer. But I failed to realize that the grip size of my second racket was a little off after changing it,and I didn’t care that much at the time,however it ended up affecting my grip tremendously. Since I was unable to have a comfortable grip using normal eastern grip ,I guess I just switched it to extreme western naturally overtime,without me even noticing. It affected my game hugely since my partner used a normal eastern grip with a flatter trajectory,and using an extreme western grip was killing me against the low ball. After a while that I learned more about the grip difference of tennis,I fixed my grip size with double grip cloth, and forced myself to transfer my grip to a semi western.And now I’m sticking with it. I would say the feel between extreme western and semi western is like night and days,it’s crazy for me to think about playing with both. I spent a lot of time to fix my grip problem as well,it’s extremely weird to transfer back to a normal grip when you have been using an extreme one for so long.

[@rowingocean]

Very nice summary. Nadal changed his grip to mild Semi as well as changing his strings to thinner guages.

[@listenchump4041]

Great video! I am the kind who changes raquet grip like socks, but I think next summer I'll settle on eastern or a close variation.

[@jasonloeb4269]

Excellent video breakdown. End of the day it is all about the semi-western forehand !

[@Ridhostarr]

U are the best in explaining tennis to us in youtube!

[@oakmountaingod]

First time ever I subscribed to a channel after only one video... top level, keep it up!

[@scottbarton77]

can't wait to see this series of videos. Great job as always guys.

[@Matthew9818]

Started with eastern used to experiment with western . switched to a semi western . can hit with a hawaiian grip but only do it when practising or having a friendly . Cici Bellis retired at 22 with a wrist injury from this grip 😩. Semi western works well for me .

[@parasharkchari]

I've always pretty much lived on a Continental grip and even used to find the Western not very fun, but I largely agree with the analysis. I just started out and formed all my habits in a very different era of tennis (yes, wood rackets and all). I had a continental grip on the forehand, but I would slip to the East on my backhand (one-handed backhand, of course). Unsurprisingly, my backhand was the far more versatile stroke. Aside from the fact that I'm old enough to be the father of anyone on tour today, the game has changed so much that I barely even have anything in me that is relevant or competitive. About the only skill I have that is remotely impressive anymore is my knack for picking up half-volleys. I also often played serve-and-volley, which is practically a dead paradigm in today's tennis.

[@人世间的杂事]

This is such a good video. I learned a lot from this video.

[@wojciechzajac8883]

Kyrgios actually uses on-the edge between semi western and full western grip. An interesting case is Fritz who currently uses a bit deeeper grip than western.

[@kamrannikoo7764]

Hello my friend. for the " Flat " shot it's easier to use Continental grip.

[@creeper6831]

U can't hit too hard with continental as it will hurt ur wrist

[@HeavyTopspin]

I can't help but associate the Western with Kent Carlsson, who used even an extreme version of that and looked like he was throwing uppercuts when he swung. I've been an Eastern adherent my whole life and as I've aged, I've found that it fits my game even better now (50+) than when I was a teenager, mostly due to requiring less athleticism to hit. However, what I have been trying lately is rotating to a semi-western when I know a high ball is coming, and that's greatly improved my put-away percentage because I can strike sharper angles, even if I'm only using it on the slow loopy balls that I can better set up for.

[@lauraulrich2837]

Awesome video thank you!!😊🙏

[@Woodland26]

I started tennis in late 1970s with wooden racquet era. Grip taught was eastern grip. I think most players at that time like McEnroe, Lendl, Sampras were doing similar grip. The only exception I read about was Rod Laver with western grip at his time. Is it partly a function of advance racquet technology that made the more aggressive style possible? What was Bjorn Borg's grip, seeing that he was a top spin player?

[@MandaRazafimaharo]

Make a video on straight arm forehand please, how to shift from bent to straight

[@JULIO12ZEP]

THANKS A LOT FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!

[@chunkwegiantennis5908]

Curious as to that Uniqlo shirt you're wearing in this video, looks both good and comfortable - can't find it on their website.

[@mrRagalorn]

It's from the Kei Nishikori line from UNIQLO. We get ugly crap here but Kei and Federer line were really nice. Look up pics of Kei you will see the exact shirt

[@camlendrim7609]

Great info and presentation. 👍

[@jeremyhyde23]

The bevels are about the least intuitive way to understand racket grips possible. Coaches should teach using anatomical position and the relationship of strings to the court and the net.

[@Ponosonoc]

Simply the BEST!

[@USALibertarian]

Could you explain the terminology in more detail? Such as, what does a "milder" grip mean?

[@Surfer_Tripp]

You can use both but at a higher level the eastern ends up being better for people who want to hit more winners from the baseline and short balls above the net. The western is good for smaller and younger players who need to loop the ball over the net more. The western can be considered more consistent perhaps, but the eastern requires less torque on the body. I used to be western grip all up until I turned 30 and now at 33 I'm playing the best tennis of my life with the eastern grip. At the end of the day it is whatever you feel comfortable with.

[@배성열-l2c]

More please 😊

[@xristosmat5727]

Coach from Greece here, thank you for everything, go on to the next video!

[@derekpappas1556]

The eastern grip counters the westerns body full use as athletic , when you run foward .

[@Viper-yg6eu]

What racquet are you using?

[@erikgarcia8143]

2:08 just to clarify clockwise and counter-clockwise are wrong here? or are they from your perspective holding the racket?

[@TooleyPeter]

The wrist deviation stuff -- just flex toward your pinky through contact, yay!! -- was very confusing, guys. Otherwise excellent video as always.

[@TennisNeedsMore]

You forgot extreme full western which is on 6-5

[@Roddeeerrrr]

Where'd you get that uniqlo tennis shirt? Looks great

[@mikyp9417]

Can you please cover Yannick Sinner forehand and backhand thank you

[@psportsystems4032]

Which grip you would say, Agassi uses?

[@ash3r01]

I would say the best example of the true western grip is nishioka that racquet face is as flat as a pancake and he still hits a really deep and powerful shot

[@andyhung424able]

A few other great examples of western grip players are Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff. One thing in common with all of their forehands that allows them to generate so much power with western grip is their open stance and the legs driving forward on every shot. I personally use western grip too, but my shots are always short because I don't have the strength/ability from the lower body to drive the rotation and drive the ball forward.

[@ash3r01]

@@andyhung424able iga and coco are good examples fritz is not even close to western lmfao

[@andyhung424able]

@@ash3r01 check out this video by Taylor Fritz himself saying he uses western grip at 0:37: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aavWap1piKeNjqM

[@andyhung424able]

@@ash3r01 here is another analysis video on his forehand. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5TFdaGZnNWGY7s

[@gerovo5299]

​@ash3r01 Fritz himself says he uses western, I'm gonna trust him kzbin.info/www/bejne/aavWap1piKeNjqMsi=O_xvRvt-NqV-XjAp

[@andygilhooley]

Always been an Eastern gripper. It feels more natural for my swing path.

[@willydasquid1615]

How significant is the difference beteeen extreme Eastern and mild semi western? I’ve been playing for 2 years consistently, taking lessons once a week and and playing another day. I am around a 3.5 level at this point. I’ve naturally developed an extreme eastern grip, and people say I get a lot of spin for someone my level. I am extremely confident on low balls, but I do struggle a little bit on the higher bouncing balls. Is it worth adjusting to a mild semi western grip? My goal is to essentially consistently improve for as long as I play, I’m only in my 20s so I am completely fine playing the long game. Thanks,

[@bajovujovic2004]

Which racquet are you playing with?

[@beam6981]

Hi Coach, Thanks for this video bc I have been looking for content on this and had not found it! Technically I am using the semi western forehand grip, but I am feeling I am not getting a solid enough contact with the ball...I feel i am coming over the ball too much at contact..do you recommend I adjust the grip?

[@DavidLogan_Neuro]

Great explanation of the modern forehand grip variations! My only suggestion has nothing to do with the explanations, per se, but the players you use for examples. All men and no women. How about Iga's or Coco's extreme Western grips? Serena's semi-western? My daughter is more interested in watching women's tennis, and frankly I am as well. Bring more viewers into your world by including women!

[@timlamiam]

i use the Eastern when i feel like pushing or hitting on the rise but a semi western when i wanna just thwack it lol. i used the semi w as a teenager, quit for about 10 years, came back super out of shape and not having the gas tank or the patience to stand 3 feet back and run at every shot. switched to the eastern so i could hit on the rise on 80% of my shots, which was great because i could cover the baseline in 3 steps rather than 5 or 6. Been about 2 years since I came back and I'm slowly building back up my old form and fitness and being able to competently hit both versions has been such a treat (I'm roughly a 4.0 player). I genuinely love using both depending on the situation. My favorite part of the eastern is that it unlocks the disguise forehand dropper/slice shot. Not the greatest conventional competitive shot, but the insane sidespin slice that you can put on it can get you some easy points at club level just from people not being good enough at on the rise backhands. I do get caught between two minds sometimes playing with people who hit harder than I'm used to though. Having to pick one or the other in split second situations is not an advantage.

[@rbnzoom]

Where can I get that Shirt? It looks really nice 😅

[@lartisan6274]

i have important question : Do pro tennis player use many grip ? they choose the grip compared to the ball they receive

[@atrem7942]

No they don't, they change swing path

[@einarjuel]

Yes, they do, at least the best. All situational dependent

[@evanterrell834]

They change grip from forehand to backhand, but they usually stick to a single grip for all forehands

[@Rintintinsudaca]

Great video! 👌🏼

[@atrem7942]

It is the personal preference of the player that counts not that of the coach.. i am a tenniscoach, i start them in eastern with beginner's.

[@joaodenilli]

Amazing content, guys.. ty!

[@a_goblue2023]

Nadal doesn’t use western, he just has an extreme motion. sick, Fritz, Kachanov use western. I play with Western and I love it, especially for higher balls

[@djcarlo]

What a great way to start the year!! I always wondered!

[@RacquetFlex]

Thanks Carlo!! Best of luck out there 👍

[@JohnC.-lj3cx]

I hit in between eastern and western as I do not play regularly and therefore am more consistent with this grip. Extreme western grip requires a lot of practice as your timing needs to be perfect with this grip. I do not recommend it if you're not playing regularly.

[@fredericperrin3279]

This is really, really interesting. But it also feels funny to me. While I have taken many, many golf lessons and understand the theory of the golf swing very well, I still don't swing the club well or naturally. On the other hand, I have never taken a single tennis lesson and have no theoritical knowledge of tennis technique, and yet I feel that I hit the tennis ball much more comfortably and naturally than the golf ball. Maybe it's just because I started playing tennis earlier than golf.

[@iSaiTek]

What is the sinner’s grip ?

[@LegolasD]

Great video

[@dylanfrutuoso4284]

What is Holger rune grip ? Ils like alcaraz ? 3 and 4 or just 4

[@marktace1]

Federer gets more topspin because he has a very low racquet drop, similar to Nadal. Nadal has to swing incredibly hard with that racquet drop given that he has a semi-western grip.

[@cr1tt3r72]

This is one of the best tennis videos on this platform, pls pls pls do this for the backhand also, I cannot wait

[@boruili6571]

Is full Western grip the same as a continental grip, just hitting forehand using the other side of the racket?

[@silentbovo1]

No, continental grip keeps most of the heel pad and index finger base on bevel 2 while the western grip uses bevel 5. Same side of the racquet. Western requires you to get under the ball and really whip thru the ball in a brushing motion while continental allows you to hit thru it.

[@imodium5118]

hi guys, my heelpad is actually more close that my index knucke, something like index knucke 4 and heelpad 4.5 Is there any pro i can watch with that kind of grip ?

[@sebastiansantos5561]

What means modified eastern grip?¿ That's what the quiz tell me to use it

[@jackquinnes]

I use Fedistic modified/extreme eastern grip so I'm no expert but your description of the semi-western grip and its contact point etc. was confusing and unclear. You mean your wrist moves from radial deviation to ulnar deviation during the contact?! Sounds crazy and impossible!?

[@ronm7114]

the best grip is the grip u like best

[@ThEReAlCrAnTlY]

love y'alls videos but the audio mixing is wild 💀

[@rocco_mc]

what string do u use plsssssss?

[@rocco_mc]

the red one

[@mistere287]

Americans have a great serve and good forehand but why so weak backhand compare to us in Europe? Just asking

[@CB-mr1ci]

I noticed that too. Maybe they learn to finish the point with the forehand and the backhand is used to counterpunch to then set up the forehand winner ?

[@mistere287]

@@CB-mr1ci maybe I don't know just asking.

[@mistere287]

@@CB-mr1ci and you can be so right maybe thank you :)

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

@@CB-mr1ci Probably, and because they have a better serve they might be basing their game more around Serve +1 which means they run around their backhand more often.

[@jerome_morrow]

It’s the fast hard courts which predominate in the USA, which makes going for outright winners with big serve and big forehand a highly profitable strategy. Less need to grind, unlike on the mostly clay courts in Europe where big shots are nullified by the slower surface.

[@brucezidane]

Nice.

[@khmak9387]

I think you got your clockwise and counter-clockwise directions backward 😅

[@zyrf1167]

i just want to say. nice ass courts at apartments. I need to get some living like that

[@Shankar-Bhaskar]

Tsitsipas uses eastern

[@jamonleecarter8698]

Nadal is actually semi western. should probably change your thumbnail

[@swampy1234]

Do real pros really think this deeply about their grip? Isn't it instinctual to them based on timing, considering incoming ball (speed, height, spin) their positioning, balance and prepping for the next shot?

[@mick0073]

Rafa's grip is semi- Eastern, I reckon. I analysed his latest training video.

[@jerome_morrow]

Like Fed, Nadal’s grip has weakened a bit over the years. He started off pretty clearly semi-western but is now an extreme eastern (aka semi-eastern). Fed started off extreme eastern and is now mid eastern.

[@FundamentalTennis]

#winnerwinnerchickendinner

[@RacquetFlex]

You got it!

[@reallypantik6283]

Kyrgios and Nadal are not extreme grip users.

[@HOSSundHOPF_._._0]

Nadal has changed his grip in his career a few times

[@gdevelek]

2:57 So your viewers are supposed to know what you mean by "a grip close to Jack Socks"???

[@silentbovo1]

Jack Sock is known for having a western grip. Generates alot of spin but sometimes struggles with low balls.

[@TheArtificery]

I feel like I’m your friend

[@Matheus-fq5gd]

the music is a little to loud

[@tihe7944]

Love your videos, keep them coming! #winnerwinnerchickendinner

[@RacquetFlex]

Thanks for watching till the end, haha!

[@sarkology]

Claiming Nadal has a western grip and same as is wild. Or that he has the same grip as Novak smh. Especially when you show a vid of Nadal using radial deviation when creating spin (as he always does) and not ulnar deviation. His buggy whip is tons of radial deviation and wouldn’t really be possible with a western grip or a grip like Novak’s. Love this channel but this was was a big miss. Tsitsipas seems very eastern too very similar to Sampras, his idol.

[@ST-ek6lf]

You gotta do your research first. Gasquet uses semiwestern grip . Not the continental grip .

[@charlesfaure1189]

Anyone who uses Nadal as an example of how to use a western grip on a low ball shouldn't be doing instructional videos. Nadal uses and has always used a standard semi-western grip--just like 80+ percent of professional players.

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

According to them he uses an extreme semi-western grip which is very close to a normal semi-western grip, so it is going to be hard to find any defintive evidence either way. These guys have a lot of high quality videos with more knowledge than almost every online coach there is, so I wouldn't write them off because you disagree on one minor detail.

[@djordjekojicic]

He does use a semi-western: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKjLomduot6XhNEsi=MgpklJOA-Xpgr1QL

[@rudijax]

#nadalfanboyrant "how dare you get any Nadal facts wrong"😅. Great video guys👍🏾

[@traderone9377]

I think you missed it--probably have to watch it twice. Nedal was an extreme grip example.

[@curttheboywonder]

These guys are some of the most knowledgeable on KZbin. Maybe they got a Nadal fact wrong. Maybe Nadal changes his grip sometimes. I don’t know everything about the guy. But I do know this channel specializes in science and biomechanics.

[@DaniRichards-s4t]

#winner winner chicken dinner!!

[@ash3r01]

the clips you show for western are not really western look at nishioka and khachanov

[@levitorres4617]

Screw it. I'm going Hawaiian grip

[@serwhit2490]

# winner winner chicken dinner 😅

[@Samship1234]

#winnerwinnerchickendinner :)

[@djordjekojicic]

Your videos are great but I think Federer uses a classical eastern forehand grip: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3W7o3SPZq-tl6Msi=MTLY9NHsWMaHmUtT kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4nGpJWiiJh9opYsi=Sn2yRxGy78zGB5dJ

[@michaelobell7032]

Fantastic video great topic and examples. I recommend your channel daily on the court. Keep up the great work. #winnerwinnerchickendinner