How to Hold a Tennis Racquet

Racket handle - bottom view

There are several different grips you can use to hold a tennis racket. Four particular grips are the Continental, the Eastern, the Western, and the semi-Western. Each variation of grips are used for different styles of play. The semi-Western is the 'basic' grip and is what most people are taught to start out with. If you are a beginner or an intermediate tennis player, this is the ideal grip for you, and it is as easy as shaking someone's hand.

Things You'll Need

• Tennis racket

Instructions

1. If you are right handed, hold the racket in your left hand with the grip parallel to the ground. You should be able to compare your racket's grip to the image above.

2. Quite simply, finding the proper grip is as easy as shaking someone's hand, with some minor adjustments. Start out by treating the handle as another person's outstretched hand. Shake your grip's hand. This is basically the setup you will want to be comfortable with.

3. Now that we have the general feel, let's get specific. Remember that the butt of the handle is going to rest on the heel of your hand. (Once you get the grip down, you can choke up if need be.)

4. With the heel of your hand in place, the very bottom of your pinky finger, where it meets your palm, will be placed on the bottom right side of the grip.

5. 

   Spread your index finger out so it is reaching toward the face of the racket. Reach your thumb around the grip so it it touching your middle finger. Be sure you have a firm grip.

Tips & Warnings

• You should have a good sense of what this grip feels like before you start playing. Remember that bad habits are hard ones to break.