How to Grip a Tennis Racket

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Lincoln Ward. I'm with Lone Star Tennis Company. I'm a USPTA certified teaching pro here in Austin, Texas. Today we're going to talk about how to hold your grip on your tennis racket. There are several different ways to hold your grip, one of them being Continental, Eastern, Semi-Western, and Western grip. Generally in the game, people choose to hold it with either Continental grip or a Semi-Western grip. As you increase your ability in the game, you start to go more towards the Semi-Western and Western grip. Every racket has eight sides on the grip. These sides are called bevels. The bevels help you determine how you hold your racket. You want to line those bevels up from the point--the index knuckle, kind of corner to the heel of your palm. You line it up straight on your palm, and you set the bevel straight onto that, and you'll have your particular grip. Continental grip is bevel number two, Eastern grip is bevel number three, Semi-Western grip is bevel number four, and Western grip is bevel number five. Jim Courier is a good example of a clean Western grip ground stroke. Now, Jimmy Connor's is a great example of a Continental grip. A majority of the tennis pros nowadays will either use the Semi-Western or the Eastern grip. So if you're looking for examples, please check them out. I'm Lincoln Ward. That was how to grip your racket. Thanks a lot."