Learn a Forehand Grip, Continental Grip and the Change Between Them

A lawn tennis grip is simply a tennis grip; “lawn” does not describe a special hand position. The useful question is which grip fits the next shot.

Start with a simple system:

• Eastern or Semi-Western for your forehand
• Continental for serves, volleys, overheads and slice

The USTA identifies Continental, Eastern and Western as the main grip families, with Semi-Western as another common option (USTA beginner’s guide). You do not need to learn every variation at once. You do need to find your chosen positions repeatedly and change between them before the ball arrives.

Find the eight handle bevels

Look at the cap on the bottom of the racket. The handle is an octagon with eight flat surfaces, called bevels.

Hold the racket with the strings vertical and number the bevels from the top:

• A right-handed player counts clockwise from bevel 1.
• A left-handed player counts anticlockwise from bevel 1.

Use two landmarks on your hitting hand:

1. The base knuckle of your index finger
2. The heel pad—the firm lower part of your palm

Place both landmarks on the stated bevel. Checking both helps prevent a twisted hand position even when the index knuckle appears correct.

Choose one forehand grip

Eastern forehand: bevel 3

For a right-handed Eastern forehand, place both landmarks on bevel 3. A left-hander uses bevel 7.

Eastern is a practical starting point for straightforward contact around waist height. It can support flatter shots and moderate topspin. Follow the hand-position checks in the Eastern tennis grip guide.

Semi-Western forehand: bevel 4

For a right-handed Semi-Western forehand, place both landmarks on bevel 4. A left-hander uses bevel 6.

This position closes the racket face more than Eastern and suits a more upward swing for topspin, especially around waist-to-chest contact height. Low balls can initially demand more knee bend and better spacing. See the setup and trade-offs in the Semi-Western tennis grip guide.

Neither option is automatically right for every beginner. Pick one rather than switching after every miss. Then watch the result: can you meet the ball in front, send it over the net with a stable racket face and finish in balance?

Use Continental for serving and net play

For a right-hander, place the index-knuckle and heel-pad landmarks on bevel 2. A left-hander uses bevel 8. The racket should feel like a hammer held on edge, not a frying pan with the strings facing upward.

The LTA teaches this “chopper or continental grip” for the serve and says it can also be used for volleys and smashes (LTA beginner serving guide). Its technical framework places forehand contact to the side and in front, while volleys use compact tap-or-touch actions rather than full swings (LTA assessment resource).

Continental often feels unfamiliar because the strings do not face the target in the ready position. Resist rotating straight back to your forehand grip. Learn the landmarks in the Continental grip explanation, then rehearse the position slowly.

What about the backhand?

A backhand needs its own grip decision. A one-handed backhand and a two-handed backhand do not use the same hand arrangement, so do not simply keep your forehand grip and improvise.

For now, build a reliable forehand-to-Continental change. Add your backhand grip separately once a coach or a structured lesson has helped you choose between one and two hands.

A 10-minute grip-change drill

You need a racket, five to ten balls and clear space for short self-feeds.

1. Change grips without a ball: two minutes

Start in a neutral ready position with the racket in front and your non-dominant hand supporting the throat.

1. Turn to your chosen forehand grip.
2. Return to Continental.
3. Repeat 20 times slowly.

Let the supporting hand turn the racket while the hitting hand loosens slightly. Do not release the racket completely, but do not clamp it throughout the change.

Checkpoint: You can put both hand landmarks on the correct bevel without staring at the handle.

2. Add forehand contact: four minutes

Stand near the service line. Drop a ball slightly to the side and in front, then hit gently over the net or toward a safe wall target.

• Set the grip before the ball bounces.
• Leave space between your body and the ball.
• Contact the ball to the side and in front.
• Finish balanced, then return to the ready position.

The LTA framework similarly calls for preparation before the incoming ball bounces and forehand contact to the side and in front (LTA assessment resource).

Hit ten controlled balls. Choose a large target and prioritize net clearance over speed.

3. Return to Continental: four minutes

After every forehand, recover to the ready position and change to Continental. Then choose one controlled action:

• Tap the ball upward on the strings.
• Make a compact self-fed volley.
• Shadow a slow serve without a ball.

Reset after each repetition. The purpose is not to rush the change; it is to complete it while recovering, before beginning the next action.

Check whether the grips are ready for a rally

Seven controlled contacts out of ten is a useful practice target, not an official test. Move from self-feeds to cooperative rallies when you can usually:

• Find the intended grip without looking down
• Change from forehand to Continental during recovery
• Meet the forehand in front rather than beside or behind your body
• Finish balanced enough to move again
• Hold the racket securely without obvious forearm tension

If several balls hit the net or fly long, check the racket face at contact before moving farther around the handle. Swing path, timing and spacing also affect the shot; every miss is not a grip problem.

Grip position is not grip size

“Grip” can also mean the handle’s circumference or the material wrapped around it. That is separate from Eastern, Semi-Western and Continental hand positions.

For a quick size check, hold the racket and try to fit the index finger of your other hand between the fingers and thumb of your gripping hand. If it will not fit, the handle may be too small; if considerable space remains, it may be too large. HEAD advises choosing the smaller option when between sizes because an overgrip can build it up (HEAD grip-size guide).

Choose a comfortable handle size, then practise the hand positions. Handle size cannot compensate for using one lawn tennis grip on every shot.