The semi-western forehand grip is one of the most popular grips in today's tennis game. It generates tremendous amount of topspin while not sacrificing too much power. In this guide we will go over the grip's history, how to properly position your hand, advantages, disadvantages and professional players using this grip.
Brief History
As equipment improved and racket head sizes increased players continued experimenting with shifting their hands further down the racket's handle octagon. The semi-western forehand grip is part of the family of today's western grips. As a family, these are topspin heavy grips with a higher contact point. The semi-western grip started getting popularity because it allowed players to generate heavier topspin and gave them more space for clearing the net.
How to Position your Hand
In order to achieve a semi-western grip for your forehand, if you're right handed place the base knuckle of your index finger on bevel 4 (b4). If you're left handed place it on bevel 6 (b6).
Recommended Strokes
1. Forehand
Using the semi-western grip on your forehand allows you to generate heavy topspin without sacrificing too much power. It's ideal contact point is above waist level and in front of the body.
Using the semi-western grip on your forehand allows you to generate heavy topspin without sacrificing too much power. It's ideal contact point is above waist level and in front of the body.
Advantages
1. Topspin
The grip forces you to hit in a more circular motion in order to compensate with the racket head being more closed off. This motion helps produce greater topspin by ripping through the ball vs striking though it like an eastern grip would.
2. High Balls
This grip's ideal contact point is above waist level. This makes it easier to handle higher balls in a more aggressive manner without sacrificing power or technique.
3. Late Balls
It's easier to compensate being late to balls by ripping through the ball using an extreme circular motion which allows you to have a contact point closer to the body. This makes it a good reactionary shot that can still be hit pretty aggressively without putting you in a defensive position.
4. Higher Margin of Error
Since this grip naturally produces more topspin it allows you to clear the net higher than an eastern or continental grip. This gives you a higher margin of error when hitting your shots.
The grip forces you to hit in a more circular motion in order to compensate with the racket head being more closed off. This motion helps produce greater topspin by ripping through the ball vs striking though it like an eastern grip would.
2. High Balls
This grip's ideal contact point is above waist level. This makes it easier to handle higher balls in a more aggressive manner without sacrificing power or technique.
3. Late Balls
It's easier to compensate being late to balls by ripping through the ball using an extreme circular motion which allows you to have a contact point closer to the body. This makes it a good reactionary shot that can still be hit pretty aggressively without putting you in a defensive position.
4. Higher Margin of Error
Since this grip naturally produces more topspin it allows you to clear the net higher than an eastern or continental grip. This gives you a higher margin of error when hitting your shots.
Disadvantages
1. Tougher to hit flatter shots
This grip's forces the racket head to be pretty closed off. This makes it tougher to hit flatter shots when you want increase the power of your shot.
2. Difficult hitting lower balls
While you can definitely hit lower balls with a semi-western grip. It tends to be a bit harder to do since you will have to drastically increase the circular motion of your swing in order to get under the ball. This sometimes forces you into out of balanced positions and is one of the reasons why you see players like Nadal pivoting off from their back foot when hitting these balls. They are compensating balance and some strength in order to hit these shots aggressively.
3. Harder to learn
It's a harder grip to learn when starting out since the palm of your hand will be facing the sky when hitting the ball. This makes it an unnatural grip for beginners to develop the "feel" of driving through the ball.
4. Harder alternating between grips
While not much of an impact after you have properly learned your grips. For beginners, it can be hard transitioning grips since the base of your index knuckle is positioned further down the racket handle's octagon in bevel 4.
This grip's forces the racket head to be pretty closed off. This makes it tougher to hit flatter shots when you want increase the power of your shot.
2. Difficult hitting lower balls
While you can definitely hit lower balls with a semi-western grip. It tends to be a bit harder to do since you will have to drastically increase the circular motion of your swing in order to get under the ball. This sometimes forces you into out of balanced positions and is one of the reasons why you see players like Nadal pivoting off from their back foot when hitting these balls. They are compensating balance and some strength in order to hit these shots aggressively.
3. Harder to learn
It's a harder grip to learn when starting out since the palm of your hand will be facing the sky when hitting the ball. This makes it an unnatural grip for beginners to develop the "feel" of driving through the ball.
4. Harder alternating between grips
While not much of an impact after you have properly learned your grips. For beginners, it can be hard transitioning grips since the base of your index knuckle is positioned further down the racket handle's octagon in bevel 4.
Professional Tennis Players who Use this Grip
The semi-western grip is the most used grip in today's game. Therefore, there are a lot of players using it. Here are some of our favorite professional tennis players using a semi-western forehand grip - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.