The western forehand grip is one of the most extreme grips in today's tennis game. It generates tremendous amount of topspin while sacrificing 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. While most players ended up settling at the semi-western grip, some players kept pushing the boundaries. The western forehand grip is an extreme grip with a high contact point. While not as popular as the semi-western, it is still used by a lot of juniors due to the grip's ability to handle high balls. Some pros also use, a not so extreme version, of the grip with tremendous success.
How to Position your Hand
In order to achieve a western grip for your forehand, if you're right handed or left handed, place the base knuckle of your index finger on bevel 5 (b5).
Recommended Strokes
1. Forehand
Using the western grip on your forehand allows you to generate heavy topspin at the cusp of sacrificing some power. It's ideal contact point is near chest level and in front of the body.
Using the western grip on your forehand allows you to generate heavy topspin at the cusp of sacrificing some power. It's ideal contact point is near chest 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 for the racket head being extremely 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 close to chest level. This makes it easier to handle higher balls in an aggressive manner.
3. Short Stroke
This grip is used most effectively with a short but quick stroke. This can be an advantage in today's fast paced tennis game which requires quicker reaction times.
4. Highest Margin of Error
Since this grip naturally produces more topspin it allows you to clear the net even higher than a semi-western, eastern or continental grip. This gives you the highest margin of error when hitting your shots.
The grip forces you to hit in a more circular motion in order to compensate for the racket head being extremely 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 close to chest level. This makes it easier to handle higher balls in an aggressive manner.
3. Short Stroke
This grip is used most effectively with a short but quick stroke. This can be an advantage in today's fast paced tennis game which requires quicker reaction times.
4. Highest Margin of Error
Since this grip naturally produces more topspin it allows you to clear the net even higher than a semi-western, eastern or continental grip. This gives you the highest margin of error when hitting your shots.
Disadvantages
1. Toughest to hit flatter shots
This grip's forces the racket head to be extremely closed off. The motion tends to be the most circular and hits the ball from low to high. This motion 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 western grip. It tends to be quite hard to do. You will have to drastically increase the circular motion of your swing in order to properly get under the ball. This sometimes forces you into out of balanced positions or forces you to hit a more defensive shot while you wait for that perfect high ball to rip through.
3. Stress to your forearm and wrist
In order to be used effectively and with power the western grip may cause a lot of stress on your wrist and forearm since the movement has to be very aggressive if you want to generate any sort of power.
4. Harder to learn
It's a harder grip to learn when starting out since the palm of your hand will be facing upwards when hitting the ball. This makes it an unnatural grip for beginners to develop the "feel" of driving through the ball.
5. Harder alternating between grips
While not much of an impact after you have properly learned your grips. If you are a beginner, it can be hard transitioning grips since the base of your index knuckle is positioned at the bottom of your racket's handle on bevel 5 of the octagon.
This grip's forces the racket head to be extremely closed off. The motion tends to be the most circular and hits the ball from low to high. This motion 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 western grip. It tends to be quite hard to do. You will have to drastically increase the circular motion of your swing in order to properly get under the ball. This sometimes forces you into out of balanced positions or forces you to hit a more defensive shot while you wait for that perfect high ball to rip through.
3. Stress to your forearm and wrist
In order to be used effectively and with power the western grip may cause a lot of stress on your wrist and forearm since the movement has to be very aggressive if you want to generate any sort of power.
4. Harder to learn
It's a harder grip to learn when starting out since the palm of your hand will be facing upwards when hitting the ball. This makes it an unnatural grip for beginners to develop the "feel" of driving through the ball.
5. Harder alternating between grips
While not much of an impact after you have properly learned your grips. If you are a beginner, it can be hard transitioning grips since the base of your index knuckle is positioned at the bottom of your racket's handle on bevel 5 of the octagon.
Professional Tennis Players who Use this Grip
The western grip is rarely used by professionals in today's game. However some players use a modified version of it that sits between the semi-western and western grips Here are some of our favorite professional tennis players using either a full or modified version of the western forehand grip - Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock and Kei Nishikori.