The Evolution of the Grip and The Loss of The Continental

I was told one day years ago the following: Tennis was developed in Continental Europe and therefore the real first grip used was termed Continental. When the New World (i.e. New England) took on the sport of tennis, the Eastern grip was really developed on the East Coast of the United States. As you move the grip around the racquet, you move Western. The Western grips were established by West Coast American players and finally the Semi-Western and Full Western grips by the Australians.

Now, I cannot find anything to back that up, and the basis of the story may or may not be true. But, it's a nice story to use when teaching children tennis and geography and to use the sides of the racquet as a globe as you move around the world... and the racquet.

In doing some research, the 1860s saw the use of a Western Grip - and we thought it was a new grip in the 21st Century (well at least I did)! And perhaps my story above holds out as Californian Bill Johnston played our splendid game in the early 1900s and used his Western Forehand grip to help the USA win seven consecutive Davis Cups. His forehand was considered the best in the world at the time and he finally relinquished his number one American rank to Big Bill Tilden in the early 1920s.

The modern game of tennis sees most of the students learn a forehand first and usually, with an Eastern grip where the knuckle is straight behind the racquet's grip, taught primarily to help juniors with their groundstrokes. For years, through the 1960s and 1970s, many students of the game, initially held the racquet with a continental grip and then moved over to the Eastern grip. This is how I learned and, perhaps you may call it old school, there are some advantages to this progression or at least familiarization with the Continental grip.

Once we are out of our comfort zone at the baseline, the Continental grip is ubiquitous. In reality, any time one moves forward, the continental grip is really the grip of choice. There are several reasons for this and many of my students ask "When should I change?"

The only time I can think of keeping your full forehand grip, whether it be Eastern, Semi-Western, or Western as you move into the court and toward the net is on a ball that is presented to you above waist height where you can really hit top-spin on an approach shot. If the ball is low and forcing you to reach, well then the "Do the Continental with me..."

The Continental grip really forces the racquet head to angle upward underneath the ball at contact if contact is made in front of the body. Therefore on any low ball, requiring slice or simply to get it back up over the net, the Continental grip alleviates the flat racquet head position with the strings flush to the net which is caused by an Eastern or Western grip.

This comes in handy on a low approach or a low volley. I harken back to Andy Roddick, who too often didn't change to a Continental grip and one can remember how many balls would be caught by the net as he approached. The picture above illustrates this. The racquet head is flat to the ball and flush to the net, whereas a continental grip in the same situation would allow the strings to be angled upward.

One of the greatest players at the net and inside the court was Stefan Edberg. I had the opportunity to practice with him just prior to Wimbledon years back and at the net he was flawless. I use a more recent photo, but look at the Continental grip and the angle of the racquet as it approaches the ball.

Same ball, same place on the court... different racquet and hand angle due to the grip. In fact, I think you can spy his index finger up along the back of the grip. The next time you practice volleying, try just volleying with your index finger and thumb on the racquet and controlling the racquet head angle with the heel of your hand. Those three points of contact are really what control the racquet in a Continental grip, not fingers three, four or five.

Unfortunately, we teach the Eastern or Western grips all too often and all too long with our juniors who spend hours on the baseline. A good opponent, noting that you are not comfortable at the net, will bring you in to net and test that volley. Once you leave the backcourt, you leave that grip behind at the baseline. Andy found it hard to change and if he found it difficult to change, as one of the best players in the world, so is a junior looking to climb the rankings who doesn't practice it or learn it early on in development.

If one feels comfortable with the Continental grip, they can remain in that grip for even a return of serve if they feel they don't have the time to change grips on a service return. Once at net, no need to change grips between a backhand or forehand volley or an overhead. All Continental. Simplicity.

In each lesson, I try to reserve at least 15 to 20 minutes of the hour to working with a continental grip - whether it be for the volley, approach shot, overhead or serve. A good junior player, in fact any player, should feel comfortable with the Continental grip. And if you are an odds maker - well that's four strokes with a Continental grip compared to the one stroke for the other forehand grips.