Grip Structures in the Modern Forehand Part 2

3 of the 6 common grips are more extreme. As we saw in the first part of this article, the common terminology we use to describe the forehand grips is inadequate for the complexity of the modern game. It’s commonly believed that most top players use a “semi-western” grip. Actually there are at least six distinct grip structures in the men’s game, and 3 of these are some version of a “semi-western.” In the first article (Click Here), we looked at the 3 more conservative pro grips, the eastern, the modified eastern, and the mild semi-western. Now in part 2 we’ll turn our attention to the 3 more extreme modern grips. After we published the first article, I heard from one subscriber who wondered why I was going into so much detail about the grips and didn’t think these relatively small differences between the players could possibly matter. The reality is that we can trace visible differences in the swings–and related advantages and limitations in a player’s style–directly to the grip structure. The two key points on the hand and the 8 bevels on the racket. The moderate semi-western or 4 / 3 1/2 is probably the most common grip…