The Lansdorp Forehand

Western

The western grip, so common in junior tennis. With the hand open you can see how the hand has slipped
under the handle. With this grip the player will never hit through the ball fully, as the followthrough shows.

Basically there are two grips that will allow you to do this in the modern game, the eastern grip, similar to the grip
used by Pete Sampras, or a moderate semi-western grip used by players like Agassi or Lindsay Davenport.

I strongly believe, however, that kids should start with the
eastern grip. The beginning is the critical part.

You have to watch the kids very closely, because you know they will have a
natural tendency to slip the grip, so the hand goes more under the handle.

A kid can eventually have some leeway in this respect but not until the fundamental ability to hit through the ball is
established.

Once they have the feeling of hitting through the ball, you can slip the grip over toward a semi-western and get a
little more topspin with no damage done. The kid already knows what it feels like to hit through the ball.

Extreme Under the Handle The extreme under the…