The Semi-western grip is one of the most popular grips in modern tennis and is used by some of the best players on tour. It’s a grip half way between the conservative Eastern grip and the extreme Full-western grip and is often associated with the modern forehand in tennis.
How To Hold A Semi-Western Forehand Grip
The Semi-western grip is a grip that can feel very natural to some players and very uncomfortable to others. It’s particularly popular in today’s game as it’s a very versatile grip and is perfectly suited to baseline tennis.
If you take a look at the racket butt cap, you’ll see that the grip forms an octagonal shape with eight sides or “bevels”. To find the Semi-western grip, place the palm-side knuckle of your index finger on the fourth bevel (or on the sixth bevel if you’re left handed). It should look something like this…
Advantages of a Semi-Western Grip
The Semi-Western grip offers a number of benefits.
It’s an extremely versatile grip, offering the best of both worlds. It lies between the Eastern grip and the Western grip and offers many of the advantages of both those grips, while exposing players to fewer of the drawbacks.
Firstly, thanks to its relatively closed racket face on contact, it provides easy access to spin while still being a conservative enough grip to allow players to flatten out their shots when needed.
That extra spin helps players hit higher over the net and still have the ball drop into the court. The extra bit of net clearance provides a bigger margin for error, allowing players to hit more aggressively from the baseline.
The closed face on contact also means dealing with higher balls is less of an issue, though it can cause some problems with particularly low bouncing balls. As such, it’s a grip well suited to hard courts and clay, though can cause minor problems on grass. That being said, it’s a relatively small issue when considering the other advantages the grip has to offer.
Disadvantages of a Semi-Western Grip
There are also a couple of minor drawbacks to this grip.
The obvious disadvantage is that dealing with extremely low balls can be a little challenging, particularly on grass or carpet/astroturf courts. That being said, most players become accustomed to it and learn to adjust their stroke to handle lower balls.
It can also be a little more difficult to switch between grips for volleying. As the Semi-western grip is further from the Continental grip (when compared to the Eastern grip), it can be a little challenging for players to switch grips. However, that’s only really an issue when starting out as most players quickly get used to switching between grips.
Again, the drawbacks are relatively minor and are seriously outweighed by the benefits, making the Semi-Western forehand grip a fantastic choice for any modern tennis player.
Which Players Use a Semi-Western Forehand Grip?
The Semi-western forehand grip is one of the most popular grips in modern tennis and is used by many of the best players in the world.
On the men’s tour it’s used by none other than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka to name just a few. On the women’s side, it’s used by the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and more recently Naomi Osaka.
Should I Use a Semi-Western Forehand Grip?
The grip you choose is going to depend very much on your style of play, so it’s difficult to suggest using one over another. However, we’d probably say the say the Semi-western grip is probably the best grip for developing players looking to play competitive tennis. Given it’s versatility, it offers a combination of the benefits of the Eastern and Full-western grips without as many of the drawbacks, which makes it a great option for baseline players in today’s game.
That being said, the Semi-western grip can seem a little unnatural at first, so we’d suggest starting out with and Eastern forehand grip first and then gradually adjusting your grip towards a Semi-western.
Photo Credits:
Rafael Nadal by JC / Flickr
Novak Djokovic by James Boyce / Flickr
Serena Williams by Marianne Bevis / Flickr
