Eastern Grip
Also known as: eastern forehand grip, handshake grip
The eastern grip puts the index knuckle on bevel 3, the handle's flat side. It gives a flat or moderate-topspin forehand at a comfortable height.
The eastern forehand grip was the standard pro grip through the 1970s. It produces a flat-to-moderate-topspin contact at waist-to-shoulder height, with the racquet face perpendicular to the ball. It is often called the "handshake" grip because the position mirrors shaking hands with the racquet. The eastern grip allows a relatively natural, straight arm through contact. It is the easiest grip for beginners because it does not require excessive wrist adjustment. It becomes less comfortable on high-bouncing balls (shoulder height or above) because the face naturally opens, producing error. The eastern backhand grip mirrors this concept for the backhand side (base knuckle on bevel 1 for a right-hander). Many coaches teach eastern first, then gradually shift players to semi-western as their game evolves.
The eastern grip excels on fast, low-bouncing surfaces such as indoor carpet, grass, and fast hard courts. There, balls stay below the shoulder, and the premium is on clean, flat hitting rather than heavy topspin. On such surfaces, the grip's comfortable flat-to-moderate-topspin contact range aligns well with ball-bounce height. The natural arm extension through contact produces penetrating pace that wins points directly. Pro players in the Sampras era on grass used eastern or mild eastern grips. That gave them the flat, driving groundstrokes that worked on those fast surfaces.
The limitation of the eastern grip becomes pronounced on slow clay or against heavy-topspin opponents. When the ball sits up at shoulder height or above, the eastern grip requires compensating wrist extension to square the face. That reduces control and consistency. Players who developed their games on clay courts quickly discovered that the eastern grip left them vulnerable to opponents with heavy topspin. That led to the mass adoption of the semi-western grip, which could handle both high-bouncing and waist-height balls comfortably. Modern coaching acknowledges this and often teaches semi-western from the start. It reserves eastern as a niche grip for very fast-surface specialists.
Hit 20 forehands at waist height and 20 at shoulder height with your current grip and count the errors at each height. A big difference tells you your grip may be limiting your high-ball game.
If switching from eastern to semi-western, make the change gradually — adjust one bevel and spend two weeks adapting before moving another bevel. As a result, your muscle memory stays functional throughout.
Example
A club-level player who learned tennis on slower courts uses an eastern forehand grip. This produces clean flat drives on low balls but struggling on high-kicking topspin.
Why it matters
Grip choice constrains which balls you handle comfortably. Motion Lab does not read your grip, the racket face or your contact height, so check your high-ball misses on video.
How it shows up on video
On video, compare your high and waist-height forehands. Some players reliably make errors on balls bouncing above the shoulder while their waist-height forehand is reliable. They almost certainly have an eastern grip that cannot comfortably square the face on high contact.
Common mistakes
- Opening the racquet face on high-bouncing balls because the eastern grip does not naturally square at shoulder height
- Being unable to generate enough topspin to neutralize heavy topspin opponents who bounce balls above waist height
- Staying with the eastern grip on slow clay courts where high-bouncing balls are the norm, instead of shifting toward a semi-western
- Using the eastern grip on low-to-high slice returns, which is a grip mismatch — eastern is for flatter contact zones
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab reads your swing path, but not your contact height, your grip or your errors. Note on video whether your errors spike on high-ball forehands compared with comfortable contact heights.
Frequently asked questions
Should I switch from eastern to semi-western?
If you struggle on high-bouncing topspin balls or want more topspin on your forehand, shifting toward a semi-western grip helps. It is a gradual change — move one bevel at a time and adjust your swing path.
Related terms
- Continental GripThe continental grip positions the base knuckle of the index finger on bevel 2 of the handle, the universal grip for volleys, serves, overheads, slices, and drop shots.
- Semi-Western GripThe semi-western (base knuckle on bevel 4) is the most popular modern forehand hold, balancing topspin capability with comfortable contact across a wide range of ball heights.
- Western GripThe western grip rotates the hand fully under the handle (base knuckle on bevel 4–5). This enables extreme topspin on high balls while making low-ball and flat shots very difficult.
- Grip ChangeA grip change is moving the hand along the handle between shots to match the incoming ball. Most often from a forehand hold to continental for volleys, serves and slices.
- ForehandThe forehand is a groundstroke hit on the dominant-hand side, swinging across the body. It is a player's most natural and usually most powerful shot.
- BackhandThe backhand is a groundstroke hit on the non-dominant side of the body, played either with one hand or two, and can be struck flat, with topspin, or as a slice.
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