Grip Change
Also known as: switching grips, grip transition, grip shift
A 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.
Elite players do it in milliseconds, without conscious thought. The common transitions are groundstroke to continental for volleys, serves, overheads and slices. Adding the non-dominant hand for a two-handed backhand. And holding continental throughout the whole service motion. The move is made with the non-dominant hand supporting the throat, which frees the hitting hand to slide into position. The recreational mistake is not moving at all — one hold for everything, with wrist compensation covering the difference and consistency paying for it. A clean, fast transition is a technique worth practising on its own.
Mechanically, the non-dominant hand is the active agent. Coming forward after an approach, that hand holds the throat loosely — just enough to keep the frame steady — while the hitting hand releases pressure and slides along the handle. This two-hand coordination allows the change to happen without visual attention on the racquet. The player can keep eyes on the ball and opponent while the hands complete the transition below conscious awareness. Players who finger-walk the hitting hand alone, without that support, find the whole thing slow and unreliable under pressure.
Timing this during approach-and-close sequences is worth drilling explicitly. The best moment is during the final two or three steps of the approach — when the player is already in forward motion and attention is fixed on the ball and opponent ahead. If the change is delayed until the split step. It competes with the split-step movement for attention and often does not complete before the volley arrives. Rehearsing the whole sequence until the move happens mid-stride is the most reliable route to fluency in match conditions.
Support the throat with the non-dominant hand every single time — that frees the hitting hand to move smoothly instead of squeezing tighter first.
Pair the move with your split step — in every net feed drill, make the switch during the hop. As a result, the hands are set before the ball direction is known.
Example
After a rally forehand, the player approaches the net and rotates the racquet in the non-dominant hand, slipping from semi-western to continental before the first volley arrives.
Why it matters
The wrong hold for the shot forces wrist compensation and costs shot quality. A common case is volley misses from a groundstroke hold never released at the net. Motion Lab does not read your grip, so check your hold at contact on video.
How it shows up on video
On video, check whether the hand moved at all by comparing the racquet face across shot types. Correct angles on both volley wings indicate a successful switch. A correct forehand followed by a backhand with an open face indicates the hand never moved.
Common mistakes
- Never moving the hand between groundstrokes and volleys, then compensating with extreme wrist angles at the net
- Moving only the hitting hand while the other leaves the throat of the racquet
- Rushing under time pressure and arriving at a partial position that is neither one hold nor the other
- Switching for volleys and forgetting to switch back after retreating from the net
In SwingVantage Motion Lab
Motion Lab does not measure racquet-face angle, so it cannot see grip changes. On video, compare the face at contact across serves, volleys and slices. Erratic patterns betray incomplete or inaccurate transitions.
Frequently asked questions
How do I practise the move?
Hold the throat with your non-dominant hand and rotate repeatedly between your groundstroke position and continental while standing still. Once the motion is smooth, practice it before each volley in slow shadow swings.
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.
- Eastern GripThe 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.
- 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.
- Volley TechniqueVolley technique is the mechanics of striking the ball before it bounces. It uses a short, firm punch action rather than a full groundstroke swing.
- Flat ServeA flat serve is struck with minimal spin at maximum racquet-head speed. This produces the highest velocity and least margin for error of the three main serve types.
- SliceIn tennis, a slice is a backspin shot hit high-to-low through the ball, for a low, skidding bounce. A golf slice, by contrast, is a curving mishit.
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