There are many acceptable tennis backhand grips, and these can make a big difference in your technique and stroke production. Backhand is often a weaker stroke for many players, which is why the grip is so important.
A comfortable grip allows you to have more confidence in your backhand and can even make it a weapon in your tennis arsenal. There are many different tennis backhand grips, and some experts and professionals may want to convince you which is the best one. However, you should be the one to decide which grip is the most comfortable for you since every player is different.
Continental backhand grip
To get the backhand Continental grip, you should place your base knuckle on the upper right slant. Then wrap your thumb around the handle. This grip is great for flat and slice shots, but not so great for topspin. Many glass court specialists favor this grip, especially the serve-and-volley players who don’t hit as many groundstrokes and don’t change grips for all the shots.
Eastern backhand grip
With your knuckle on the right edge of the top plane and your thumb across the left side plane, you achieve the Eastern backhand grip. It’s a popular grip because it’s versatile and can handle slice, flat shots, and topspin. The two people who adopted the grip were Ken Rosewall who used it to win many titles back in the 1960s and 1970s, and Don Budge with the best backhand stroke ever.
Full Eastern backhand grip
This grip isn’t that different than the Eastern grip, but it gives you more topspin, slice, and flat shots. Place your base knuckle on the center of the top plane and have your thumb in a straight line across the left side plane.
Western backhand grip:
Place your base knuckle on the left ridge of the top plane and your thumb in a straight line across the left side plane. The grip is favorite among people who like hitting with heavy topspin all the time. It’s not that suitable for flat or slice shots. It’s a popular grip since Roger Federer uses it at times along with Justine Henin. Richard Gasquet also has a great backhand stroke with the Western backhand grip.
Backhand grips for the two-handed backhand stroke:
The Eastern backhand grip is the best forehand position for the left hand. More and more people now use the Western grip, so their left hands usually adopt a Semi-Western forehand grip. The right hand, however, usually uses a Continental grip, or an Eastern backhand or forehand grip, too.
The most popular combination is Continental for the right hand and Eastern for the left hand. Your backhand should be drilled just as much as the forehand side. If you’re not really confident in your backhand, you should practice until you are. Under-confidence usually means you didn’t practice enough, which is why you should pay attention to that. Choose the grip you’re most comfortable with and practice until you’re confident when it comes to playing a match.