Continental, Eastern, or semi-western: use the bevel system to find the right grip for forehand, backhand, serve, and volley — and dodge early mistakes.
The architecture of a tennis stroke begins right at the contact point between you and the racket. The correct grip is a central element, because it directly affects direction, speed, power transfer, and spin.
Many beginners hold the racket without control, or use the same grip for every shot — this leads to early technique flaws and massively limits precision.
In DOMISPORTS Academy's teaching approach, technical consistency is built on a detailed understanding of grip mechanics and the kinematic chain. This guide walks you through the essential grip types so you build control and confidence with the right technique from day one.
In modern tennis, the racket handle isn't a simple lever — it's a precision instrument shaped like an eight-sided prism (an "octagon"). These eight edges (bevels) are the reference points for the position of your index finger's base knuckle and palm.
Picture the butt of the handle like a clock face: holding the racket upright, the flat top surface is bevel 1 (12 o'clock). For right-handers, it continues clockwise — the upper-right slanted edge is bevel 2 (1:30), the flat right side is bevel 3 (3 o'clock), and the lower-right slanted edge is bevel 4 (4:30). Shifting your hand across these edges dramatically changes the racket angle at the contact point.
For the Continental grip (the "hammer grip"), the base knuckle of your index finger sits exactly on bevel 2. You literally hold the racket as if you were using the hard edge of the frame to hammer a nail into a wall.
Historically it was used for almost every shot; today it's a highly specialized grip for the serve, volleys, defensive slice, and overheads. It puts the wrist in a strong, versatile position, but it's not ideal for giving a baseline forehand a lot of topspin.
For the Eastern grip, place the base knuckle of your index finger on the third bevel (3 o'clock). This more traditional grip is often used by legends like Roger Federer or Pete Sampras.
For beginners it offers an excellent compromise between power and control, and it's especially well suited to relatively flat, fast balls. The downside: it hits its limits with low balls or the extreme topspin of the modern baseline game.
Turning your hand further down so your index finger knuckle rests on bevel 4 (4:30) puts you in the semi-western grip. This is the absolute standard in modern pro tennis, favored by top players like Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray.
Here the palm sits more behind and slightly under the handle. This lets you brush aggressively from low to high through the ball on the forehand (the "windshield-wiper motion") — producing an optimal balance of power and topspin.
For the one-handed backhand, you classically use the "Eastern backhand grip": your index finger's base knuckle moves all the way onto the top edge (bevel 1, or slightly shifted to bevel 8).
For the ever more popular two-handed backhand, the dominant (lower) hand usually stays in the Continental grip (bevel 2), while the top hand holds an Eastern or semi-western forehand grip — this provides enormous stability and power.
A faulty grip combined with the wrong grip size (too thin or too thick), or permanent, extreme squeezing, can lead to serious overuse injuries in the long run. A chronically tense forearm is the leading cause of the dreaded "tennis elbow" (epicondylitis).
Hold the racket loosely and only increase grip tension for a split second at the moment of ball impact. If your forearm or wrist fatigues quickly, check your grip size and technique immediately.
World-class players use their free (non-dominant) hand heavily on the throat of the racket, to stabilize the frame and prepare for lightning-fast grip changes ("stalking the ball"). Get in the habit of loosely supporting the throat of the racket with your second hand in your ready position (split step).
This lets you rotate your dominant hand blindly from Continental to semi-western in a split second during your backswing.
The racket handle is shaped like an octagon with eight flat edges, called bevels. They act as fixed reference points: placing your index finger's base knuckle on a specific bevel determines the exact angle of your strings at the moment of contact.
The Continental grip on bevel 2, also called the "hammer grip." It puts your wrist in a versatile position that lets you play both forehand and backhand volleys without switching grips — at the net, there simply isn't time to switch.
The Eastern grip on bevel 3 suits flat, fast balls well but starts to struggle once you add heavy topspin. The semi-western grip on bevel 4 turns the hand further down and enables the powerful windshield-wiper motion — today's standard at the pro level.
Your lower, dominant hand usually stays in the Continental grip, while your top hand adds an Eastern or semi-western forehand grip on top. This combination gives the stroke enormous stability and power, especially on high or very fast balls at the baseline.
A grip that's too tight or wrong transfers impact forces straight into your forearm instead of cushioning them. Hold the racket loosely and only tense your hand for a split second at contact — that protects tendons and joints long term.