The eastern forehand grip is the most “conservative” grip you can use to hit a forehand. With this grip you will find it easy to hit a flat, driving tennis shot.

To find the eastern forehand grip, rest the heel pad and index knuckle of your hitting hand on the third bevel of the tennis racket handle.

The semi-western grip is the most popular forehand grip on the professional tour. With this grip the player can hit both the tennis ball flat or with spin.

To find the semi-western grip forehand grip, rest the heel pad and index knuckle of your hitting hand on the forth bevel of the tennis racket handle.

The natural contact height for hitting the ball with a semi-western forehand grip is between the waist and the shoulder.  Using the Semi-Western grip allows the best of both worlds.  You should be able to hit a driving shot as well as shots with top spin.  The trade off is that you will not make as much top spin as with a western grip and your shots will not be as flat as with an eastern forehand grip.  

Most players on the professional tour hit with the semi-western forehand, including Serena Williams, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick.

The western grip is the most “extreme” grip you can use to hit a forehand. With this grip you will find it easy to hit with a lot of top spin.

To find the western forehand grip, rest the heel pad and index knuckle of your hitting hand on the fifth bevel of the tennis racket handle.

The natural contact height for hitting the ball with a western grip is about shoulder level.  This is the highest contact point of the forehand grips and it is quite hard to use the western forehand when the ball is very low.  With the western forehand grip you will be able to hit the ball with a ton of topspin but it will be much harder to drive the shots like the players who use the eastern forehand grip.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic use the western forehand grip when hitting a forehand.

Next - The Fundamentals of the Forehand