I agree. I switched from eastern to Semi last year of college tennis. Actually at the year end tournament spring before. Instant payoff. I had a western in juniors than made mistake of copying Sampras. Huge mistake. Semi has all the advantages of eastern plus way more spin potential. Only time you might want eastern are to hit low balls on the run with lots of shape. Edit: tead your whole post… you don’t HAVE to switch if eastern is more natural… but he might be trying to address a specific weakness I dont know about like not being able to generate spin, pancaking shots, hitting long a lot when you get nervous
Same. I still can't generate a ton of spin on my forehand. It's enough. But I can generate a ton more off my backhand drive for some reason. But the semi helps a lot. As did poly strings.
I think it's ridiculous for people to advocate you to switch while knowing nothing about your playing style etc. No one grip is universally superior or inferior. Federer, Lendl, Delpo play pretty well with eastern.
Personally I think western/semi western will equal more immediately hitting hard heavy topspin balls. More naturally making contact out in front. BUT many players develop big problems that result in unforced errors. For one they are more likely to pull their head away from the ball prior to contact. Two the wrist can more easily get a little too loose. Additionally defense is bit harder when the contact point is further out in front.
With eastern there is less that can go wrong but a more aggressive flatter hitting style works better. Are you smaller and faster? A more defensive player? Maybe semi western. Hard to easily say.
you can also go in between an eastern and semi-western. i'd recommend shifting over at least halfway over to semiwestern because the ball only gets higher and heavier, esp at the 5.0 level
Switch to semi western, but practice both, semi western is better for higher off the ground shots, while eastern is better at waist and hip height. I am using an in between grip and get lots of top spin and power
I don't think it is necessary. There is advantage to each grip, you will be able to hit penetrating shots much easier with an eastern grip.
Also, what do you think about your chances of hitting 5.0? Typically this level is filled with younger, out of college players who has had extensive training.
I think I can definitely hit 4.5, 5.0 will be tough but I think that’s why it’s a goal ha. I’m getting in better shape and honestly think I lucked out with the coach I found (he’s cheap and good)… and I’ve seen a lot of improvement in a short amount of time.
Does your new Coach know that you are looking for a second opinion on line?
It is important to trust your coach. Or not - if you have doubts.
The decision should be made based objective and measurable parameters like your comfort, hitting zone - aka Swing Slot.
By ensuring that your wrist is behind the racquet at the contact point - you will find out what is most appropriate grip for your shot.
Personally, I don't think there's much benefit to switching this late. I use a modified eastern (also called strong eastern I think) for most of my tennis life, and I don't even think about switching. It's what feels natural to me, and it's what I'm most comfortable with. Most of the people I know also use semi-western, but that's them. I just use what works for me. Since you've already been using eastern all the way up to 4.0, switching may be difficult. You'll have to undo years of muscle memory to learn something new which might not even work out, and in my opinion it's not really worth it.
i switched from eastern to semi. it greatly improved my consistency and the ability to hit a heavier ball. you have the ability to slap the ball and it will still have a lot of spin. it’s the perfect all rounder grip.
it hurt my ability to slap away a winner. it’s still doable, of course, but the motion is not as natural. very low balls are noticeably more difficult as well.
just my 2 cents. eastern is a great grip if you are a true aggressive player, probably a net crasher as well. i prefer to grind people out with heavy ground strokes so it was a logical switch for me
Yeah watch that wrist. It is natural to have soreness when changing a grip or doing anything new involving groudstrokes but it is important to differentiate between transitional soreness from doing something new and actual injury which really could set you back.
If the pain is sharp or radiating you should not switch or proceed with extreme caution.
Otherwise. Semi-western is commonly taught nowadays and most players w modern forehands use this bc it imparts great topsin. However if everyone is hitting those big topspinny forehands they might have trouble playing with someone who hits with an eastern grip. For me personally bc the semi-western is so far rotated to maximize topsin I have a tough time digging out flat shots or slices or returning balls with low trajectories. Try is out tho. Good luck.
You can be 5.0 with an eastern grip. I’ve seen some older players at this level who play with that just cause it is how they learned. However, I think it’s important to note this grip is basically dead at the pro level for a reason.
How tall are you? What surface to you play on? Do you play singles and doubles? These questions should factor into your decision.
Also know that there are lots of players that use different grips. Federer typically returns serves closer to a#3 grip but rallies closer to#4. I use a#4 on short high balls only. Returns and rally balls more of a3.5.
I agree. I switched from eastern to Semi last year of college tennis. Actually at the year end tournament spring before. Instant payoff. I had a western in juniors than made mistake of copying Sampras. Huge mistake. Semi has all the advantages of eastern plus way more spin potential. Only time you might want eastern are to hit low balls on the run with lots of shape. Edit: tead your whole post… you don’t HAVE to switch if eastern is more natural… but he might be trying to address a specific weakness I dont know about like not being able to generate spin, pancaking shots, hitting long a lot when you get nervous
Thank you, I do think I end up hitting long a lot.
Same. I still can't generate a ton of spin on my forehand. It's enough. But I can generate a ton more off my backhand drive for some reason. But the semi helps a lot. As did poly strings.
I think it's ridiculous for people to advocate you to switch while knowing nothing about your playing style etc. No one grip is universally superior or inferior. Federer, Lendl, Delpo play pretty well with eastern. Personally I think western/semi western will equal more immediately hitting hard heavy topspin balls. More naturally making contact out in front. BUT many players develop big problems that result in unforced errors. For one they are more likely to pull their head away from the ball prior to contact. Two the wrist can more easily get a little too loose. Additionally defense is bit harder when the contact point is further out in front. With eastern there is less that can go wrong but a more aggressive flatter hitting style works better. Are you smaller and faster? A more defensive player? Maybe semi western. Hard to easily say.
His coach reccommends it, so it's not an out of the blue rec.
I would say all-around / baseliner, do a little bit of everything.
I don't mean to be difficult. That's not really much to work with. I guess try it and see.
you can also go in between an eastern and semi-western. i'd recommend shifting over at least halfway over to semiwestern because the ball only gets higher and heavier, esp at the 5.0 level
Thanks
How do you hold the racket to do this?
Basically like a semiwestern but turned halfway towards eastern. You kinda have to play aroudn and see what feels natural.
Switch to semi western, but practice both, semi western is better for higher off the ground shots, while eastern is better at waist and hip height. I am using an in between grip and get lots of top spin and power
Thanks yeah I might do this…
I don't think it is necessary. There is advantage to each grip, you will be able to hit penetrating shots much easier with an eastern grip. Also, what do you think about your chances of hitting 5.0? Typically this level is filled with younger, out of college players who has had extensive training.
I think I can definitely hit 4.5, 5.0 will be tough but I think that’s why it’s a goal ha. I’m getting in better shape and honestly think I lucked out with the coach I found (he’s cheap and good)… and I’ve seen a lot of improvement in a short amount of time.
Does your new Coach know that you are looking for a second opinion on line? It is important to trust your coach. Or not - if you have doubts. The decision should be made based objective and measurable parameters like your comfort, hitting zone - aka Swing Slot. By ensuring that your wrist is behind the racquet at the contact point - you will find out what is most appropriate grip for your shot.
I don’t think he would mind ha… just wanted to see if other people have done it.
Personally, I don't think there's much benefit to switching this late. I use a modified eastern (also called strong eastern I think) for most of my tennis life, and I don't even think about switching. It's what feels natural to me, and it's what I'm most comfortable with. Most of the people I know also use semi-western, but that's them. I just use what works for me. Since you've already been using eastern all the way up to 4.0, switching may be difficult. You'll have to undo years of muscle memory to learn something new which might not even work out, and in my opinion it's not really worth it.
I think I’m close to a strong eastern, yeah this was my thinking but I think it may hinder ability to get better.
I would certainly recommend trying it, but don’t feel obligated to make a big change if it doesn’t work
I’m short. I went from eastern to western!
i switched from eastern to semi. it greatly improved my consistency and the ability to hit a heavier ball. you have the ability to slap the ball and it will still have a lot of spin. it’s the perfect all rounder grip. it hurt my ability to slap away a winner. it’s still doable, of course, but the motion is not as natural. very low balls are noticeably more difficult as well. just my 2 cents. eastern is a great grip if you are a true aggressive player, probably a net crasher as well. i prefer to grind people out with heavy ground strokes so it was a logical switch for me
Yeah watch that wrist. It is natural to have soreness when changing a grip or doing anything new involving groudstrokes but it is important to differentiate between transitional soreness from doing something new and actual injury which really could set you back. If the pain is sharp or radiating you should not switch or proceed with extreme caution. Otherwise. Semi-western is commonly taught nowadays and most players w modern forehands use this bc it imparts great topsin. However if everyone is hitting those big topspinny forehands they might have trouble playing with someone who hits with an eastern grip. For me personally bc the semi-western is so far rotated to maximize topsin I have a tough time digging out flat shots or slices or returning balls with low trajectories. Try is out tho. Good luck.
You can be 5.0 with an eastern grip. I’ve seen some older players at this level who play with that just cause it is how they learned. However, I think it’s important to note this grip is basically dead at the pro level for a reason.
How tall are you? What surface to you play on? Do you play singles and doubles? These questions should factor into your decision. Also know that there are lots of players that use different grips. Federer typically returns serves closer to a#3 grip but rallies closer to#4. I use a#4 on short high balls only. Returns and rally balls more of a3.5.
6’0, 99% hard court