Why do we need different grips when
we play tennis?
There are 2 primary reasons for being
able to have different grips available to us at any time
during a point.
Anatomically
correct grips allow us to align the racket face against the ball at
contact to help us "receive" incoming balls naturally rather than
having to "fight off" balls at contact.
Proper grips are
more "player friendly" and significantly reduce the potential for
short and long term injuries (tennis elbow, rotator cuff, wrist,
lower back, etc.).
Proper grips
allow players to perform swing shapes that produce natural racket
speed for power, spin, and placement control rather than having to
"muscle up" with their strokes.
Correct grips
allow us to play our shots naturally from any place on the court.
If you are limited to being able to use a limited set of grips, you
will forever be limited to playing from limited areas of the court.
Players who have
all of the grips available to them can challenge their opponents
from consistently superior court positioning (forcing your
opponent to feel they have to hit outright winners to be
competitive) rather than having to either outlast their opponents
(as pushers) or be forced to hit outright winners from difficult
court positions.
Proper grips
allow players to receive what might be considered "worst case"
from their opponents, shots that are hit with a combination of
speed, depth, and spin. This means you do not have to give
up superior court positioning to receive your opponents' best
shots.
Proper grips
allow us to transition from the baseline to the net in order to
play 1/2 volleys and other transitional shots from less than
optimal court positions (no-man's land).
Below is a list of the
grips in tennis, their associated strokes, and links to videos that
describe each grip and its benefits.
