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January 13 2012

kingzucchini: Gripes About Tennis Grips? Not Here.I started playing tennis again. Since it’d been a while, around fifteen years, since my last lesson, I took a refresher course. Turns out, they have a new-fangled way of holding a tennis racquet these days. When I first learned how to swing a racket, the continental grip was all the rage. Think about it like this: a tennis racket handle is a rectangle with the corners taken off, so if you look at it from the bottom it looks like an octagon. If you hold the racket in front of you (so the frame is all you see, not the strings) the continental grip would the right bevel run right into the crook of your thumb. It’s like holding an axe. Well, I was told people no longer did that. Now, everyone learns the semi-western grip, which has the racket twisted 90 degrees in your hand. This makes it easier to hit topspin, to play back on the baseline and drive the ball over the net. At first I was annoyed. Then, I realized this is kind of awesome. This means that tennis is evolving. It’s a changing sport, with fads and techniques that work, but are far from finished. Which means it won’t become the checkers of racquet sports. And may mean that my great-great-great-great grandchildren will think it’s cool I played tennis, and not quaint.

kingzucchini:

Gripes About Tennis Grips? Not Here.

I started playing tennis again. Since it’d been a while, around fifteen years, since my last lesson, I took a refresher course. Turns out, they have a new-fangled way of holding a tennis racquet these days.

When I first learned how to swing a racket, the continental grip was all the rage. Think about it like this: a tennis racket handle is a rectangle with the corners taken off, so if you look at it from the bottom it looks like an octagon. If you hold the racket in front of you (so the frame is all you see, not the strings) the continental grip would the right bevel run right into the crook of your thumb. It’s like holding an axe.

Well, I was told people no longer did that. Now, everyone learns the semi-western grip, which has the racket twisted 90 degrees in your hand. This makes it easier to hit topspin, to play back on the baseline and drive the ball over the net.

At first I was annoyed. Then, I realized this is kind of awesome. This means that tennis is evolving. It’s a changing sport, with fads and techniques that work, but are far from finished. Which means it won’t become the checkers of racquet sports. And may mean that my great-great-great-great grandchildren will think it’s cool I played tennis, and not quaint.


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