Actually, there are three major variations of the Semi-Western Grip--Mild, Moderate, and Extreme--and it is only the Moderate and the Extreme versions that are problematic and should be avoided by all beginning and intermediate players.

What exactly is a Semi-Western grip?  If you assume an Eastern Forehand Grip, whereby you have brought your right palm down the strings and pretend to shake hands with the handle, the base of your index knuckle and the heel of your palm are on the flat right side panel.   In all the Semi-Western Grips the base of the index knuckle occupies the next lower panel on the handle.  If the heel of the palm remains on the flat side panel,  the grip is called a Mild Semi-Western Grip.  If the heel of the palm shifts to a position somewhere between the flat side panel and the next lower panel, the grip is called a Moderate Semi-Western.  And if the heel of the palm joins the index knuckle and is placed on the lower panel, the grip is called an Extreme Semi-Western Grip.   These are shown in the photos below.

Mild Semi-Western	Moderate Semi-Western	Extreme Semi-Western

Most players modify their Eastern Forehand Grip somewhat to get more of their hand behind the handle.  It just feels more comfortable and they can get more leverage on their shots, particularly if they are trying to put a little topspin on the ball.  In VJTTA we don't discourage this modication from an Eastern Forehand to a Mild Semi-Western Grip, but we strongly advise against any further modification toward the Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western Grips.

The problem is not the Semi-Western grip per se. On groundstrokes and for certain types of balls, the Semi-Western grip works well. The real problem is that once this grip is adopted further modification almost inevitably occurs.  Because it is easier to hit topspin with a Semi-Western Grip, juniors tend to modify the grip toward an Extreme Western.  They mistakenly believe that if a Mild Semi-Western leads to good topspin, then a Moderate or an Extreme Semi-Westerm will give them even more topspin.  They don't understand that shifts in the grip structure like this require corresponding changes in the swing path and in where the ball is contacted. 

Once the player has adopted the Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western for her forehand, changes to other grips for different shots feel very awkward and uncomfortable, and are soon abandoned.   Their Semi-Western becomes a universal grip, much like the Continental Grip used to be.

Users of the Semi-Western grip usually have weak mid-court and net games. They can't get down to low balls in the near court, and nearly every shot has to be hit hard with severe topspin. 

Volleys suffer the most.  While high balls can be taken with a swinging volley, balls below waist level are difficult if not impossible to volley with the Semi-Western grip.  Further, the Semi-Western allows no sense of feel or touch on the volley. All volleys become slams. 

The negative effect of the Semi-Western grip is even seen in the service game. The change from a Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western grip to a Continental or Eastern Backhand Grip  (the 2 major service grips) is so pronounced that players using Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western grips never feel comfortable with the service grips and often do not use them.  Instead they serve with their Semi-Western grip or a slight modification toward the Eastern Forehand Grip, which forces them (as right-handers) to hit on the left side of the ball in order to put spin on their serves.

Most top 50 players hit with a Semi-Western grip, and the majority of them use Mild or Moderate Semi-Westerns; only a few hit with an Extreme Semi-Western grip.  And being pros, most are easily able to change or modify their grips for the different strokes--groundstrokes, volleys, overheads, serves.   Juniors adopting the Semi-Western Grips are not so adept.

Robert Lansdorf, who has taught Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Tracy Austin, and others, cautions against teaching the Semi-Western grip to juniors, calling this "the disaster of teaching methods in American junior tennis". 

While I am reluctant to say it, I fear that the main reason the Moderate and Extreme Semi-Western Grips are allowed to take hold is that our teaching pros are a little lazy. It is easier to allow the young junior to adopt these Semi-Western Grips than it is to continually correct the grip to a modified Eastern or mild Semi-Western Grip.  The student remains on the baseline and all balls are hit with topspin. Period. Within a relatively short time the student will be able to hit decently from the baseline and will be able to handle high bouncing balls, shots that initially cause problems for a junior using an eastern forehand. The student looks good and so does the instructor. Nevermind that the student can't volley, can't hit an approach shot off a low bouncing ball, and probably has a weak serve and overhead.

Further, instructors seeing a new student with a Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western grip just assume that someone else taught the kid or that the kid has that grip and it can't be changed. Visit any group lesson or tennis camp. All the kids are trying to crush the ball with topspin, though few truly understand how to produce it correctly. Most are using or trying to get a Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western grip in order to hit with more topspin; notwithstanding that less than 1 shot in 10 clears the net and lands in the court. The kids don't care. The one that lands in feels good and looks good. They'll stick with it, and usually move from what started as a Modified Eastern or Mild Semi-Western to an Extreme Semi-Western. 

I have seen many decent beginning and intermediate players return from camp with an Extreme Semi-Western Grip. Usually their game goes south from there. Where were the instructors and teaching professionals to correct these kids and instruct them in the proper use and development of grips?

If you have a child that is beginning tennis and you see that she is starting to use a Moderate or Extreme Semi-Western grip, tell her instructor or teaching pro to change it immediately. If the teacher can't or won't change it, get one who will. Don't trade short-term success for long-term limitations. Tennis is a game for life. It should be learned correctly from the start, and most basically with the correct grips. The Moderate and Extreme Semi-Western Grips are an albatross for the beginning and intermediate player and should be avoided. 

Addendum:  I wrote this article over a year ago.  Recently I was reading an article on TennisPlayer.net by Rick Macci, who has worked with the Williams sisters, Roddick, and countless other top tennis pros.  Here is what he has to say about Extreme Western Grips and how it ruined young players' tennis future:

"When you look back, it's easy to see what happened. Players let the grip slide under the handle all the way to an extreme western grip, and no one stopped them. They got tremendous spin on the ball, and it seemed obvious that what they were doing was working, because they were winning. How could anyone argue with that? But eventually the limitations of this style are exposed.

I just feel that it crushes a lot of kids in this country, the way they hold the racquet. I'm not against a western grip per se. .....(b)ut for a lot of players, a grip like that is going to be a disaster in the long run because they are going to play the ball later and will only be able to win playing defense. For those players it's better to change."  Rick Macci, Developing World Class Players. TennisPlayer.net. November 2006 issue.

If you would like to see a video of a young kid using what is approaching an extreme Western Grip, click here. 

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