The forehand (the shot played on your right side if you are right-handed) is probably the most basic shot in tennis. During practice, most people use it to bring the ball into play. In matches this is done with a serve.

With about 8 different grip variations for the 5 basic shots in tennis alone, it can be quite confusing to find the right one for every shot. The system we're going to discuss here, uses only 3 basic grips.

Manufactured tennis racquet grip sizes range from less than 4" for juniors to 4 7/8" for the largest adult hands. This might not seem like much of a range, but the difference even 1/8" makes is surprising. Too large a grip can strain your hand, and prolonged use of too small a grip can injure your hand, wrist, and elbow.

Answer: Hold the racquet so that the lowest part of your hand is roughly flush with the bottom of the handle. Choking up on the handle defeats the intended balance of the racquet and causes the end of the handle to hit your wrist on serves. Trying to get a little more reach by having half of your hand off the handle leaves you with too little control of the racquet.

Answer: On groundstrokes and volleys, grip loosely between strokes, then tighter as you start your swing. If your hand and wrist are getting tired quickly, you're likely to be gripping too tightly between strokes. If your racquet is tilting unintendedly, you probably need to grip tighter as you swing.

On serves, you'll grip loosely through most of the swing, but part of the proper swinging motion is your fingers pulling the racquet into your palm as you strike up at the ball. This will naturally tighten your grip enough before impact to ensure that you hang onto the racquet and have directional control of your serve.