By Nick Bollettieri

I had the opportunity to ask a colleague who attended a junior tournament in South Florida about the predominant grips being used to hit a forehand. I knew from my experience at the Academy what was being used and what we were teaching. I did, however, attempt to get a cross-section of that question, as it pertains to junior tournament players from all over the country. Without hesitation he asserted that the dominant grip among juniors, especially 10 or under, was a full Western. Why is the dominant grip a full Western? Is it the best? Is it the easiest to play with? Is initial success what we teachers strive for or is it simply an oversight among our profession?

It has long been my intention to work with the student’s capabilities and then through countless repetition’s develop the stroke. I question, however, exactly how beneficial a full Western grip is for player’s development in today’s game.

Benefits: Harold Solomon, Eddie Ditts, Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas, during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970’s and ‘80s put the full Western grip to good use. Control, consistency and a high-spinning ball were the essence of their game plan. And it worked. Many opponents were driven from corner to corner in pursuit of their “moon ball.”

Negatives: Player’s today on both sides, men and women, are bigger and stronger and hit a very hard ball to each line. The technical advances in the construction of tennis racquets dictate pace, control and power. The full Western and excessive spin make it very difficult to get the depth necessary to keep the big hitters off the baseline.

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