In this lesson, we take a closer look at the continental and eastern versions of the punch. The two videos below provide in-studio examples. In both cases, as with the western forehand, the shoulder is used to produce the punching motion.

Continental	Eastern
Click on image to see video	Click on image to see video

Note the differences in the angle at the elbow between the two grips. As the grip is moved from western to eastern to continental, the elbow angle moves from 90 degrees to nearly 180 degrees. The result is that the utility of the elbow joint is removed from the stroke. Also, the torque about the shoulder joint becomes greater, and so it becomes harder to obtain a high burst of acceleration with which to deliver a punch to the ball. This is one reason that the western grip is so powerful. In order to offset this limitation, continental and eastern players can add more body rotation and leg motion to their strikes. This will not fully offset the power advantages of the western-based forehands, but it allows them to compete effectively against western players and to easily defeat western forehands that are not stable.

On the other hand, as the elbow joint is straightened out, the stroke is more stable and simple. Hence, the chance for unforced errors is diminished. Thus, while the eastern and continental grips cannot deliver as much power to the ball, they are more consistent and reliable.