Eastern Forehand Grip
Hold the racket at the throat, on edge, perpendicular to the court. With the other hand, shake hands with the racket so that your palm fits against the back bevel of the handle. This is the Eastern forehand grip. Curl your fingers around the grip near its base. For a right-handed player who is holding the racket out to the right side, the wrist should be slightly to the right of the top, and the V formed by the thumb and index finger should be above but slightly toward the back part of the handle. A left-handed player should hold the racket so the wrist is slightly to the left of the top of the grip when looking down over the top.
The Eastern grip was once the most traditional way to hold the racket for a forehand, but it is no longer used by many of the top players. A problem occurs when teachers instruct their students to grip a racket the way elite players do, whether or not that grip is appropriate for less-than-elite players, because this is usually too much information for the students to absorb. A majority of teaching professionals stay with the Eastern forehand for beginners, but they allow their students to experiment with other grips as they become physically stronger and more advanced.
The advantages of the Eastern forehand are the natural position of the wrist, more reliance on the shoulder joint, less stress on the elbow and wrist, and an easier transition to net play. All are compelling arguments for using this grip. The disadvantages include not being able to hit with maximum power on some shots, not being able to hit topspin as effectively as with two other grips, and not being able to easily handle high-bouncing shots.