Inventor of the Power V Grip

That's me, Ed, at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island just outside Charleston, SC. No, I don't live there, maybe one day, it is a beautiful, fantastic area, especially if you love tennis, the ocean, marshes, history and great seafood. Photo taken in 2009.

A little about me.

Growing up I always enjoyed sports, football, baseball, basketball and track. No, I was not that good at any of them but I always enjoyed competing and trying. Heck, I only weighed 130 pounds as a senior in high school. Now, they have cheer leaders who could run over me.

I did not start playing tennis until I was a senior in college. I fell in love with the game and have played every since.

I could go into a long dialogue about where I have played tennis and the many wonderful people I have met along the way but the only one who would really care is probably me, so let's get to the invention, the most frequently asked question. How did you come up with the idea?

THE VISION, THE DREAM, THE GIFT

Whatever, I have never known quite what to call it but it all started in Atlanta, Georgia. I played on an ALTA team (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association). I would imagine they have over 100,000 members by now. Anyhow, I would play a teammate and close friend, Paul, twice a week. We always had good close matches and I would win about half the time but he seemed to be taking more then his fair share of matches.

One night after Paul beat me fairly easily it really bothered me. I took stock of my game. I realized I did not move my hand on the handle well. I was stuck with an Eastern Forehand grip because that was the only grip where the racquet felt natural and comfortable in my hand. Because my skill level was not that great with the Eastern Forehand I wanted a grip that I could generate good racquet head speed, power out on the ball, yet keep it in play. I knew I needed to master the Semi-Western grip if I was going to improve and be able to compete. I knew where to place my hand for the Semi-Western grip but it did not feel comfortable. The frame of reference was so weak I was not sure where my hand was. This frustrated me. I did not think I would ever be able to change.

This is where the vision, the dream, the gift comes in. That morning at around 3:00 A.M. I woke up, wide awake, which is very unusual because half the time I don’t even wake up when the alarm goes off. Something told me to tape a pencil on bevel 3 of my racquet handle. I found some tape, found a pencil and attached it. As soon as I grabbed the handle it slid right underneath the base of my thumb with the knuckle on the base of my index finger completely on the LARGE bevel 4, in the perfect Semi-Western position. It felt great. The handle had never been this secure in my hand. I took some practice swings. They felt good, but what about my backhand? As I moved my hand to the Continental grip my fingers slid over the asymmetrical ridge formed by attaching the pencil, the knuckle on the base of my index finger locked completely on to the LARGE bevel 2. I took a few practice swings, the racquet was so secure in my hand. I could not wait to hit on the wall.

I hit on the wall for about two hours. First, I tried the Semi-Western forehand and I started out hitting the ball into the net. I had the hand shake wrist orientation of the Eastern forehand and a fairly level swing path. I changed my wrist orientation to 45 degrees (Semi-Western grip), and modified my swing path. The motion was like throwing a baseball side arm up into the stands. I started pounding the ball into the wall with all kinds of topspin that I never had before. I was able to generate more racquet head speed and I knew I would still be able to draw the ball into the court. So what about my backhand? Well, it caused me to move my hand all the way over to what I call a strong Continental grip, which is where my hand should have been in the first placed. This closed the racquet face to some extent. I made some slight adjustments and I started hitting great backhands with all kinds of action.

Well, after two hours I had blisters, the pencil was rough, but I was so excited. I knew the vision, the dream, the gift, whatever it was, was going improve my game tremendously and it has.

And that is how it all began.

Thanks guys, I hope I have not bored you with all this.

Best regards,