OK, its kind of crazy that the producers do not explain this in detail.
My original post is below for reference, but I now believe the correct way to grip the wiimote is this - the face of the wiimote (where the buttons are) should always be parallel to the ground while you are swinging, and your thumb should be on or near the "a" button.


It is quite an odd grip at first (at least to me it was), but when you get used to it you can have good ball control as well as access to the buttons when needed.



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From the time I spent so far with the game, for the WM+ to recognize your motions properly you need to really grip the wiimote on its side (so that your thumb rests on the right side of the remote (if you are a righty) as opposed to on the "a" button.
If you grip the wiimote like that, then M+ really does become very accurate and you can control your shots better, as opposed to the normal grip where it seems to have alot of trouble.

Here is the BIG problem though- when you hold it like this it becomes impossible to press the buttons. Button modifiers are necessary for lob shots, drop shots, and for directing your serve, and with the sideways grip it is just not practical to press the buttons during play.

This also means that those who do not use WM+ will have an advantage since they can use the normal grip hence press the buttons during play.

Can't you use your thumb you press the buttons? Which buttons do you need to use besides the D-pad?

this post is now outdated but I am leaving it for reference. see my first post above


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With the correct grip you can't use your thumb because it is placed on the side of the remote. You could try to move it mid play when you need to use the buttons, but that would likely affect you accuracy and your swing. The buttons you need are the "a" and "b" buttons as well as the directional pad for the serve.


On the plus side, once I started gripping the wiimote correctly I could control ball direction with accuracy that I have not experienced before in a video game.

But the button issue is going to be a big drawback.

I guess I can kind of see EA's dilemma - explain how to use the correct grip, and then be criticized for not being able to use the button modifiers, or not tell people how to use the wiimote properly and then get hit with reviews like Eurogamer which complain that you can't control the ball.

Okay, ty for your response. In an interview with a developer they claimed the game could be played without buttons, except for going to the net. I am surprised that this is not the case since it means he was lying on camera.

wii.Betz wrote:(so that your thumb rests on the right side of the remote (if you are a righty) as opposed to on the "a" button.

Do you mean the left side?

My thumb naturally rests on the right side of the controller if I'm looking down at it while it rests in my hand.

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cem_ea_id.AndreAgassi wrote:Okay, ty for your response. In an interview with a developer they claimed the game could be played without buttons, except for going to the net. I am surprised that this is not the case since it means he was lying on camera.

But that article says "Once you come to grips with the controls..." you can do drops and lobs without the buttons. I still wonder if it is actually possible, but that it just takes lots of practice...

I do hope that it would be possible, so far I haven't been able to pull it off.

I've just spend a bit playing the game and there's a loading screen that show the correct way to grip the wii controller. It sometimes appears after the game ends and I'm returning to the main menu.

It says the correct way to hold the controller is the same way you hold a TV controller. The left side of the controller is the racquet face for a right handed player.

Took some getting used to but I'm starting to have good control over my shots now.

Thanks for that t3nn1sm4n, I will try it out and modify my original post. Still think this is a crucial aspect of the game and should have been clearly explained and not relegated to a loading screen that one may or may not see.

cem_ea_id.t3nn1sm4n wrote:I've just spend a bit playing the game and there's a loading screen that show the correct way to grip the wii controller. It sometimes appears after the game ends and I'm returning to the main menu.

It says the correct way to hold the controller is the same way you hold a TV controller. The left side of the controller is the racquet face for a right handed player.

Took some getting used to but I'm starting to have good control over my shots now.

Which would make sense as to why the OP is having problems. This is how I hold the controller, however without being told, I would assume the racket face would be the controler face, ie the buttons.

So basically, you want to hold it like a TV remote with the buttons facing up, right?

Yes. Once you've got the right 'grip', you just swing it like you would a racquet. Your index finger should be comfortable on the trigger, and thumb on the (A) button.

I am a big fan of tennis, got the game an hour,
and have not win a game.
wi m+ does not work i think.
I hold my controller with buttons up.

This whole thread is completely bogus. The game instructions tells you how to hold the controller. If that doesn't work then there is something wrong with the hardware or the game.