Table Tennis Tips
Holding the Racket
The two most popular ways to hold a racket is the Penhold
grip and the Shakehands grip. Although it’s mostly the
preference of an individual player, here are some the pros
and cons of each style.
The Penhold Grip:
- At the spot where the part you hit the ball with meets
with the handle, place your thumb and index finger together,
like your are holding a pen, around the handle so that
the two fingertips are just touching each other.
- Place your three other fingers on the other side of
the paddle, they can either be straightened out against
the paddle or curled up.
This grip is the best for forehand moves and worst for
backhand because of the awkward position, unless you are
super quick. The backhand will be difficult to use and the
player will be forced to use either front- or backhand for
all moves due to this weakness. Many players who use this
grip may use one side for serving and then switching to
the other side to use for play. Using this grip will make
it easy to serve and to return centre shots but it will
be hard to defend yourself properly and return passes that
are aimed at places where you might not reach in time.
The Shakehands Grip:
- Hold the racket, with the part you will be hitting
the ball with away from you, on the handle, as if you
were shaking another person’s hand.
- Make sure that the thumb and index finger are on opposite
sides of the racket, the index finger extended along the
handle and the middle finger along the paddle and the
rest of the fingers curled around the handle.
- Align the racket so that it is perpendicular to the
floor. It should look like a straight line when you straighten
out your arm.
Holding it this way is the most popular because it gives
the best grip on the racket which makes hitting the ball
the easiest. The thumb and index finger support the use
of the backhand or the forehand, respectively, by giving
it more stability when used. It is also great for playing
defensively and hitting corner shots. However, it is not
so great at middle shots and some other shots due to the
problem of the wrist being awkwardly placed.
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