Three Types of Basic Table Tennis Grips: For Beginners

Layla Sun (Translated by Kyra Tsen)

The table tennis grip, or the way to hold a table tennis racket, varies from person to person. For beginners, it is recommended to first master the basic grip principles, as this will enable you to learn table tennis techniques at an early stage. This is important as a major obstacle for beginners is the desire to “hit the ball” or “win points”, which unconsciously changes the way you hold the racket. This tendency makes it more difficult to control the ball and may also hinder how quickly and effectively you learn! Later in your development, you can fine tune your technique according to your preferred way of exerting force.

These suggestions are based on personal observation from nearly 20 years of player experience and more than 10 years of coaching experience. We hope it helps ~😃~

Following we introduce three commonly used table tennis grips— shakehand grip, penhold grip, and reverse penhold backhand grip.

1. The Shakehand Grip

The shakehand grip as the name suggests is very similar to the posture used when shaking hands.

a. middle: Open your hands. Fit the edge of the blade with the area between your thumb and index finger (the purlicue) in the "V" shape of the hand. Squeeze the racket, as shown in Figure 2, to naturally grip the racket handle.

b. forehand side: Place your thumb on the edge of the handle. This place on the handle to fix the position of your thumb and prevent the racket from moving easily, as shown in Figure 1. Then, naturally wrap your middle, ring, and little fingers around the handle.

c. backhand side: Place your index finger flat on the backhand rubber near the bottom, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure [1-3]: Shakehand Grip, [Forehand Side, Middle, Backhand Side]

For players using the shakehand grip, there are three different types of handles— Flared (FL), Straight (ST) and Anatomic (AN) handles, as shown in the figure below. You can choose whichever one you prefer. We recommend that players with small hands or sweaty hands “do not” choose an ST handle, as it is relatively difficult to firmly hold the racket. It may slip out of your hand or affect how effectively you exert force. The shape of an AN handles enables the player to clearly feel the handle in the palm of the hand. Preferably the handle should feel as if it fits perfectly within the contour of the palm. Most players prefer FL handles.

Three Handle Styles of Shakehand Grip: Flared (FL), Straight (ST) and Anatomic (AN) Handle

Sample Shakehand Grip

Click on the image below to link the instructional video of a Chinese national player.

Source: https://youtu.be/9urJC8-3hoA

Q: Loose or Tight Grip?

The previous video identified the issue of “grip tightness”. We recommend that beginners start with a tight (firm) grip— that is, apply more force when holding the racket and try to grasp it as firm as possible (as long as your hand does not cramp).

Inexperienced players tend to hold the racket loosely. However, if you are not proficient in table tennis techniques, it is actually difficult to make the required adjustments immediately at the moment you hit the ball. A tight grip allows your hand and fingers to clearly feel the impact when hitting the ball, and provides you with a clearer understanding regarding adjustments you need to make to improve your shot. Similarly, when you have accumulated sufficient technical practice and experience, you can exert different levels of force on the racket and develop your own method to balance the pros and cons of loose versus tight grips to improve both your power and flexibility when striking the ball.

2. The Penhold Grip

As the name implies, this grip is similar to holding a pen for writing. Traditional Chinese penhold grip involves using only one side of the racket for both backhand and forehand strokes. There are many minor differences in the way players place their fingers for this grip. The following shows one way to hold the penhold grip.

a. front side: Similar to holding a pen, the thumb and index finger curl around the handle and rest on the rubber, as shown in Figure 1.

b. back side: The remaining three fingers are extended along the back of the racket. The middle finger and ring finger touch the blade, and the little finger gently follows these two fingers, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure [1-2]: Penhold Grip, [Front Side, Back Side]

Sample Penhold Grip

Click on the image below to link the instructional video of the Korean player Ryu Seung.

Source: https://youtu.be/4hQPg0ybaWc

3. The Reverse Penhold Backhand (RPB) Grip

For the reverse penhold backhand grip, the back of the penhold racket is used to hit the backhand. Generally, the fingers are held in a similar fashion to the traditional Chinese penhold grip.

a. front side: The thumb and index finger curl around the handle and rest on the rubber. The thumb should press a little bit harder, as shown in Figure 1.

b. back side: The remaining three fingers are extended along the back of the racket. The middle finger and ring finger are placed flat on the rubber, allowing the position of the blade to be fixed and the force to be more concentrated, and the little finger just gently follows the two fingers, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure [1-2]: Reverse Penhold Backhand Grip, [Front Side, Back Side]

Sample Reverse Penhold Backhand Grip

Click on the image below to link the instructional video of the Chinese player Wang Hao.

Source: https://youtu.be/55iS3in48q4