How to hold a Ping Pong Paddle like Pro Player

Pingpong is another name for Table Tennis, a game played on a flat table, with a lightweight ping-pong ball and small paddles, also known as Pingpong paddles. Being a beginner player always makes you wonder about different ways and styles to deliver your gameplay and in ping pong, the way you hold your Ping Pong paddle changes your style quite alot.

Choosing the Correct Grip of your Ping Pong Paddle

Pingpong is a sport of speed and agility, for which it is important to train your body the right way. Due to its speed, the game requires some on-the-spot decisions, without putting much thought into your hand grip and body movements. Learning the wrong grip first and realizing mid-training that you need to change your grip style can cause your game to get worst, as you have to relearn all the body mechanics and retrain your body.

Different types of Ping Pong Paddle Grips

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) does not specify the grip style players should use, so the players have the freedom to choose any grip style that suits their gameplay best. Before learning about the grips, you need to know about the two main types of shots in table tennis, the Forehand shot and the Backhand shot.

Forehand and Backhand shot

A Forehand shot is when the player hits the ball with the natural movement of his arm, without turning your body. While executing this shot, a right-handed player will hit the ball from the right side and a left-handed player will hit the ball from the left side. A Backhand shot is when the player stretches his arm across his body to strike the ball. While executing this shot, the body of the player turns slightly. Different grip styles have different ways of playing forehand and backhand shots. 

The types of grips introduced so far are the Shakehand grip, the Penhold, V, Seemiller, and reverse Penhold.

Also read Table Tennis or Ping Pong Accessories

Shakehand Grip

Below mentioned are the steps you can follow to hold your paddle in Shakehand style

• Put the blade of the paddle between your thumb and index finger.
• Wrap your last three fingers on the handle, as these are the fingers you will be using to hold the paddle. Don’t squeeze the handle with your fingers, just apply enough force to hold the paddle, as if someone was to take the paddle out of your hand they would be able to do so. 
• Wrap your thumb around the handle of the paddle or rest it against the front face of the paddle.
• Put your index finger against the outside of the paddle. This gives you the idea of the paddle turning in your hand. 

Types of Shakehand grips

There are two types of Shakehand grips, depending on the position of the thumb

• Shallow Shakehand is the type when the grip is as mentioned above, and the thumb is lightly curled over the handle, providing good wrist movement. 
• The deep Shakehand is the type of grip when the thumb lightly lies on the rubber of the paddle, stabilizing the wrist and adding more power to your strikes, which is why it is recommended mostly to beginners.

Penhold Grip

This grip style is very popular among Asian Ping Pong Players. You can learn to hold your Pingpong paddle in Penhold grip style by following the below-mentioned instructions step by step.

• Let the handle rest between your index finger and thumb, just like you do so with a pen. 
• Now grip the handle with your index finger and thumb, forming a loop with them. 
• Let your other three fingers rest freely on the other side of the paddle, this gives a more free wrist movement. You can also straighten these fingers, which will add power to your strikes. 

Types of Penhold grip

The Penhold Grip types are differentiated among themselves based on the position of the last three fingers behind the paddle surface.

• In the Chinese Penhold Grip, the position of the thumb and index finger are the signature Penhold style, with all the remaining fingers laying on the back of the paddle. This grip helps the player to play in both attack and defense. 
• In the Japanese or Korean Penhold, the finger placement is the same as mentioned in the penhold style, with a little variation in the placement of the last three fingers.
• The straightened fingers provide strength to your strike, it can allow you to be more stable in the game. 

Reverse Penhold Grip

This grip style is a variation of the Penhold grip style. The paddle is held in the Chinese Penhold style and the backside of the paddle is used to strike, instead of the front side. This grip style compliments the gameplay of attack-minded players.

V Grip

Developed in China, the V grip is not commonly used among the players. It is named so, because the index finger and middle finger form a V between them, while the last two fingers are used to grip the paddle handle. You can place the thumb wherever you find comfortable. This type of grip requires a modified paddle blade, for the player to use it without any trouble. 

Seemiller Grip

Seemiller grip is quite similar to the shakehand, but it has the thumb and forefinger holding the side of the bat.

Conclusion

As a beginner, it is recommended by different professional players to start with a deep shakehand grip style, as it is the easiest to master and is very versatile. After getting familiar with this grip, experimenting with other grip styles will be alot easier for you. 

Trying different grips will be good for you in finding your style, and it will be worth it. While experimenting keep in mind that every person has a different grip and instead of focusing on making your grip perfect, focus more on your gameplay and finding a grip style that compliments your gameplay. 

Frequently Asked Questions