A paddle act like a weapon in a player’s hand. The success of a sport mostly depends on how correctly you hold the paddle and how you drive. The faster you dominate the skill, the faster you will be the master of this sport.
So, today I will talk about 6 types of grip in table tennis that will take you to the next level.
What is the Grip?
Basically, the grip is a kind of method of holding the paddles. There are various kinds of grips in table tennis that are innovated by different players at different times.
For now, Shakehadn grip and Penhold grip are the most popular grips in table tennis.
Why Grip is Important in Table Tennis?
I don’t think a table tennis player needs to be a master on every sort of grips. If you can be master on one. It would take you to the next level of your entire career.
But I think, we should have a basic knowledge of every kind of grip. Because, only you can understand the speed, the spin, and the act of a ball by watching the grip that you are facing.
If you want to know which grip your opponent going to play with, it is important to have an idea of each grip. The best thing about understanding every grip is; you can be pressure on how your opponent going to play. How he will serve, how he will attack, how his spin will be. As a result, your confidence will boost up in the ground.
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How Many Types of Grips are There in Table Tennis
Table Tennis has been played with different kinds of grip by different players since it was started. Some grips came and go soon and some are made a trademark. Basically, grips are come from depending on culture or origin. You may have noticed Chines players are using one grip and western player are different.
So, today we will look at these types of grip that used by popular players and made a trademark in the audience’s view and followed by so many players so far.
1. Shakehand Grip in table tennis
The Shakehand grip is also known as the western grip. Because most of the European and American players prefer the Shakehand grip. Some Asians also start liking this grip so far.
The Shakehand Grip! I think you can assume what it will look like by the name itself. It’s like shaking hands with a paddle.
So how you can hold the paddle with Shakehand grip is, put your index finger on the rubber of your backend paddle. Then hold the blade with the rest of your fingers including your thumb. It will make a V shape with your wrist and the paddle. There are two types of grip you can see in the Shakehand grip.
- Shallow Shakehand grip
- Deep Shakehand grip.
If you notice, you can find a little bit of difference between the shallow Shakehand grip and deep Shakehand grip. The difference is the placement of the thumb. Read more about them.
2. Penhold grip in table tennis
The Penhold grip is mostly used in Asia. It is the second most popular grip in table tennis.
So, how you can hold a paddle with the Penhold grip is, encircle the blade of the paddle with your thumb and index finger. Then you can weather curl or flat your other three fingers across the backend of the paddle. It will make your paddle face down as like holding a pen or pencil while writing.
There are also two types of Penhold grip.
- Chinese Penhold grip.
- Japanese Penhold grip.
3. V-grip in table tennis
The V-grip was an experimental grip in China. After that, some players started to play well with the V-grip. Now you cannot find any players in a tournament who plays with V-grip. You can hardly find Chinese local players too. The blade is different from a normal paddle’s blade.
So, how you can hold a paddle with V-grip is, just put your thumb on the forehead of the paddle then adjust your other fingers with stare shaped blade.
4. Seemiller grip in table tennis
The Seemiller grip was named after Dan See Miller. He was the winner of the national championship five times. Seemiller grip was very popular at this time.
So, how you can hold a paddle with a Seemiller grip is, put your index finger on the sideline of the backend paddle. Then wrap the blade with other fingers.
It’s like Shakehand grip. The Seemillar grip is dying out from the table tennis. I think there is not a top-listed player in table tennis who uses the Seemiller grip.
5. Pistol Grip
The pistol grip is not allowed to play such as tournament which is under IIFT. But people like to play with this paddle.
The blade of the paddle is like a back strap of a gun. There is also a hole like Trigger Gard. where you can weather put your index or middle finger. Then hold the blade with other fingers including the thumb.
6. Hammer Grip
The hammer grip is beginner level grip of the players. Every trained player used to hold a paddle with a hammer grip at the beginning. The style of hammer grip is, hold the blade with all of your fingers. Not a single finger runs onto the rubber.
The grip is not used by popular players.
FAQ
What is the name of the most common grip in table tennis?
Shakehand Grip is the most common and popular grip in table tennis.
Which is the better Penhold or Shakehand?
I would say Shakehand is a better grip than Penhold. The worst thing in Penhold grip is you can’t play backend with this.
Which grip gives the best possible forehead but the weakest backend?
Penhold grip is the possibly give you the best forehand but worst backend beyond imagination.
Final Verdict
If you leave the grip choice to me. I would always say the Shakehand grip. You can win a match by the grip that you are comfortable with. So work on different types of grip and choose the one which you are better at.