Table Tennis Penhold Grip – 3 Master Types Of Grips Are Used In 2023
The term “penhold ping pong player” often refers to someone who plays very well with the forehand.
This means that they play well offensively and not defensively.
There is no truth in this statement.
Two of the most common grips in ping pong are penhold and shakehand.
Despite the differences between them, in general, each has its advantages and disadvantages.
It appears, however, that Asian players are the only ones who use penhold gripping.
The western players are seldom seen using penhold gripping.
World ping pong championships have been won by many penhold players.
Because of this, I expect Asian players to continue to use the penhold grip in the future.
Let’s look at penhold grip further!

Penhold Grip
There are many grips used in Table Tennis, but the penhold grip is the most popular.

The shake handgrips come in two varieties, but Penhold come in three.
These grips are the Japanese or Korean grip, Chinese grip, and reversed backhand grip.
The index finger and thumb at the front of the handle and three fingers folded behind the head of the racket are used to form the penhold.
It is similar to using a pen to write.
1. Chinese table tennis Penhold Grip
Asian players commonly use this grip.
The Chinese penhold grip entails Holding The Racket with the blade facing down.
This grip has the benefit of keeping you close to the table.

Compared to shakehand grips, this grip has the positive aspect of making your wrist more flexible.
When your wrist is flexible, you can spin the ball massively, whether you’re attacking or serving.
Furthermore, you are free to bend your wrist for both Forehand And Backhand Smash, making it easier to block and push the ball on the backhand side.
It also eliminates the main disadvantage of the shakehand’s grip, the crossover point.
It will be hard to perform backhand topspins with this grip consistently.
This will exhaust your stamina quickly, decreasing your ability to perform high-quality strokes throughout the game.
2. Japanese And Korean Table Tennis Penhold Grip
The finger placement on the back of the bat differs between the Korean grip and the Chinese grip.
With this grip, forehand strokes will be more powerful because the fingers behind the bat will be straightened.
Unlike the Chinese grip, players do not need to stand close to the table to attack a ball.
Because the fingers are straight, the blade cannot move freely.
Consequently, reaching the ball becomes challenging when adjusting the racket at different angles.
A beginner may have difficulty mastering this technique.
3. Reverse Penhold Backhand Grip (RPG)

With this grip if the ball comes over to your backhand side, you hit it with the back of the bat.
However, the fingers still need to be arranged, just like when using the traditional Chinese grip.
Those who love playing heavy topspin on both sides and are attack-minded tend to prefer this grip.
Using it, players can create powerful backhand topspin strokes with far-reaching power.
With their backhand grip, they can attack short balls with their wrists being flexible.
A drawback to the Reverse Penhold Backhand grip is that it is prone to making a series of indecisive actions.
This grip could make it difficult for players on the backhand side to produce topspins that are not accompanied by some sidespin.
FAQ’s
1. Which Types Of Players Use A Penhold Grip?
Pennhold grip is usually adopted by players who like to stay close to the table, use their backhand to push and block and use their forehand to drive or topspin loop.
Due to its popularity in China, this grip is referred to as a Chinese grip.
Due to the lack of reach on the backhand side, this grip has only been used by a very small number of world-class players.
2. Which Is The Best Ping-Pong Grips For An Attacking Game?
A table tennis player who attacks needs to be extremely flexible and move well with their wrists.
Ping Pong Players who play attacking game typically use three different grips.
These grips are Seemiller, Penhold, and the Deep Shakehand Grips.
Liu Guoliang played in a traditional penholder style using a Chinese penholder bat (pimple-out rubber).
Penholders often call him the best.
As well as playing with a Chinese bat, he occasionally plays with a reserve bat but usually plays with the traditional penhold backhand.
3. Why Is Grip Important In Table Tennis?
It is crucial for table tennis players to grip the paddle correctly.
A poor grip may prevent you from directing your paddle correctly.
Consequently, different grips assist in generating speed, accuracy, and spin during the game.
Conclusions
Players of penhold can play very differently from one another.
It curls the middle, ring, and fourth fingers backward to create the Chinese penhold style.
A different style of holding a racket involves splaying the three fingers across the back of the racket, sometimes called the Japanese penhold.
Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean players tend to favor the Penhold style.
During play, penhold players typically only use one side of the racket.
Players usually do not use the side in contact with their last three fingers.
A penholder in China, however, uses both sides of the racket.
Reverse penhold backhand (RPB) is the name given to this type of backhand.
we also wrote an article where we explain all the Types Of Table Tennis Grip
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Hey, My Name is Timothy Wang. I’m the U.S. National Table Tennis champion of 2010, 2012, and 2013 and playing the game since the age of 12. The purpose of this blog is to share my experience, tips, and tricks with others so they can master and enjoy this game like I’m doing for years.