Table tennis has moved from its simple origins as a parlor game to a serious competitive sport. Played on a table that resembles a scaled-down tennis court, this fast-paced sport uses flat, rounded rackets with short handles to hit a very light celluloid ball back and forth over a low net across the center of the table. Two basic grips for holding a table tennis racket are the shakehand grip and the penhold grip. Some players use other grips, such as the V grip, although these grips are far less common than the first two.
Shakehand Grip
Step 1
Hold the blade in your less dominant hand and point the handle toward your playing hand.
Step 2
Wrap the thumb of your playing hand around one side of the handle and all four fingers around the other side. Grasp the handle of the racket with your playing hand as if you were shaking hands with someone.
Step 3
Place the index finger either on or along the bottom edge of the back of the racket blade for more stability and power.
Penhold Grip
Step 1
Hold the racket by the blade with your less dominant hand with the handle pointing upward and the flat of the blade facing you.
Step 2
Wrap the index finger and thumb of your playing hand around the handle of the racquet just above where it meets the blade. Place the ends of your thumb and index finger on the far side of the blade.
Step 3
Position the front of the blade against your middle finger. Use your other fingers to support the grip with the middle finger. When properly executed, this grip resembles the grip used to hold a pen or pencil.
V Grip
Step 1
Hold your hand open loosely with the index finger and the middle finger spread in a "V," similar to a peace sign.
Step 2
Place the bottom of the racket blade in between the index and middle fingers and grasp the blade with these two fingers. Wrap these fingers over the end of the handle where in meets the blade.
Step 3
Close your thumb and remaining two fingers around the handle of the racket to grip the handle to your palm.
Things You'll Need
- Table tennis racket
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