The standard ping pong paddle grip, known as the handshake grip because you hold the handle in a manner similar to shaking hands, provides a great amount of power when hitting the ball and is the type of grip most beginning players use. As your skills increase, you can open your playing style to different grips. A popular alternative to the standard grip is the penhold grip, which sacrifices some power for greater control of the ping pong ball. Learn to use the penhold grip to help develop your ping pong skills.
Step 1
Hold the ping pong paddle by the blade with your non-dominant hand. Point the end of the handle toward your body.
Step 2
Wrap your index finger and thumb around the handle as if you were gripping a pen, according to TableTennisMaster. Grip the ping pong paddle where the blade and handle meet so that the pads of your index finger and thumb are resting on the blade of the paddle.
Step 3
Grip the back of the paddle with your remaining three fingers to secure the ping pong paddle in your hand.
Step 4
Strike the ball with the top of the blade pointing to the side, not up or down, and with the face of the blade pointing toward your opponent, according to TTNewGrip.
Step 5
Move the paddle across the front of your body, face the front of the blade toward your body and strike the ball with the back of the blade to perform a reverse penhold backhand, according to Masetenisi. Using the reverse penhold backhand is a better alternative to the traditional penhold backhand, which requires you hit the ball with the front part of the ping pong paddle blade. The traditional penhold backhand has less power and control.
Tips and Warnings
- Practice using the penhold grip and performing reverse penhold backhands. The feel of the paddle in your hand is much different from the traditional handshake grip. The penhold grip is not as powerful as the handshake grip but allows for better ball control and placement.
Things You'll Need
- Ping pong paddles
- Ping pong ball
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