Table Tennis Grip Styles

Perhaps the first and most important step in excelling at table tennis is finding the right grip. How one chooses to grip the table tennis racket will create the player's style and strengths and weaknesses. While there are numerous ways one can grip the Butterfly table tennis racket, they are essentially variations on two styles: the shakehand grip and the penhold grip.

The shakehand grip is perhaps the oldest and most common style. With this grip, the handle is placed across the palm similar to how one would grip a tennis racket. This grip is so common with table tennis players because it allows one to use either a forehand stroke or a backhand stroke with equal ease.

Another way to hold the table tennis paddle is the penhold grip. With a penhold table tennis racket, the handle is held between the thumb and forefinger with the fingers either splayed or curled on the back of the ping pong paddle. The popularity of this grip is derived from the relative ease with which a player can put topspin on the ping pong ball.

The first factor to consider when choosing a grip style is comfort. The Stiga ultra table tennis racket must feel natural and comfortable in one's hand. The next factor to consider is the style of table tennis one wishes to play. If one wishes to play with limited footwork, the shakehand grip allows both backhand and forehand strokes. Since the penhold table tennis racket almost exclusively employs the forehand stroke, a lot of footwork is required to get in position to strike the ball.