Playing ping pong or table tennis isn't just about hitting the ball back to your opponent's side of the table. You have to remember that you will need to know about the different types of grips used to hold the paddle in order for you to know which one is the most effective and also which ones that you are comfortable with.
Basically, in ping pong or table tennis, there are two types of grips. The first is the shake hands grip and the other is the pen hold grip. Both grips have different variations and each variation have its advantages and disadvantages that you should know about.
If you are a beginner in the sport of ping pong, it is recommended that you use the pen hold or the shake hands grip. These two standard ping pong grips are easy to learn and you will get a lot of advice and tips on how to use the grip effectively with these paddle grips. The reason for this is that pen hold grip and shake hands grip are very popular among a lot of people. In fact, these grips are what most professional ping pong players use.
In the shake hands grip, you will handle the paddle as if you were shaking someone's hand, hence, the name shake hands grip. On the other hand, the pen hold grip is handled like a pen. Just make an "OK" sign then insert the handle of the paddle between the index finger and the thumb facing downwards.
You will also see that the shake hands grip will have a lot of variations. However, the two variations that are commonly used are the shake hand shallow grip and the shake hand deep grip.
In the pen hold grip, you will also see that there are variations for it. The common variations are the traditional Chinese grip, Japanese or Korean grip, and the reverse pen hold backhand grip.
Whatever grip you choose, it is important that you are comfortable with it. You have to remember that different people will have different opinions about the different grips.
Usually, if you live in western countries, you will see that the shake hands grip will be the more dominant kind of grip. It feels natural and it will be able to provide good attacking power on both backhand and forehand strikes.
However, if you want to be unpredictable and have more spin on your ball, the pen hold grip is the grip for you. Although it will require a lot of footwork and may feel awkward especially for non-Asian players, you will see that when you get used to the pen hold grip, you will be able to manipulate the ping pong ball quite effectively by putting unpredictable spins.
These are the available paddle grips for ping pong. Whatever you choose, you will see that each grip will have its advantages and disadvantages. Always remember that you should choose the grip that suits your needs on your playing strategy and also one that you are comfortable using.
