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TYPE OF
GRIPS
USED IN
TABLE
TENNIS
ERICA MAE D. RELEVO
BIT-CPT2101
 ACCORDING TO MERRIAM
WEBSTER, GRIP IS TO GRAB OR
HOLD(SOMETHING)TIGHTLY
GRI
WHAT IS

P
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AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

WHAT? WHY?
WHAT IS GRIP IN TABLE

The table tennis grip

The grip is akin to is important because
holding a regular it controls the angles
TENNIS?

tennis racket or of the

shaking someone's racket(paddle/bat).An
hand (hence the d the angle of the
name). You hold the paddle controls the
handle in the palm of ,the height of the ball,
your hand and let the the direction of the
bat head fit snugly ball, the speed of the
into a "V" shape ball, the depth of the
formed by your thumb ball,
and first finger. the type of the spin
and the amount of the
spin.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF TABLE Table tennis is a racket sport, which
means that a player’s main weapon at hand
is his paddle. Putting aside skills,
techniques, and footwork for the moment,
TENNIS GRIPS

one of the most initial and basic things a

player has to learn is how to actually wield
his weapon, i.e. the ping pong paddle or
table tennis racket. But before one learns
about angles and swinging, one of the most
foundational choices a player has to make,
or one that is made for him by his coach or
trainer, is how to hold the racket.

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 TYPES OF
SHAKEHAND
GRIP
PENHOLD GRIP
GRIPS
USED IN
V GRIP SEMILLER
TABLE
TENNIS
GRIP

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 SHAKEHAND GRIP
people who play ping pong are almost always shown to be holding it with their index fingers on the side of the paddle
directly facing the body, and the thumb resting on top of the other fingers which are encircled around the blade
handle.

SHAKEHAND GRIP SHAKEHAND GRIP SHAKEHAND GRIP

It is called a shakehand grip
because the blade rests on the V-
shape created by one’s thumb and
index finger, and save for the
other three fingers, this grip will
make it look like one is about to
shake hands with someone.
The index finger should lie roughly There are two variations of the
parallel with the edge of the shakehand grip, the shallow
rubber at the base of the flat
paddle area where one hits the shakehand grip and deep
ball. This type of grip is more shakehand grip
popular with Western players.
Virtually every European player
and a majority of Asian players use
this grip.

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7
 SHALLOW SHAKEHAND GRIP
The thumb rests or relaxes on the blade. For the deep shakehand grip, the thumb rests or relaxes on the rubber
ADVANTAGE
it allows for a quicker readjustment
of the paddle’s angle, since the grip
is loose. This grip will also give one
the freedom to move his wrist, and
this, in turn, grants the player
stronger power and spin when
attacking or brushing the ball. This
would be effective against short
balls that one’s opponent lobbies
over.
usually held by players who favor topspins,
loops, or loop drives, which is when a player
lobs the ball over the table by brushing the
side or the top of the ball to make the top
of the ball go in the same direction as the
ball is moving, while the bottom of the ball
moves in the opposite direction of the
motion of the ball. This type of grip is also
favored by players who like smashing,
driving, or hitting the ball, which is a stroke
that requires medium to fast speed and
little to no topspin.
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 DEEP SHAKEHAND GRIP
deep shakehand grip, the thumb rests or relaxes on the rubber
ADVANTAGE
The advantage of the deep
shakehand grip would be that it
prevents too much moving of the
paddle in the player’s hand, which
ensures a firm grasp. This grip does
not allow for wrist flexibility, which is
good for precisely-controlled
strokes that require less power. Both
shakehand grips allow for easier
movement on either forehand or
backhand strokes, since it is easy to
switch sides with this kind of grip.
Deep shakehand grips tend to be used by
players who favor backspin as a form of
attack. The defensive stroke of the players
require precise paddle control that only the
deep shakehand grip can provide, since it
doesn’t require wrist power or wrist
flexibility. The defensiveness of this grip
also lessens the chances of the player
having to attack balls from over the table,
which is why wrist flexibility is not an issue
for this grip.
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 DISADVANTAGE SHAKEHAND GRIP

The disadvantage, though, of either shallow or deep shakehand grips is that there
will always be a point of indecision that opponents can choose to attack. The point of
indecision is also called the crossover point or the playing elbow. Since one holds the
paddle in this grip as an extension of the arm, the paddle is positioned in front of the
player’s chest, either to the left or to the right depending on the player’s dominant hand,
and the elbow is jutted out, leaving a space between underarm and torso. This position
ensures that there is a point of indesicion directly in front of the player, since a ball that
comes up to the player will force him to decide whether he should sidestep to use his
forehand or backhand stroke to counter the ball, since neither forehand nor backhand
stroke can be performed optimally if the player does not move from his position.

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Ma Long, who is, as of November 2015, the
number one international table tennis men's player
from China, uses a shakehand grip.

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 PENHOLD GRIP
One grips the paddle handle the same way one would grip a pen when one is about to write, with the thumb and
index finger in front of the handle, and the remaining three fingers curled slightly around the back of the racket for
support.

PENHOLD GRIP PENHOLD GRIP PENHOLD GRIP

There are three main versions of
this type of grip, namely, the
traditional Chinese grip, the
Japanese or Korean grip, and the
reverse penhold backhand grip
There are other variations of
this grip, where one can hold
his thumb nearly parallel to
the blade while the index
finger is curved. There can be
varying gap lengths between
the thumb and the index
finger. The index finger can
slightly overlap with the
thumb.
The remaining fingers on
the back can, either all or
some, be touching the
blade. The position of the
remaining fingers on the
back can have varying
positions, from the
middle or the base of the
blade.

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 PENHOLD GRIP VERSION
One grips the paddle handle the same way one would grip a pen when one is about to write, with the thumb and
index finger in front of the handle, and the remaining three fingers curled slightly around the back of the racket for
support.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE JAPANESE/KOREAN REVERSE PENHOLD
PENHOLD GRIP PENHOLD GRIP BACKHAND GRIP

the traditional Chinese penhold
grip is that it allows free
movement of the wrist, much
more than shakehand grips do.
This allows excellent forehand
strokes and more power for all
types of serves, as well as
easier blocking and pushing on
the backhand side, wherein the
player can either choose to bend
his wrist and block it with the
forehand side of the blade, or
even push the ball with the
backhand
The index and thumb grasp the front of
the blade handle as if holding a pen, but
the remaining fingers are extended
straight out on the blade instead of
curled. The two variants of this are
whether the ring and pinky finger stick
close to the middle finger or whether they
are fanned out on the blade.
This type of grip adds to the power of
attacking on the forehand side, since the
extended fingers give support and power
to the holder. The grip is good with any
forehand strokes, and as the wrist is also
very free to move from either left to right
or right to left, spinning and serving can
be done with a stronger spin
The last variant of the penhold grip is the
reverse penhold backhand grip, where
the back of the penhold is used to hit
balls that come over to the backhand side
of the player. The fingers holding the
racket are similar to the traditional
Chinese grip. Players using this grip
commonly use inverted rubber on their
backhand, to produce efficient topspin
balls with significantly larger amounts of
sidespin, which also comes from the
natural movement of the arm and paddle.

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Penhold has proved a popular choice for
many Asian players in the past with the
likes of former Olympic champions Ma Lin
(China) and Ryu Seungmin (Korea
Republic) opting for the grip

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 V-GRIP

V-grip is when the blade is held between the index and

middle finger, spread apart at first to form a letter V. When
the blade is in place, the index and middle fingers curl down
the blade, gripping it, and the ring and pinky fingers are
wrapped around the handle of the paddle. The thumb can
be placed wherever it feels most comfortable for the player.

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 V GRIP
ADVANTAGE
The advantages of this grip, as
reported by Tom Veatch when he
went to China and first observed
this new grip unver development,
would be an extended reach, more
leverage, and more power and spin
in attacking. This grip also allows
wide-angled shots and more
control.
DISADVANTAGE
are that balls shot towards the player’s
elbow are difficult to return without fast
footwork, since backhand and forehand
strokes overlap and the area of
overlapping prove to be even smaller
than for the shakehand grip. And as with
all unproven grips, it is hard to find a
coach who is familiar with this grip
enough to teach it. This grip is mainly
experimental, and whether or not it will
prove to evolve into a majorly popular
grip in the future remains to be seen
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 SEEMILLER GRIP

Another minor grip is known as the Seemiller grip, made

popular by Dan Seemiller, an American player who won five
U.S. Men’s Singles Championships, became number one
qualifier for the U.S. World Team in 1972, and was once rank
19 on the international scale. It can be observed to be a
variation of the shakehand grip, but the tip of the forefinger
is placed near the edge of the paddle, or around the edge of
the paddle. There is a 90-degree turn so that both thumb
and index fingers are grasping either side of the paddle.
Most players using this grip will put either put long pimpled
rubber or anti rubber on the back, as the combination rubber
and occasional twiddling can confuse opponents with their
varied returns.

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 SEEMILLER GRIP
ADVANTAGE
Advantages of this grip would be free
wrist movement, allowing strong snaps
for forehand topspins, and good for
blocking on either forehand or backhand
sides. There is no crossover point or
point of indecision like for the V-grip or
the shakehand grip.
The grip is used by players who are
mainly attacking style players, who
attack with strong forehand topspins
and steady backhand returns. Players
who use this grip also prefer blocking
and countering from either side
DISADVANTAGE
disadvantages of this grip would be that
backhand side wrist movement is
hampered, limiting heavy topspin and
powerful returns for the player. Also,
ever since table tennis introduced the
two-color rule, which states that a player
must have either black or red on either
side of the blade, the strategy of
twiddling the blade with combination
rubbers is now less effective, since the
opponents can keep track of the rubbers
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Danny Seemiller is an American table
tennis coach and former professional
player. He was the United States Olympic
head coach and is the current head coach
of the South Bend Table Tennis Club. He
has an unorthodox playing style called the
Seemiller grip, which he is famous for
inventing in the 1970s.

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Table tennis is unique among racket sports, since it
supports a wide variety of different styles of players,
and before a player has a definitive style, there is first

CONCLUSIO
the matter of grip. One’s grip should never be tight,
merely firm, as to hold the paddle in place. This of
course ensures that the player’s grip on the paddle
remains constant throughout playing. Other than
this, there are no laws in table tennis that prescribe
how players should grip their paddles, and hence,
there are multiple variations on gripping styles. It
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would be ideal for a beginner to listen to the advice
of his or her coach on what style of grip to use, but
sometimes, it would be best to just find a grip one is
comfortable with. After all, table tennis is a very
individualized sport.
JE VOUS
REMERCI
E ERICA MAE D. RELEVO

BIT-CPT2101

20-16509@g.batstate-u.edu.ph

INDIVIDUAL AND DUAL SPORT