Do you have to use a grip in table tennis

like is it legal to just hold the handle

Hi Kevin.

There is no rule around how you can hold the bat or even the shape of the bat so you can hold the handle whichever way you want.

However, the grips that we show you in the tutorial on the How To Hold a Table Tennis Bat show you the ways that most higher level players hold the bat which has come about after a lot of years of experimentation.

Having said that, feel free to experiment for yourself and see what works best for you.