Strange grip mixture of shakehand & penhold
Table Tennis Strokes and Technique
Last updated 11 years ago
Rahul Kumar Asked 11 years ago
Hi coach.
Almost a week ago, I changed my grip from shakehands because the ball always touched my index finger which i kept straight on the rubber. I know the correct way is to place the finger perpendicular to the handle, but I tried it and was uncomfortable using that grip. So now I'm using a different type of grip....see in the pictures here
Forehand - http://s7.postimage.org/dngrqj6ff/forehand.jpg
Backhand - http://s16.postimage.org/ioulbgz6t/backhand.jpg
Side view - http://s10.postimage.org/kpt654u5l/view_from_side.jpg
By seeing at thumb and index finger position its a shakehand grip! and by other 3 fingers its a penhold grip!
I don't have any problems using it and can use my backhand more effectively than before. But as its a very unusual grip, I was getting worried about increasing my level. Would you recommend using it, or changing it to shakehand?
Apart from this, I have another question...nowadays when I do the topspin (forehand and backhand both) I feel like the rubber has lost its property now. Earlier I used to do effective spins but now it can't do any spin effectively. I tried rubbing my finger over it and found out that it was slippery. Has the life of rubber ended so quickly? Its just a couple of months old, I bought it in June or July this year. Its STIGA EVO which came with pre assembled bat.
Regards, Rahul
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Rahul,
This is an interesting grip. The problem I would see with this grip is that you are losing control of the racket because you don't have it in contact with the palm of your hand.
It does sound like you rubber is dead. You may need to replace the bat. If those sorts of bats are exposed to sun or heat the rubber will die quickly.
Thoughts on this question
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.
Kevin Z Posted 11 years ago
It also looks a bit like a grip used for serving
Julio Torres Posted 11 years ago
That is a serve grip!
Rahul Kumar Posted 11 years ago
Well yeah....at first I started using it for serves...but later I changed it thinking that it was penhold grip because I holded my pen in the same way lol.....I didnt know about the penhold grip and assumed that this was the penhold hehe.....so I continued playing with it (and improving too). Now when I came to know what penhold grip is, I started worrying about my grip. Yeah you can laugh at me but at first I thought that if its the grip that top players use then why not give it a try? So I started playing using this grip and now can play better than before.......So should I continue playing in this grip or not?? Thats my question which you havnt answered!!! ALOIS!!!!!!!!! arghhhhhhhh!!
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
I would try to change to the normal grip because you will have limitations with the grip you are using now. It will not allow you to reach the highest level you possibly can.
Rahul Kumar Posted 11 years ago
ok thanks I will keep trying. But I do have problems with bat angle as I have now played with a different type of angle with my current grip....and the shakehand angle is slightly different. I feel awkward playing with the shakehand grip now especially with the backhand. What would you suggest for correcting this?? just some practice with shakehand?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
Hi Rahul,
Yes you just have to hit lots of balls now focusing on using the correct grip.
MAAZ ASAD Posted 11 years ago
I also hold the racket like the same you hold it .