Gripping the racket

There are three recommended ways to grip a table tennis racket:

The ‘Shake Hands’ Grip - The most popular grip, allowing a strong back hand and forehand swing, the shake hand grip is likened to shaking a hand at a 45 degree angle. The little finger, ring finger and middle fingers are wrapped around the handle of the racket with the index finger resting on the bottom edge of the rubber and the thumb resting on the top of the handle on the opposite side to the index finger. The hand should be relaxed enough to maintain control and tight enough to keep a grip during a powerful shot. The shake hand grip is conducive to any type of racket.

The ‘Pen Hold’ Grip - From its invention in 1903 until the late nineties, the pen hold grip was the most popular way of gripping the racket because it allows for an extremely strong forehand game. The racket is gripped with the index finger and thumb on one side, as if holding a pen, and the other fingers tucked away on the opposite side of the racket. The pen hold grip is most effective using a Chinese paddle, which has a shortened handle or a Japanese paddle which has a raised handle allowing the index finger to hook on to the racket.

The ‘Seemiller’ grip - Also called ‘the American Grip’ this is an unconventional way of gripping that was introduced to the game by U.S champion David Seemiller. The grip is similar to the ‘shake hands grip’ except the index finger is wrapped around the edge of the racket, rather than resting on the bottom of the rubber. The grip is suited to any kind of racket and allows forehand and backhand shots to be played with one side of the bat, allowing the player to make more surprise shots.

When using any of the grips mentioned above some general guidelines are recommended: