Traditional Chinese Penhold Grip in Pingpong

As the name implies, the Chinese penhold grip on a pingpng racket is similar to the way you hold a pen for writing. The thumb and index finger hold onto the racket handle, while the other three fingers curl around the back of the racket.

The photograph shows the way that the thumb and forefinger are held and one version of the way the three remaining fingers may be arranged. There are many minor differences in the way players place their fingers for this grip, although it is still considered the traditional Chinese penhold.

Variations

Minor variations include:

• Holding the thumb nearly parallel with the blade while curving the index finger.
• Leaving various gaps between the thumb and index finger.
• Slightly overlapping the thumb with the index finger.
• Touching the blade with one, two, or three of the remaining fingers.
• Varying the position of the remaining fingers on the back of the blade, ranging from the middle of the blade to along the base of the blade.

Advantage

An advantage is that the player does not have a crossover point where he must decide which side of the bat to use, since the same side is used to play all strokes.

Disadvantage

Fewer than a handful of world-class defenders have used this grip because of the lack of reach on the backhand side.