Special Olympics Table Tennis Coaching Guide Teaching Table Tennis Skills Racket Grips Proper control of the racket is an important building block for learning the strokes of table tennis. Control of the racket begins with a proper grip. There are two basic grips, the shakehand grip and the penhold grip. The shakehand grip is the most popular and is generally recommended for beginners. Athletes should be introduced to both grips and allowed to choose whichever feels the most comfortable to them. Teaching the Skills The Shakehand Grip Grip the top of the racket handle between your index finger and thumb. This forms the primary grip on the racket. Comfortably grip the racket handle with your remaining three fingers. When performing a forehand stroke, you should be able to feel the impact of the ball with your forefinger (index finger). For the backhand, the thumb will have most of the feel. When switching from forehand to backhand, there can be minimal movement of the grip. Using this grip, practice strokes and drills, which increase the ability to control the racket. The Penhold Grip Hold the racket handle just like a pen with the index finger and thumb holding the handle. The third finger rests sideways on the backside of the racket, with the remaining two fingers resting on the third finger. Relax the wrist for good range of motion. The penhold forehand stroke is very similar to the shakehand forehand stroke but is often considered to be slightly better because the penhold grip allows more freedom of motion with the wrist. This extra wrist motion can be converted into more spin and speed. An advantage of the penhold grip is the ease with which to switch from forehand to backhand during a rally. The touch for the penhold forehand is mainly in the third finger. For the backhand it is mainly from the thumb and third finger. Special Olympics Table Tennis Coaching Guide - February 2014 35