Table Tennis - 35

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



Table Tennis

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Table Tennis

Welcome to Table Tennis
Hand-Eye Coordination Drills
Hand Ball Drill
Shakehand Grip
Bounce Ball with Racket
Forehand Drive
Hand Ball with Partner
Table Tennis - Cover1
Table Tennis - Cover2
Table Tennis - 1
Table Tennis - 2
Table Tennis - 3
Table Tennis - 4
Table Tennis - 5
Table Tennis - 6
Table Tennis - 7
Table Tennis - 8
Table Tennis - 9
Table Tennis - 10
Table Tennis - 11
Table Tennis - 12
Table Tennis - 13
Table Tennis - 14
Table Tennis - 15
Table Tennis - 16
Table Tennis - 17
Table Tennis - 18
Table Tennis - 19
Table Tennis - 20
Table Tennis - 21
Table Tennis - 22
Table Tennis - 23
Table Tennis - 24
Table Tennis - 25
Table Tennis - Welcome to Table Tennis
Table Tennis - 27
Table Tennis - 28
Table Tennis - 29
Table Tennis - 30
Table Tennis - 31
Table Tennis - 32
Table Tennis - Hand Ball Drill
Table Tennis - 34
Table Tennis - Shakehand Grip
Table Tennis - Bounce Ball with Racket
Table Tennis - 37
Table Tennis - 38
Table Tennis - Forehand Drive
Table Tennis - 40
Table Tennis - Hand Ball with Partner
Table Tennis - 42
Table Tennis - 43
Table Tennis - 44
Table Tennis - 45
Table Tennis - 46
Table Tennis - 47
Table Tennis - 48
Table Tennis - 49
Table Tennis - 50
Table Tennis - 51
Table Tennis - 52
Table Tennis - 53
Table Tennis - 54
Table Tennis - 55
Table Tennis - 56
Table Tennis - 57
Table Tennis - 58
Table Tennis - 59
Table Tennis - 60
Table Tennis - 61
Table Tennis - 62
Table Tennis - 63
Table Tennis - 64
Table Tennis - 65
Table Tennis - 66
Table Tennis - 67
Table Tennis - 68
Table Tennis - 69
Table Tennis - 70
Table Tennis - 71
Table Tennis - 72
Table Tennis - 73
Table Tennis - 74
Table Tennis - 75
Table Tennis - 76
Table Tennis - 77
Table Tennis - 78
Table Tennis - 79
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_russian
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_arabic
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_french
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_spanish
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_italian
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames_china
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/specialolympics/worldgames
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/shorttrackspeedskating/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/sailing/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/alpineskiing
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/aquatics
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/artisticgymnastics/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/athletics
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/badminton/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/basketball
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/bocce
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/bowling
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/cricket/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/crosscountryskiing/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/cycling
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/equestrian
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/eventdirectorsguide/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/figureskating
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/floorball/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/floorhockey
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/football
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/golf
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/handball/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/kayaking
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/matp
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/netball/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/openwaterswimming
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/openwaterswimming2014/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/powerlifting
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/rhythmicgymnastics
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/rollerskating
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/snowboarding
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/softball
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/snowshoeing
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/tabletennis/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/tennis
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/triathlon/
http://digitalguides.specialolympics.org/volleyball
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com