Physical Education

Penhold grip

Once a dominant grip in its heyday, the penhold grip still has its supporters, world class players included. The racket is gripped as one would grip a pen, with the thumb and index finger, with the rest of the fingers being tucked away on the other side. There are several variations to this grip, and two types of paddles to reflect this. The "chinese" paddles are basically shakehands paddles with a shortened handle. The remaining fingers rest against the other side. "Japanese" paddles have a raised handle, which is called a "hook." The index finger curls around the "hook" for extra leverage. Which one you use depends on personal preferences. Penhold paddles typically only have one side covered with a rubber sheet. This makes them lighter than most shakehands paddles. The other side must still comply with the paddles rule, so it is usually painted red or black, or covered with a sheet of colored paper.

Some of the advantages of using the penhold grip are:

• A dominant forehand game(while backhands are possible with this grip, the vast majority of penhold players rely on their forehand game)-quick feet are required to sustain this!
• Since it is not as widely used, an element of surprise against opponents unfamiliar with the grip