Quick answer: There are two main grip styles used worldwide — shakehand (holding the racket like you’re shaking someone’s hand, used by the majority of players internationally) and penhold (holding the handle like a pen, common in East Asian playing styles). For almost every beginner in Pakistan, shakehand is the easier grip to learn on, because it naturally supports both forehand and backhand strokes without switching your grip mid-rally. This guide breaks down how to hold both correctly, plus a lesser-known variant, the seemiller grip.
Why Your Grip Matters More Than Beginners Expect
Your grip is the foundation everything else is built on. A weak or inconsistent grip means:
- Your shots feel wobbly or unpredictable even when your swing is fine.
- You lose power because your wrist can’t transfer force properly into the ball.
- Switching between forehand and backhand feels clumsy and slow.
The good news: grip is 100% learnable in a single practice session, and it doesn’t depend on an expensive racket. Even our most beginner-friendly setup, the Drop Serve bundle (Loki Kirin 1 blade with Rxtone 5 MAX rubber), is more than capable of every grip style below — the blade doesn’t need to be advanced for you to learn correct technique on it.
1. The Shakehand Grip (Recommended for Beginners)
This is the most widely taught grip globally and the one we recommend starting with.
How to hold it:
- Hold the racket handle as if you’re about to shake hands with someone.
- Your palm wraps around one side of the handle, your fingers curl around the other.
- Your index finger rests along the bottom edge of the rubber on the backhand side, for stability.
- Your thumb rests lightly against the rubber on the forehand side — not gripping tightly, just resting.
- Keep your grip relaxed, not clenched. A tight grip kills wrist snap and racket speed.
Why it works for beginners: Both racket faces (forehand and backhand) are already positioned to hit the ball — you don’t need to rotate your hand to switch between forehand and backhand shots, which makes rallies far more fluid while you’re still learning footwork and timing.
2. The Penhold Grip
Common among many East Asian players, this grip holds the racket similarly to how you’d hold a pen.
How to hold it:
- Grip the handle between your thumb and index finger, as if holding a pen.
- Your remaining three fingers curl on the back of the blade for support (in the “Chinese” penhold style) or spread out (in the “Japanese/Korean” penhold style).
- Only one face of the racket is typically used for forehand and backhand shots (in traditional penhold), though many modern penhold players use both sides with reverse-penhold backhand technique.
Why beginners in Pakistan usually skip this: It’s a legitimate, powerful grip used by many elite players, but it takes longer to develop a strong backhand with it unless you’re training with a coach who specializes in it. If you’re self-teaching or learning casually, shakehand is the more forgiving starting point.
3. The Seemiller Grip (Less Common)
A variation of the shakehand grip where the racket is rotated so both index finger and thumb sit along the same edge of the blade, with one face angled slightly forward.
Why it exists: It allows quick face-flipping between two different rubber types (for example, pairing an offensive rubber with a defensive “anti-spin” rubber) without changing grip. It’s a specialized, advanced-level grip — not something we’d recommend starting with.
Common Grip Mistakes We See From Beginners
| Mistake | Why It Hurts Your Game | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Gripping too tightly | Kills wrist snap, reduces spin and power | Hold the racket like an egg you don’t want to crack |
| Index finger too high on the blade | Reduces backhand stability | Keep it resting along the bottom edge of the rubber |
| Changing grip mid-rally | Causes late shots and mis-hits | Pick one grip and stay consistent through a whole rally |
| Choking up too close to the rubber | Loses leverage and racket head speed | Hold nearer the end of the handle for full swing control |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which grip do professional players use most? Shakehand is the most common grip among top international players today, though several elite Chinese players still compete at the highest level with penhold.
Can I switch grips later after learning one? Yes, but it takes real retraining time — most players who switch do so early in their development, not after years of shakehand or penhold habits are built in.
Does grip style affect which racket I should buy? Not significantly for pre-made rackets like our Loki RXTON series — the handle shape (straight, flared, or Chinese penhold-style) is the main factor, and most beginner bundles use a standard flared handle suited to shakehand.
Is it normal for my grip to feel awkward at first? Completely normal. Give it 3-4 practice sessions of just serving and light rallying before judging whether a grip “feels right” — muscle memory takes a little time to build.
Once your grip feels natural, the next building blocks are the actual strokes — see our guide on Basic Table Tennis Strokes Every Beginner Should Learn. Not sure which racket setup suits your grip and playing style? Contact Xennom Sports — we’ll help you pick the right gear, not just sell you the most expensive option.