Change of grip
Strokes and Technique
Jeanderson Felipe Asked 11 years ago
I am a shakehand table tennis player and i don't have reflexes to defend, but when i change to penhold just to test, my reflexes appear.
When i started to play table tennis, i was penhold but i didn't know i had good reflexes. A year later i changed to shakehand, my attacks have improved but my reflexes become bad. Yesterday i played penhold and i saw that i can defend anything.
So, what is this? I have to change to penhold to be able to defend?
OBS:If that's what it takes,i don't care! I just want fulfill my dream.
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Jeanderson,
I think that you can stick with your current shakehand grip. You may find that defending with penhold is easier because you don't ned to worry about the crossover point. If you work on watching the ball better when they are attacking you will start to be able to react quicker and make those shots.
Thoughts on this question
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Jeanderson Felipe Posted 10 years ago
I found an way to defend in shakehand observing the height that the ball is shoted.But i couldn't use in a match.I use this in a training,and it's just when i talk to me:i'll just defend...in a real game i can't use this way,because i allways forget.
In penhold i don't need this,is too easy to defend,is too easy to attack using backhand and forehand.
Look when i use shakehand,all the times somebody goes to attack,my eyes flash with the fear i have to defend and the ball goes throught me like a gunshot...i can't see,i don't have reflexes in shakehand anyway.The attacks are good in shakehand but the defense is a shit to me!
In penhold i defend like Wang Hao,in shakehand when i play i feel an insecurity,i feel fear to wrong any moviment.In penhold i don't feel this,that insecurit, i just play without wrong nothing!
I love shakehand just to my inspiration Jan-Ove Waldner,but i don't have reflexes in shakehand.
Talk to me,a table tennis player to be a great player,needs specially of the defense,because with the defense any player can be good,the attack we can better,but the defense it's natural,is yours,is inside you.Now you know what is my case,i think it's better to me be a penhold,but what do you think?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 10 years ago
Hi Jeananderson,
It seems you feel calmer when you are playing penhold. So stay with it. You can still do a lot of things like Waldner using the Penhold grip.