Japanese penholders forum

Thank you, Alois. I very much appreciate it!

Well, I have a question. If you could tell me what is the difference between Japanese and Chinese pen hold, is it in blade, way of holding, strategy and technique?

Japanese penhold only uses 1 side of the bat I think

I think jap. penholders hold the other side of the rackert with their fingers spread, while chinise hold it with their curled finger\]

Japanese penhold rackets have a square shaped face. The handle is rectangular, and there is a block of cork protruding, for a more comfortable grip. JPen players use only 1 side of their racket for forehand and backhand. Meanwhile, Chinese penhold rackets are very similar to shakehand rackets. The only difference is that the handle is shorter, so it is easier to play with. Some CPen players use only one side of the racket, but I feel that CPen is best suited for the RPB (Reverse Penhold Backhand) style of play. This style utilises both sides of the racket. Also, JPen players are usually more offensive than CPen players, preferring to use their forehand on almost every shot to compensate for their weak backhand. CPen players have easier, because they can use their backhand like a shakehander, looping, flicking, counterlooping, etc.

When I loop with j/pen I sorta flick my wrist at the top of the shot which gives it more topspin and makes it harder to get back but that's my knowlage of when I play j/pen

Hi Eduardo!

I'm a J-pen player also and I am living in China. It is true that  this style is not popular among professional players anymore. Even in Japan and Korea young players prefer shakehand grip. I can't find decent coaches for JPen either in my city(Beijing). 

JPen is made to be aggressive  (square shape，  longer body and longer handle than CPen all bring stronger forces for different strokes), so the biggest difference is to utilize such shape. 

Kim Soon Taek and Ryu Seung Min, the Korean players they have a method of holding the racket differently compared to a CPen player. In such way it's beneficial to the forehand attacking but a little bit unfavorable for backhand side. 

Chiang Peng-Lung from Taiwan has a grip very similar to CPen player which helps him with backhand more flexible and stable, and more powerful when blocking at backhand., But then the forehand will be a little weaker cos you lose some flexibility at your wrist.

But if you play a JPen the most powerful weapon is your forehand so I prefer a grip like Ryu Seung Min with no doubt.

Because of weak backhand  you have to be the best at your footwork among other styles.

Another advantage of JPen is its power dealing with short strokes within the table. With the longer handle you can have more powerful e.g. flicks by your wrist.

I can share a lot more about JPen but most important thing is that you have to be aggressive all the time. You have to master an explosive forehand topspin racket loop that can kill at one shoot. Your opponent will be afraid of your forehand and they will be hesitant when making decisions of next ball. Otherwise you will be the most tried runner at court.

I have something to share that may seem surprising, if not silly. I am an ALL- player and use Jpen. Initially, I used shakehand and played quite aggressively, hitting explosive forehand and backhand topspins/smash. Then switched to Jpen because forehands with it seemed to have more zip. However, then I got thoroughly impressed by Koji Matsushita and Ding Song, and added vicious chopping on both sides to my game. It is true that Jpen is very rare these days and in Pakistan where I live there are hardly any Jpen players, let alone coaches. So, I have to rely on watching the likes of Koji Matsushita for strategy and adapt that to Jpen grip by watching Korean players. So far so good, I've advanced beyond the intermediate stage and almost an advanced player now.

Why I prefer to play a defensive-ish game with Jpen? Here are my reasons:

1. As pointed out by others, the grip is much looser and allows for much, much more movement of the wrist. So, my forehand chops are much more 'stingier' as compared to shakehand grip.

2. The unpredictability with Jpen is amazing! At the very last minute, you can give your wrist a slightly harder jerk and change the direction/spin/speed on the ball. This leaves much less time to the opponent to guess the shot. This advantage is priceless. With shakehand, you position yourself and sway your arm accordingly, and deceiving the opponent is much harder.

3. Although most Jpen players use only one side of the blade, I have found that compared to Cpen RPB, Jpen RPB is more solid and allows for a swifter movement of the wrist (because of the solid grip of the cork). With Cpen you have to sway the whole arm (like Wang Hao does), while with Jpen you can let your wrist do much of the topspinning, thus making it difficult for the opponent.

4. The most irritating thing I found about shakehand was that you have to grip the racket differently while serving and then shift. This is a great annoyance and at times it affects the time we have for the return. Serve with Jpen allows for imparting more spin with the same grip you need for subsequent shots.

5. Finally, the lack of coaches for Jpen and the unpopularity of it amongst players also means that your opponents (and their coaches) are unfamiliar with how to handle your strokes! ;). Many of my mates at the club tell me that it's hard to guess which way I'm going to go and when I'm going to attack and how much underspin is there on the ball.