Penhold vs. Shakehands Grips

Leeman Harrington Asked 6 years ago

Hey Alois and Jeff, I'm doing a compare/contrast essay for my college writing course on the similarities and differences between the Penhold and Shakehands grip--I'd like to include your expertise on my Works Cited page.

My question is this: What are a few pros and cons to both the penhold and shakehands grips? Thanks in advance :)

Alois Rosario Answered 6 years ago

Hi Leeman,

The Penhold grip is said to have the benefit of being able to use the wrist more and therefore you tend to be able to generate more spin on serves.  Also it is beneficial for generating more speed and spin on your forehand.  When using the traditional backhand there is also no crossover point because you are using the same side fo the racket for both sides.

The Shakehand grip is easier for the backhand and enables a more all-round game.

I think through natural selection and looking at the World rankings, you can see that the shakehand grip tends to be easier to use.