Trying penhold
Strokes and Technique
D K Asked 8 years ago
Hi PingSkills Team,
this time I am just retelling my friend's question (he cannot speak English).
He is trying to become a penholder and he has one problem that the bat's edge always cuts greatly into his index finger.
We watched your Penhold Technique video,but we do not seem to get the answer from it.
Also,when we are talking about penhold,how can the Chinese close the bat?
We both tried everything we know and neither of us could not close the bat without pointing the forearm vertically down.
Thanks
DK
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi DK,
The penholders use their fingers to adjust the angle of the racket as well as their arm.
You can use sandpaper or grit paper to smooth off the edge of the racket that is cutting into the hand. That usually works.
Thoughts on this question
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D K Posted 8 years ago
Thus...but...this must mean that the penhold grip is much tighter than the shakehand.
I have just tried it and I need to exert a lot of power to maintain the bat position.
Hmm....then,it is not caused by an error with a grip itself?
Nicolas Matthew Posted 8 years ago
Penhold grip itself has different varieties although having the same basic grip. You may find Xu Xin's penhold grip different yet it is quite comfortable and strong. Might try Wang Hao's penhold grip. As long as you do not exceed the penhold basic grip (thumb and fore finger position) any adjustment is perfectly fine. It might be tighter for some people with smaller hand. Maintaining the bat position (in this case angle of the bat) just require a relaxed wrist. If you feel pain, consider the texture of the paddle and how you grip the bat and how you adjust it. Hope this help :)
D K Posted 8 years ago
Yes,we have watched Master Penholders' grips.
But still,the point where the index finger touches the bat edge,is always very painful.
We tested it with various bats and grip adjustments.
Nicolas Matthew Posted 8 years ago
What makes it painful, the stretch of the index finger or the blade edge that might cause discomfort? If the texture of the blade is the problem you can use sandpaper or cover it with something thin, smooth and sweat-resistant.
D K Posted 8 years ago
The blade edge presses itslef against the finger.
We tried to brush it,but we need to press the finger against the edge with great force in order to prevent the backhand rubber to face the elbow.
D K Posted 4 years ago
Greetings,updating the question :)
That friend proved himself to be quite capable despite not having any official training.
Currently,although he is a ping-pong zone player and every normal Asian player would be horrified to see what he has done with the grip,but the fact is that he is competitive with penhold grip.
Surprisingly,his strongest stroke is reverse penhold backhand FLAT HIT.
Even I as a defender have problems deflecting it.
It is so weird that this only stroke raises his overall level by about 40% :DDD
I also experimented with penhold and was able to get some skill.
We also found that the major problem of the bat (abovementioned) was that the bat was really heavy. I changed rubbers and I now feel much more comfortable using it for penhold