How to Hold a Table Tennis Paddle

Table tennis as a sport has been around for more than a century. Although table tennis or ping pong as called in the US are started as a fun game to play indoors, but it grew into a serious sport, especially in Asian countries. This fast-paced game will involve in making fast decisions to return the ball to the opponent properly and accurately. Most of the people think that tennis is an easy game to play. However, when trying to play the game, one will see that they have to keep the eye on a high speed traveling ball to hit it with the table tennis paddle. Each player needs a table tennis paddle. The paddle is to table tennis what a racket is to tennis. It is made of wood, and the striking surfaces, known as blades are to be covered with rubber, usually colored black on one side and red on the other. Though, the paddle may be any size, shape, and, weight, the only stipulation is that the blade must be flat and rigid.

Importance things to be considered in the game:

Importance things to be considered in the game

It is practically just a game wherein a ball is being bounced from one side of the court to another. But, it is also quite a game of complicated moves, of exciting turns, jumps that are incomparable to other sports. Simply hitting the ball is not enough in table tennis one can notice how the professional players make each hit and they can learn the unique kind of techniques they are using to win a match. Table tennis combines the excitement of racquet sports. The player should know when to go on offense and defense and it is the only way to control the pace of the game from beginning to end. It does not involve using only the arms to hit the ball. This also involves hand to eye coordination and fancy footwork to be able to move from the side of the table to the other.

Different grips:

Different grips

In table tennis, one will usually see the different grips involved in playing the game. One needs to learn how to properly hold a table tennis paddle and how each grip can be advantageous in a game. There are two ways to hold the paddle. The first is called the handshake grip and the other is the pen grip. In the handshake grip the four fingers will hold one end of the handle while the thumb comes from the other end. The shake hands grip is by far one of the most popular grips that table tennis players use. It is simple, comfortable, and is very flexible. The shake hands grip is best suited for beginner players and even professional players consider using this grip because they can play their best games with it.

The second is called the pen grip. The person should curl the middle and ring finger while the fourth finger is held back. Those who want to try this should imagine holding the handle as though it were a pen. There is always the forehand and the backhand. The person should know when to use the other to be able to score a point. One should also know how to drive and how to serve with a spin and how to add spin to the ball to confuse the opponent with the direction it takes after landing on their side of the table. How to deal with the opponent and to read the opponent’s strategy will provide one with a better game. For more details one can refer thegearmag.