The Role of Fingers in the Grip | Table Tennis | PingSkills

www.PingSkills.com - Learn the role of the fingers in the grip.
Thanks for watching! We love making table tennis videos and hope they'll help you understand the game of table tennis. Make sure you subscribe to keep up with our latest videos. You can also follow us through:
Twitter - / pingskills
Facebook - / pingskills
Below are some other videos we've made. Feel free to check 'em out!
Will See Won't See Olympic Table Tennis, Table Tennis Forehand Counterhit Lesson, How To Execute the Ma Lin Serve, Learn the Backspin Reverse Pendulum Serve, Playing a Faster Forehand Topspin.
Good luck with your table tennis.
Cheers,
Jeff Plumb and Alois Rosario

[@namishbaranwal3522]

You just solved the exact problem that I had since months. Thanks a ton!

[@pingskills]

You are welcome.

[@aerotus888]

This is a super important point which most players do not understand! Even many club level players don't get this! Once I grasped the concept, my BH flicks and counters became significantly more whippy and powerful! Thanks for the video!

[@pingskills]

Great to hear. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@xdewtr]

Wow the little finger & ring finger tip literally saves me from my 2months struggles on the grip.

[@pingskills]

Great to hear.

[@hwchen2873]

This is super useful for the amateur. I've played table tennis about 10 years and always use wrong grip. A coach told me exactly what this video says and solve my grip problem! It's amazing, like many one always said comfortable grip is enough. But I don't think so... grip is definitely important!

[@evolver5379]

Most practical grip for both fh bh stroke

[@aat01]

The grip has been bugging me recently as I developed a wrong grip. Now when I tried to get it right, it was much harder. But this is a very helpful tip. Thanks a million.

[@pingskills]

Glad it helped :)

[@BenXu1]

I always thought that focusing on the thumb and forefinger was the key to a good grip, but I'd been having inconsistent results with pushes. Now I know that I was mistaken and using the last two fingers feels much more natural! Thanks for enlightening me!

[@pingskills]

I'm glad the video helped. Sometimes these things come down to what works best for each person. Good luck with your table tennis.

[@andimuhammadrifki5053]

Thank you it's so helpful

[@larrymar19]

WOW! finally..... this is the best answer I've seen for the grip dilemma. Thanks coach. please keep doing these great videos in 2018. PingSkills.com has helped so much to my game. I recommend to all players

[@pingskills]

Thanks for your support and good luck with your table tennis in 2018!

[@swaminathansubramaniam8137]

Awesome tips. Really it his helping me to overcome all my weakness & discomfort zone in playing skills.

[@oceangleam800]

wonderful. real knowledge.

[@kevins3646]

Really good video. I recently got a robot and during multiball I discovered the same thing u had mentioned, getting stuck in backhand grip due to thumb and large finger. Losening top 3 fingers helped me switch backgrips. However ur video helped me in that atleast now I know I am on the right path.

[@pingskills]

Awesome to hear. Keep enjoying this great game.

[@ewwmin3m]

what good timing. Exactly the tip i needed to improve my forehand :D

[@pingskills]

I'm glad it helped. Good luck with that forehand :)

[@yousinthehous]

I never would of thought of this...thanks for the tip!

[@Detherocable]

Alois, thank you for getting this across. You'd be surprised how many people have difficulty with their technique because of such a seemingly trivial oversight. (Last two fingers) I have the same issue when I got back to table tennis after a 2 years hiatus. While the quality of my backhand strokes are very nice, my forehand is rather awful. It'd hard for me to adjust the angle right to play a good forehand topspin and get the contact right. Even when I do hit the ball well, it has a ton of sidespin. Let's see how this works out!

[@pingskills]

It is a good idea to experiment from time to time to see what works best for you. Good luck!

[@stevesmith6789]

Hi Alois, This is very interesting to me, I was trying to improve my grip about a year ago, and found myself doing exactly what you suggest, very loose thumb and index finger even sloppy, I found I had a much more relaxed arm, and more power, but thought I was doing wrong after seeing Ben Larcombes video on improving his grip, where he advised just using the thumb and forefinger, which method do you and Jeff use ?

[@pingskills]

I don't think that the differences are too major. The main thing is to use a relaxed grip. You certainly need all the fingers but lately thinking about it I thought that the index and thumb are used for control of the fine shots like the short push, and getting a good angle for flicking. Alois and I tend to use a relaxed grip as we explain in this video. It's good to experiment and then use what works well for you.

[@GidongLinog]

tq Coach

[@kadivikram]

Thanks for this video, there is a lot of misinformation about pinching with index finger + thumb while playing your strokes, which i think causes a jerky motion, the technique you explained makes for a much smoother stroke. I can't emphasize how important this tip is for beginners.

[@pingskills]

I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@said2a432]

Had that doubt whether need to pinch with thumb and index finger to get the feel of the bat angle. Also how we can get the bat angles fee can you eloborate on this as well

[@khazza930]

is nobody noticing that Alois is playing with his right hand... even though he's actually left-handed?!

[@pingskills]

It's not perfect technique but it certainly is pretty good! Cheers, Jeff.

[@PatrickChoi]

Ohh, now that's why it looked imperfect

[@brandtfilms7331]

and that beautiful catch at 2:00 was with his dominant hand makes sense.

[@justchill99902]

This little guy 'grip' can cause many troubles.. this video is therefore, really important. Thanks guys. Well done.

[@pingskills]

You're welcome. I'm glad you liked the video.

[@thelegendaryflyingburrito8142]

AGAIN YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!

[@pingskills]

Thanks :)

[@coenslaughter4250]

Fantastic advice 👍👍

[@alexbog3004]

Thanks a lot. I just got my new customised bat and with this video I'm getting used to it much quicker. :)

[@kyawzin-kz]

This is the exact information what I need

[@pingskills]

I'm glad it helped.

[@youtubeaddiction9689]

Thanks

[@rog944]

Awesome video!!! This is one of my biggest problems. Hopefully this problem will be solved now :) Thanks!

[@pingskills]

You're welcome!

[@shaunavkaushik]

Sir, I have always liked your vedios. I badly want to know that how pick up balls which are really low to the table and are as fast as the smashes. I don't have proble m with the speed of the ball, but no matter what angle I make with my racket, the ball never reaches the other side properly and I loose a point. Sir please help me with a vedio of yours if you get my problem.

[@kianglian123]

Can you guys talk about Trul Moregardh's grip please, I saw he has a different shake hand grip to us

[@HouriSamatsu]

Can you do a similar video but for penhold

[@iputacapinurass]

Penhold is (imo) alot more complicated and nuanced since we dont hold the paddle with our whole hand. Instead we basically only use 3 fingers to hold the paddle. The fingers move the paddle around and apply pressure differently according to the stroke and timing. It also depends alot on your personal grip style, wether or not you use RPB, and your hand size.

[@kushjobanputra867]

I would also like a video covering how to utilize different finger placements for different strokes on penhold

[@andyzhaott]

HouriSamatsu For penhold, the thumb is used to change the angle of the racket, and the index finger provides the main driving force in your strokes. The other 3 are just there to stabilize the racket.

[@tonynelson33]

Thanks. For some reason I thot the top 3 fingers did the gripping. That was my problem.

[@hwchen2873]

A question I have is, when it back to backhand. What fingers should be adjust? I am feeling when using this grip in backhand, it's hard to fold my wrist and using wrist power.

[@pingskills]

Take a look at this video and see if it helps: www.pingskills.com/blog/pingpod-43-grip-changes-between-backhand-and-forehand

[@harryw798]

Hi; I'm 16 years old and have recently started getting into table tennis, I bought a table tennis table recently, and so have been playing a lot against my family. One person I rarely beat is my dad and it's very frustrating, I'd say I win about 1 in 5 against him, and I need to try to get this to change, I'm not a great player, however I'd say I'm decent, as I said, I haven't been playing for long and haven't had training - just some of your videos. Any tips on how to try to beat him? I've noticed I very often hit the ball too far, and miss the table, I know the simple way to solve this would be "don't hit it as hard" but no matter how hard I try to do this, I still continue to hit it over. Thanks Harry

[@XraynPR]

not a professional here, but usually when you are new-ish and you hit the ball to far, its due to the angle of your racket. If youre hitting the ball a bit faster/harder, you usually have to angle your racket sharper (pretty much hitting more of the area above the balls equator). I think its explained quite well in PingSkills forehand topspin videos.

[@pingskills]

Hi Harry, it's great you are playing and have your Dad as someone you can play with. If you are hitting the ball long then a good shot is the topspin stroke, (Google PingSkills Forehand Topspin) as this gets the ball to dip on to the table so you can still hit it hard but have it land on the table. As for tactics, think about which side is you Dad's weaker side, the backhand or the forehand, and then try to target that side more. Also when serving try different serves. If his backhand is weaker try a short serve to the forehand, and then an attacking shot next to his backhand. Watch this video for some more simple tactics you can try - www.pingskills.com/tutorials/basic-tactics/basic-tactics Good luck! Let us know when you beat him a few times in a row :)

[@harryw798]

Thank you very much! I'll try this when I play him next, I'll keep you updated!

[@TheChrisinger]

Thanks a lot for this video! I've been struggling with this for a long time. I've got a really important question: What exactly do you do with your thumb? I see it's still in contact with the handle. Do you press down towards the other fingers, or do you leave it completely relaxed and don't apply any pressure at all? Looking forward to hear your thoughts :)

[@pingskills]

You still need a little bit of pressure but it's important that the grip is quite relaxed.

[@TheChrisinger]

PingSkills Alright I understand. This helps me a lot, thanks very much! :)

[@thekillacube8729]

Hello sir!!! You resolved my problem of grip but.... Can you please tell me how often we should use our wrist in table tennis! In forehand loop of push!!??

[@pingskills]

Here's a video which talks about the wrist for the forehand topspin - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKHUoGepa7JnfbM

[@ardhanchannel305]

i'm here not to ask but thanks for this incredible video! #welovetabletennis

[@pingskills]

You're welcome!

[@silaturahmitenismeja1901]

thank u very much sir this one of my chronic problem for growing

[@pingskills]

You're welcome.

[@RAJESHKUMAR-un8dn]

Can you explain how asuka sakai is able to do so much fast tomahawk serve?

[@pingskills]

I don't think he can do that consistenly :) But he can do it by adding a lot of topspin to the ball which causes it to dip down even though it's travelling so fast.

[@amityadav-gg6pm]

Sir pls suggest blades and rubbers for intermidiate players

[@pingskills]

Here's what we recommend: www.pingskills.com/table-tennis-store/pingskills-touch

[@عليشراب-ث5ل]

I have a question what is the difference between red and black tennis racket .. Thanks

[@pingskills]

The rules state you need a red and a black rubber. This is so if the opponent uses different types of rubber you can tell which is which. If they have the same type of rubber on both sides then it doesn't really matter.

[@sugamgoel1364]

Sir how to generate more spin in tomahawk serve? I can't get more spin with it....

[@asparagusfilms2420]

is it ok to have your own style? mine like a combination of penhold and shakehand one.

[@pingskills]

It is OK. If you want to get really serious then I'd suggest sticking with one grip would be best as you can only practice each grip for half the time you play.

[@asparagusfilms2420]

PingSkills thanks

[@asparagusfilms2420]

PingSkills well i meant like. i hold it like a penhold mixed with with shake hand. it looks weird but it helps me with topspin and backhand.

[@pingskills]

That does sound unusual. If it works for you then good, but generally we'd recommend you stick with one of the standard grips as they have been proved over time to be good grips.

[@asparagusfilms2420]

PingSkills ok.☺

[@aaditmalik4025]

Good video

[@pingskills]

Thanks!

[@shubhamendra]

When is the right time to shift from shakehand to penholder grip?

[@pingskills]

Hmmm, I don't know. Are you talking about during a rally? I'd recommend picking one of these grips and sticking with it.

[@shubhamendra]

No, I mean should we first master the handshake grip and subsequently move to penholder grip? If yes, how much time on an average is required for that?

[@pingskills]

Hmmm, about 10 years to master the shakehand grip :)

[@shubhamendra]

PingSkills Ok..thanks a lot!! Cheers👍👍

[@YourWellBeing02]

Interesting, but don’t you lose ball feeling when you do this method? I was always taught to use the thumb and forefinger to feel the ball.

[@pingskills]

You still do use the thumb and forefinger to feel the ball on the bat, you just need to have them relaxed. I think people thought we meant these fingers don't play a role but they certainly do.

[@はたさやまた7]

Make a video of how shot in right

[@pranavsharma1630]

When I do a tomahaqie serve it becomes a backspin serve whats the problem

[@jeandjuka6392]

More videos please guys I want to Jurassic Lee change my game thanks

[@afatsum3180]

Wow i didnt notice that

[@mincer2]

Interesting. Some people say that it is possible to improve topspin strokes by adjusting pressure of the thumb. But nobody can explain it! Have you guys heard about anything like that?

[@pingskills]

Hmmm, I haven't. If you get a chance can you post this on the website (www.pingskills.com/tutorials/basic-strokes-faq/the-role-of-the-fingers-in-the-shakehand-grip) and we'll see if Alois has any thoughts on this. Thanks, Jeff.

[@100gods]

I used only two fingers to hold handle rest off on pad

[@pingskills]

Interesting. Does that grip work well for you? Have you tried the standard shakehand grip for a period of time?

[@bryany99]

Just remember that this is NOT the grip that you want to use when looping. Primarily squeezing the paddle with the bottom three fingers will tense up your wrist muscles and prevent your wrist from naturally flexing forward (which helps create extra spin). You want to instead be holding the paddle with your thumb and index finger so that your wrist is free to move forwards. See the following two videos for more detail. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4mkiaOQbc-FkNk kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6a1YZuujsqhgLc

[@pingskills]

I think there's a misunderstanding of the role we are describing. We aren't saying to squeeze the bat with the bottom three fingers, they should control the bat but certainly shouldn't be squeezing. It's always important to have a relaxed grip.

[@Aerrie2]

This seems to be in contradiction to a video/article from Ben Larcombe

[@chebkhaled1985]

and also to a video from EmratThich

[@knotwilg3596]

Agree. Chinese control with index and thumb, using the other fingers merely for overall balance and grip. Index and thumb apply pressure for extra speed and spin (explosivity). You need to release the grip and press again for next shot (minor adjustments). So, we seem to be in conflict here.

[@TheChrisinger]

Yes, you are right. I have been struggling with my grip for months now and came to the conclusion that by applying pressure only with the thumb and index, I ALWAYS get a cramp when I play many forehand strokes. However, if done like this video shows, it's much better.

[@larrymar19]

I tried both, I find this technique gives the best balance between neutrality, comfort and flexibility, but to each his own

[@vaidasmasys3764]

I have seen a popular video about a shake hand grip where the guy explains that it is better to hold a bat with thumb and index finger while all others are just for decoration. His argument was that he has seen pictures of top professional players and the trend seems to be to hold your racket mainly with those two fingers, according to him often they are barely touching or not touching bat at all with the remaining three fingers. You are teaching an opposing method. Any thoughts on that? Here is a link in case you are interested kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4mkiaOQbc-FkNk. Either way it is an interesting video and I will definitely try this hold next time I play.

[@pingskills]

Yeah my thoughts are that players are holding the bat too tightly in general, and then blaming this on the lower fingers. Try it as we explain and I think you'll find it flexible and comfortable.

[@Ikiguyy]

I never found it comfortable using the index finger behind the racket, I just use all fingers behind the table

[@jeffplumb1136]

As long as you are happy with the grip that is the main thing. Having said that though, all the top players in the World use this grip or the penhold grip. We would certainly recommend using one of the standard grips if you are looking to improve your game.

[@Ikiguyy]

Jeff Plumb I'll look into it, thanks.

[@faponch8959]

Chinese players hold the racket differently, just between Thumb and Index fingers only Zhang Jike hold his racket like this ;-)

[@pingskills]

The key point is to have a relaxed grip.

[@metzgi]

According to this explanation I think the opposit is correct: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6a1YZuujsqhgLcm6s

[@pingskills]

Interesting video. For the serve where you need to move the wrist this is certainly true. When you watch our video on the pendulum serve grip you'll see we take these fingers off the bat so you can utilise the wrist more. However during the rally you still need these fingers on the bat. And you don't want to grip these fingers too tightly otherwise it will limit your movement. Make sure to keep a relaxed grip. For a short forehand push for example you need the little and ring finger to keep control of the bat.

[@larrymar19]

well, having tried both methods, I encourage you to try them for yourself .....

[@metzgi]

For decades I was used to the grip explained in the video. Than I changed it with success. For me there is no doubt that thump and index finger should be in charge (not only at serving) and the other fingers just have a loose control function. I use my wrist extensively for backhand banana flips and smashes. Only possible with a totally free wrist, what you only get when the three fingers are nearly unstressed.

[@larrymar19]

Markus you are very correct about the backhand power with the index and thumb grip, my attack ability increased greatly also, Alois pointed this out as well, but I also experienced the same problem Alois is talking about, I could not flip or push well on my forehand, I'm curious how did you find those strokes after the switch ?

[@metzgi]

My forehand topspin now has much more sidespin and lots of players have big problems with that - this is the result of the backhand grip with the loose wrist. For the flick on the forehand side I can easily use my backhand too even to play the ball diagonal to the forehand of my opponent. Ok, it's a little bit weird to play on the forehand side a backhand shot diagonal and certainly it is easier to play it longline. But when I see the Chinese players doing this I always feel good. The forehand push is no problem when I dont use the wrist to much.

[@chebkhaled1985]

Well Emrat stated the exact opposite with nice arguments and a test and you can do yourself , here his video kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6a1YZuujsqhgLc

[@pingskills]

For the pendulum serve we recommend you take of the last 3 fingers so you can get more spin by utilising the wrist as explained in that video. During the rally you do need these fingers to control the bat though. And even though these fingers are important you are not gripping them tightly so you don't have the problem as indicated in the video. If you squeeze them tight then you will have problems, but try this with a relaxed grip and you will find it very comfortable and it will allow you to adjust for shots like the flick and short push.

[@sachinsrivastava2056]

But then not so much power can be generated by the forehand stroke....

[@pingskills]

Actually I think this allows you to generate more power.

[@andreevejar2228]

Sino Team USM dyan? Hahahah

[@sibkumar2640]

How to correct wrong grip techniques

[@pingskills]

I think the key is to learn the correct grip and then pay attention to it.

[@blackhorse6450]

This is the worst advice I heard in 20 years, those 2 little fingers have nothing to do with the grip, it is all about the thump and index

[@pingskills]

Oh dear, the worst advice in 20 years! Sorry about that. It's good to think about how these relate. I find a lot of people grip too tightly with these fingers and that affects their play. By concentrating on these I think it helps them get a better result.

[@blackhorse6450]

thanks, I respect your experience and appreciate what you are doing guys, just this time I felt it is a bad idea because when you fix those 2 fingers, it could help beginners to lose their racket as you experienced, but In the long run it will lead to more tight grip and wrist limitation and flexibility loss which we originally avoiding, so i suggest player to be taught to use his thumb and index with the middle inger as guide, while really lose the ring and baby fingers so he have full wrist flexibility, hopefully, I'm correct, if not then it I a new lesson from PingSkills.

[@pingskills]

Yeah maybe we worded this the wrong way. We certainly aren't saying to fix these fingers leading to a tight grip. In our how to hold a bat video we show that the grip should be loose so you could take the bat out of your hand using the other hand, it should not be held really tightly. This is true with the thumb and index finger too. And as in this video, for the short push having the thumb and index finger loose will allow you to be more flexible with the angles you generate. It is a good discussion though and anything that gets people thinking about the topic and finding out what works best for them is a good. So thanks for sharing your thoughts. I think it's important to remember that there are lots of different styles and one way is not going to be the best for every single person.

[@viboraodalager8818]

Apparently in China or elsewhere they teach you to "pinch" the racket with your thumb and index finger, and relax the other three fingers.

[@thaiphan4061]

thanks