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Shake Grip |
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mickd
Forum Moderator Joined: 04/27/2014 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 1231 |
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Posted: 03/01/2015 at 6:54am |
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Recently I've been trying to fix my grip. This is what I've been trying to fit it to.
Forehand Side: Backhand Side: However, I received some advice from someone who is much better than I am at my local club. What he told me seems to be very different to some of the things I've read online, and what I've seen other people use. So, I wanted to ask everyone what they thought. This is the forehand side he told me to use: The main point you'll notice is the position of the thumb. He said it is better to leave a gap of about 1 finger's length like shown in the picture. I asked him why, and he said that it was easier to transition to and from this position, which he said was good for backhand strokes: He said having your thumb like how I had it above would require more of a movement to transition to this. He also mentioned the backhand should have up to 1 finger's length of distance where I have marked in red: I asked him why, and he said this gives you more control, while still not impeding on your backhand. What do you all think? Should I work towards the grip he suggested? Or was what I had originally better? I should also mention that I'm playing in Japan, so there is a bit of a language barrier. Hopefully I didn't misunderstand him. Thank you.
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Jerem
Super Member Joined: 01/18/2012 Location: Poland Status: Offline Points: 143 |
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IMO it's correct grip for advanced topspin play.
He might be right :)
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vvk1
Gold Member Joined: 11/14/2009 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 1925 |
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Looks like your friend has suggested that you make your grip more neutral instead of being FH-oriented.
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NoRema
Silver Member Joined: 02/04/2015 Location: On The Table Status: Offline Points: 564 |
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have the face of your thumb facing the rubber though. when the side of the thumb is touching the rubber instead, it is more difficult to put pressure with your thumb down on the rubber. you will lack power when later finger pressure is important.
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king_pong
Silver Member Joined: 06/29/2010 Location: Minneapolis Status: Offline Points: 889 |
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Your friend is a righteous dude. He's giving you tips on how to keep your grip more neutral so you can repel from your backhand wing more easily.
There's a great article on this I found a few years ago over at TTmaster.com, where they get into the discussion of shake hand grip and examine how a few pros hold their rackets --
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Stiga Infinity VPS (Master): fh/bh - Nittaku Hammond CR max
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Leftyy
Super Member Joined: 02/14/2015 Location: Europa Status: Offline Points: 210 |
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The grip is very personal in my opinion, I would use the grip that feels the most natural for you. Many pros change the grip during the ball and if you are able to do that in time there is no problem.
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Waldme1ster
Member Joined: 09/22/2014 Location: BRD Status: Offline Points: 32 |
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I'm completely with your club mate. Key is to press the side, NOT the face of your thumb against the rubber to avoid backhand grip. Best compromise for "neutral" grip if you want only very little changes during rallies. see also Mizutanis grip...
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mickd
Forum Moderator Joined: 04/27/2014 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 1231 |
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Thanks everyone. I find that most videos about grip don't go into enough detail since they're targeting complete beginners.
It'll probably take me a few weeks to make the change, and a few months to really make it second nature. Cheers.
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doraemon
Gold Member Joined: 05/14/2007 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 1738 |
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1st picture (thumb position) vs 3rd picture (thumb position), I prefer the 3rd picture. Your grip is more relaxed that way. When you have thumb position like 1st picture, your wrist is a bit more tense compared to that in 3rd picture. It's not wrong though, because during hard FH shot, your thumb can automatically (without you realize it) move to the position as pictured in 1st picture.
Regarding index finger, I prefer 2nd picture. It is more relaxed that way and does not choke the blade. So my grip is like in 2nd and 3rd picture. Neutral grip and very relaxed. |
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FH : black rubber BH : red rubber |
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berndt_mann
Gold Member Joined: 02/02/2015 Location: Tucson, Arizona Status: Offline Points: 1719 |
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For most table tennis players, I would recommend the so-called "neutral" shakehand grip, in which the forefinger lies flat on the rubber on the bh side, roughly perpendicular to the handle unless you have large fingers and on the fh side the thumb is either slightly bent and gently touching the middle knuckle of the index finger or it lies, as in Kong Linghui's grip, on the bottom of the rubber next to the handle. Unless you are an advanced player or able to play effectively by shifting your grip, I would recommend keeping the same grip for all strokes, except of course for the pendulum grip serve.
If you are a penhold player, and employ the reverse penhold backhand, the most stable grip IMO is with the thumb and forefinger gently pinching one another on the forehand side, and the index, fourth, and little fingers on the bh side curved slightly to the right for a right-handed player, the pads of the first knuckle joints of those fingers pressing with varying degrees of firmness on to your rubber , depending on the speed of the stroke you employ. This grip may compromise the penhold forehand a little bit, but it is very stable, does not tire the fingers on the backhand side, and provides stability for a reliable reverse penhold backhand. Edited by berndt_mann - 03/03/2015 at 3:12pm |
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bmann1942
Setup: Mark Bellamy Master Craftsman blade, British Leyland hard rubber |
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NextLevel
Forum Moderator Joined: 12/15/2011 Location: Somewhere Good Status: Offline Points: 14842 |
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This is the "correct" neutral grip that makes grip switching almost moot (holding the bat primarily with your thumb and index finger and tucked into the gap between thumb and index finger). As Ben points out, the grip should be really called a pinch grip and it relaxes more muscles in the arm if you get used to it. Its funny hearing Ben Larcombe go through many of the issues that I have gone through the past year or even two, but some recent videos on the forum by illinichamp and BH Man's translation of an Oh Sang Eun video helped me close it out.
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I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
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AgentHEX
Gold Member Joined: 12/14/2004 Location: Yo Mama Status: Offline Points: 1641 |
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I use a pretty FH oriented grip but if you tilt the handle so that it's more parallel to your forearm (and not choke up on the thumb/index-finger gap) it becomes very easy to adjust to BH grip pressure down on the thumb. You also get a sweet spot more in-line with your swing instead of somewhat above/in-front of it. The problem with a neutral grip is that it's not the best for balls around the switch-over point since the block/counter angle isn't natural for either FH/BH in the overlap area. Edited by AgentHEX - 03/17/2015 at 3:44pm |
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bschap
Super Member Joined: 01/07/2013 Status: Offline Points: 394 |
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People say use what's comfortable to you, but I notice every time I study a real player's grip I am amazed at two things...1 - how the index finger barely crosses halfway (sometimes less!) across the handle (I'd upload pics of Jike if I could), and 2 - How high up the handle they are gripping...so much handle visible below the hand...even on guys w big hands like Liqin. I struggle with this...trying to grip the handle as high up as possible and with fingers crossing handle less. I find immediate results on BH...aggressive blocking and flipping. But I also find the edge of the blade starts to rub against middle joint of middle finger and now I am considering sanding like some people do. Don't want to do it...held off...but now I think I have to.
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bschap
Super Member Joined: 01/07/2013 Status: Offline Points: 394 |
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(ps - any advice on how to execute that sanding w minimal damage and maximal precision?)
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aeoliah
Premier Member Joined: 11/18/2005 Location: Indonesia Status: Offline Points: 3215 |
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Do it bit by bit by using a finer sandpaper, like grit 320 or 400. If you use a coarser sandpaper, it will "bite" more into the wood.
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Member of the Single Ply Hinoki Club
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NextLevel
Forum Moderator Joined: 12/15/2011 Location: Somewhere Good Status: Offline Points: 14842 |
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A good video from Pingskills to add to the collection of grip advice:
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I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
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mickd
Forum Moderator Joined: 04/27/2014 Location: Japan Status: Offline Points: 1231 |
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Thanks NL.
It's very interesting seeing how there are two different theories with finger grip strength. One with more pressure on the pinky and ring fingers and one which uses the thumb and index finger to grip. I've come to accept whatever feels natural when I do the shots. In general though, I'm still aiming for the index+thumb grip, but during rallies that changes a lot. I hope this thread continues to help others who are experimenting with their grips :)
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rocketman222
Gold Member Joined: 01/06/2007 Location: Walnut Creek,CA Status: Offline Points: 1152 |
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I have heard something of a hybrid advice from a coach, his advice was
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NextLevel
Forum Moderator Joined: 12/15/2011 Location: Somewhere Good Status: Offline Points: 14842 |
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To be honest, I think it is more complicated than that. The main reason why I posted this video was that many people treat the lower two fingers as the poor step child of the grip. I think in fact, if you want to support a standard neutral grip, you need to establish their position first. The index finger and thumb are by comparison much more versatile in their flexibility.
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I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
Cybershape Carbon FH/BH: H3P 41D. Lumberjack TT, not for lovers of beautiful strokes. No time to train... |
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rocketman222
Gold Member Joined: 01/06/2007 Location: Walnut Creek,CA Status: Offline Points: 1152 |
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Oh yeah, I was just quoting one of the pieces of advice that I had heard and made somewhat of a sense to me back then, but definitely way more complex than this simple if-else.
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