The grip is an all-important fundamental in every racket game. In table tennis it has provoked much controversy, and many grips have been advocated in the past: the "shovel" grip, the "penholder" grip, the "palm" grip. We recommend the tennis grip because that is the one used by all ranking table-tennis players.
THE TENNIS GRIP
To form the tennis grip, take up your racket and grasp it as though you were shaking hands with a friend. Now slip your hand up the handle until it fits snugly, and place your index finger on the rubber surface of one side and your thumb on the other. Curl your remaining fingers around the handle of the racket.
The side of the racket where your thumb rests is the forehand side; and the other side, where your index finger rests, is the backhand side. This is the only orthodox grip. However, forefinger and thumb may be shifted slightly to the position which feels most comfortable to you.
In lawn tennis, particularly among women players, it is often advantageous to shift the thumb up the handle of the racket for support. In table tennis too, you may find it desirable to place your thumb farther behind the racket to provide more force for your shots. We do not recommend excessive shifting of grip from forehand to backhand because the player may lose control of his racket during a fast point.
The fact that thumb and forefinger are actually on the playing surface of the racket enables you, with practice, to feel the speed of the shot - both the one you are receiving and the counter shot you are returning. If you hold the racket firmly, but not tightly, the impact of a hard shot will register through your fingers and will thus permit control and precision in your return. Do not grip the racket too tightly, as this may cause numbness which will hamper your shot perception and touch.
Check the position of your wrist frequently to make sure you retain a natural, strong position, and avoid cramped, awkward shots. By a "natural" position is meant a position of the wrist which naturally arises when you shake hands with the racket, a position in which the wrist is not bent or cramped in any way. Do not extend your thumb too far in back of the racket, thus forcing the face to be turned too far forward or back. This grip variation might help your block game, but it will hamper free stroke-production when you begin driving and chopping.
THE PENHOLDER GRIP
The so-called "penholder" grip, in which the racket is held as if it were a pen, is the most popular of the "non-orthodox" grips. Although it is widely used, it has many disadvantages. The user is required to hit both backhand and forehand shots with the same side of the racket, and can develop at best only an awkward chop stroke. His reach is shortened by three or four inches due to this grip, and he cannot smash a high-bouncing shot well because he cannot get over the top of the ball properly.
A thorough knowledge of the correct grip for table tennis will no doubt enhance your game of table tennis. Enjoy this wonderful game!
The playing surface is a table, 30 inches above the ground which is about 9 feet long and five feet wide. A six-inch high net divides the table in two. The ball table tennis has a diameter of 40 mm, is made of celluloid, and is hollow. This article discuss some basic elements of table tennis, scoring, rules and basic strokes.
Table Tennis Official rules mandate table tennis matches constitute a best of five or the best series of seven games to 11 points. The first player to reach 11 points with a margin of two wins.
In a best-of-five match, the first player to win three sets wins the match. In a best-of-seven match, the first player to win four games wins the match. In the 11 points format game, players alternating serves every two points. If the game reaches a score of 10-10, players alternate serve all points until a player achieves a margin of two points.
Historically, a 'game of table tennis was played to 21 points with the players used in rotation every five points. This method is the preferred method of recreation for players of table tennis.
To begin each point, the server throws the ball, a palm open, at least 6 inches in the air. The server hits the ball with the paddle so that the ball bounced on its side of the table before bouncing on his opponent. A table tennis player wins a point by hitting a shot which hit the table and is not returned by the opponent.
A table tennis player loses a point if it does not return his opponent's shot, allowing the ball to bounce more than once on its side of the net, fails to hit the table with his shooting, hitting the ball twice, places his hand on the table, hitting the ball before it bounces on its side of the table, or fails to execute a ping-pong legal serve.
Table tennis players have many traits at their disposal. Table Tennis offensive moves include the speed by car, loop drive, and smash.
Speeding is a blow struck with a square face racket was parallel to the table of results in a flat disc shot.
A loop is a blow struck with a racket face has closed almost perpendicular to the table. The loop drive in table tennis is comparable to one in tennis groundstroke hit with a lot of topspin.
The smash is a coup very offensive which involves swinging the racket on a bouncing ball high to generate a lot of speed.
Table Tennis defence include beatings and chopping block.
The chopping table tennis is the version of the tranche. Table tennis players performing the chop by swinging the range from high to low with a racket face to impart backspin.
Finally, the block is just one used in the fight against attacking shots. To execute the block, players of table tennis just have to put the paddle behind the approaching ball and allow the ball hit the racket.
Players must strategically use a mix of offensive and defensive plans to win a game of table tennis.
Both Jimmy Cox & John Simmons are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jimmy Cox has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Horse Racing and Investments. Learn Table Tennis And Be Like A Beijing Pro And Win Ever Game You Play!Click here for FREE online Ebook