Table Tennis Grips: Shakehand, Penhold, and Seemiller Explained
Table tennis grips fall into two main families: shakehand, where you hold the paddle like shaking someone’s hand and can use both sides naturally, and penhold, where you pinch the handle between thumb and forefinger like holding a pen. Shakehand is more common worldwide and the easier starting point for most new players.
- →“Grip” in table tennis mainly means how you hold the paddle (shakehand vs. penhold vs. Seemiller) — a completely different thing from the rubber or foam sleeve some paddle handles are wrapped in.
- →Shakehand is the most common grip worldwide and naturally supports strong forehand and backhand shots without needing an advanced technique.
- →Traditional penhold delivers a very strong forehand but a naturally weaker backhand, which is why reverse penhold backhand (RPB) technique exists.
- →Most players should start with shakehand and only consider penhold once they’ve played enough to know they want that specific tradeoff.
One thing worth clearing up first: “grip” in table tennis almost always means how you hold the paddle — shakehand, penhold, and a few less common variants. That’s a completely different topic from the physical rubber or foam sleeve wrapped around some paddle handles, which is a wear item you can replace separately and has nothing to do with which hand-hold style you use. This guide focuses on grip style, since that’s what actually shapes your game.
Shakehand Grip
The shakehand grip gets its name from holding the paddle handle the way you’d shake someone’s hand, palm and fingers wrapped naturally around the handle with the thumb and index finger resting lightly on either side of the blade. It’s the most widely used grip in the world and the standard recommendation for new players, since it naturally supports both forehand and backhand shots without requiring an advanced technique to compensate for a weak side.
- ✓Naturally strong on both forehand and backhand
- ✓The most common grip worldwide, easiest to find coaching for
- ✓Works well across offensive and defensive playing styles
- ✕Slightly less forehand power than a well-executed penhold in some styles
- ✕Takes real practice to develop full versatility despite being easier to start with
Traditional Penhold Grip
The penhold grip involves pinching the handle between the thumb and index finger, similar to holding a pen, with the remaining fingers curled against the back of the blade. It’s especially common among players from East Asia and delivers a very strong, precise forehand, since the wrist has a shorter, more direct path to generate spin and power on that side.
The tradeoff is the backhand: traditional penhold technique struggles to generate power on the backhand side, historically pushing penhold players toward an all-forehand style that covers as much of the table as possible with their stronger side.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re brand new to the sport, start with shakehand even if penhold looks appealing — it’s easier to develop a genuinely balanced game on shakehand first, and switching grips later is a much bigger technical reset than starting with the right one.
Reverse Penhold Backhand (RPB)
Reverse penhold backhand is a modern technique that solves penhold’s traditional backhand weakness, developed and popularized by top Chinese players over the past few decades. Instead of using the same side of the blade for both forehand and backhand the traditional way, RPB players flip the paddle to use the reverse side specifically for backhand strokes, generating real topspin and power that traditional penhold technique can’t match on that side.
RPB is genuinely advanced technique, not a beginner adjustment — it demands significant additional coordination and practice on top of already-solid traditional penhold fundamentals. Most players who use it have spent years developing traditional penhold first before adding RPB to their game.
Seemiller Grip
The Seemiller grip, named after five-time U.S. National Champion Danny Seemiller, is a shakehand variant where the index finger extends across the top of the blade rather than resting along the handle. This positioning allows for a distinctive quick-blocking and counter-attacking style, particularly effective against fast, close-to-the-table exchanges, though it restricts wrist movement enough to limit spin generation compared to a standard shakehand grip.
How to Hold a Shakehand Grip Correctly
Place the handle in your palm as though shaking hands, letting your fingers wrap naturally around it. Rest your index finger along the back of the blade for stability and control, and let your thumb sit lightly on the front side. The grip should feel secure but not tense — a death grip on the handle restricts the wrist movement that generates spin, which defeats the purpose of the grip in the first place.
How Long It Takes to Feel Natural
A new grip, or even refining an existing one, typically takes a few weeks of regular play before it stops feeling like a conscious effort and becomes genuine muscle memory. Don’t judge a grip adjustment by how it feels in the first session — nearly any change to something as fundamental as grip feels awkward at first, and that discomfort alone isn’t a signal you’ve chosen wrong.
Common Grip Mistakes
Gripping too tightly is the most common mistake across every grip style, restricting the wrist flexibility that generates spin and power. Holding too close to the blade limits reach and control; holding too far down the handle reduces stability and accuracy. The right balance point is specific to your hand size and playing style, which is exactly why trying a few grip variations early on is worth the time investment before settling into habits that are harder to unlearn later.
Table Tennis Grips and Blade Handle Shape
Blade handle shape interacts with grip style in a way worth knowing before you buy a blade. Shakehand players typically choose between FL (flared), ST (straight), or CS (concave straight) handles, purely a comfort preference that doesn’t change performance. Penhold blades use entirely different handle shapes designed around the pinch grip specifically, which is why a shakehand blade and a penhold blade aren’t interchangeable even though both are technically “table tennis blades.”
A Quick Recap
Shakehand is the standard starting point for the large majority of players. Traditional penhold trades backhand strength for forehand precision, and reverse penhold backhand solves that tradeoff at the cost of significant added technique. Seemiller offers a distinctive blocking-and-counter style at the cost of spin generation. None of these are objectively “best” — the right grip is the one that matches your playing style and the coaching resources actually available to you.
Grip Strength and Finger Positioning
Building genuine control with any grip style comes down to finger positioning more than raw hand strength. A relaxed, well-positioned grip generates more usable power through wrist snap than a tense, overly strong grip ever will, since a tight grip locks up exactly the wrist flexibility that produces spin. Players sometimes assume they need to grip harder to hit harder, when the opposite is usually true — loosening up produces faster racket head speed, not less control.
Switching Grips: Is It Ever Worth It?
Switching from shakehand to penhold, or the reverse, is a genuinely significant technical reset — essentially rebuilding your stroke mechanics from the ground up rather than a minor adjustment. It’s occasionally worth it for a player who’s hit a real ceiling with their current grip and has a specific, well-considered reason to switch, but it’s not a decision to make casually partway through developing solid fundamentals. Most players are better served refining their current grip’s technique than switching entirely.
Table Tennis Grips: Which Should You Actually Choose?
For the large majority of new players, shakehand is the right starting point — it’s the most widely taught, has the most available coaching resources, and builds a genuinely balanced game without requiring an advanced technique like RPB to compensate for a weak side. Penhold is worth considering specifically if you’ve already played enough to know you prefer an aggressive, forehand-dominant style, or if you’re training under a coach experienced in penhold technique specifically.
The Physical Handle Grip: A Different Topic
Separate from grip style entirely, some paddle handles are wrapped in a rubber, foam, or cork sleeve for comfort and sweat absorption — this is genuinely a different topic from shakehand versus penhold, even though both get called “grip.” That handle wrap is a wear item: it can get slippery with sweat over time and eventually needs cleaning or replacement, but swapping it doesn’t change which hand-hold style you’re using at all. If your specific paddle’s handle wrap is worn out, that’s a maintenance issue, not a decision about shakehand versus penhold.
Grip Style and Rubber Choice: Do They Interact?
Grip style and rubber choice are independent decisions, but they interact in practice. A shakehand player running different rubber on forehand and backhand gets to fully exploit that split, since both sides see regular, balanced use. A traditional penhold player relying heavily on forehand often gets more value concentrating budget on that one side’s rubber rather than splitting spend evenly across both, since the backhand simply sees less action in their typical style of play.
Caring for Your Handle Wrap
If your paddle’s handle does use a replaceable wrap material, wipe it down with a damp cloth after sweaty sessions and let it air dry fully before storing the paddle away. A handle that’s gone visibly slick or is cracking is worth replacing, since a slipping grip during a fast rally is a genuine safety and performance issue, regardless of which hand-hold style you use on top of it.
What is the most common table tennis grip?
Shakehand, held like shaking someone’s hand, is the most widely used grip worldwide and the standard recommendation for new players.
What’s the difference between shakehand and penhold?
Shakehand naturally supports both forehand and backhand; traditional penhold delivers a stronger forehand but a weaker backhand unless the player uses reverse penhold backhand (RPB) technique.
Is a paddle’s handle wrap the same thing as grip style?
No — handle wrap material (rubber, foam, or cork) is a physical wear item on the handle, completely separate from grip style (shakehand vs. penhold).
What is reverse penhold backhand (RPB)?
An advanced technique where penhold players flip the paddle to use its reverse side for backhand strokes, solving traditional penhold’s backhand weakness.
Should beginners start with shakehand or penhold?
Shakehand — it’s easier to develop a balanced game and has far more available coaching resources for new players.
How long does it take a new grip to feel natural?
Typically a few weeks of regular play before it stops feeling like conscious effort and becomes genuine muscle memory.
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Benjamin Fink is the founder and lead table tennis reviewer at PingPongReviewed. He has played competitive club table tennis for over 17 years, including national-level tournaments, and has personally play-tested hundreds of paddles, rubbers, blades, tables, and training robots.
Every recommendation he publishes follows the site’s hands-on evaluation process — see How We Test for the full methodology. When he isn’t reviewing gear, Benjamin coaches beginners and writes training guides to help recreational players improve faster.
