Table tennis is a very popular game which involves two or four players. It involves hitting a ball with a small table tennis bat over a table tennis table. As the rules are simple to understand and the gameplay is fast and exciting, this game enjoys an international appeal. This is why, table tennis tables have become a common sight in game rooms.
If you have invested in a table tennis table and are eager to learn the most basic shots, this guide will help you understand where to begin. Holding the table tennis bat in different ways gives you advantages during certain shots, and disadvantages during others. There is one particular grip that beginners can use to get an overall edge.
The basic grip
Once you hold the bat in your hand, the face which is the same side as your palm is the forehand side while the one behind it is the backhand side. There should be no fingers on the forehand face of your bat, while your index finger needs to rest on the backhand face, at an angle to the handle. Your thumb and other three fingers should be wrapped around the handle to come to the forehand side of the handle.
The top end of the handle should be gripped, instead of the bottom. This should leave very little or no space between your hand and the base of the bat. Ensure that the thumb should not be on the forehand face of the bat. Lastly, the space between your thumb and index finger should be in the same line as the edge of the table tennis bat.
Variations
Some people may change the correct grip to suit forehand or backhand shots. Placing a thumb in line with the handle, on the forehand face gives players much better control but it also sacrifices the ability to hit strong shots. Alternatively, players who keep some gap between the base of the bat and their hand (without the thumb on the face), can hit much harder forehand shots, although their spin control is sacrificed.
It is all a matter of balance and adapting to the opponent’s gameplay which will give you an edge in a table tennis game. The basic grip is a good place to begin, but as your game improves, you would need to adapt more specialized grips.
