Penhold grip in Table Tennis

Reviewer Thorough, credible, and well sequenced. This is the one to point beginners to.

Moderator Comprehensive and structured: grip fundamentals, Chinese-style bat differences, advantages/disadvantages versus shakehand, forehand and backhand technique detail, and combination drills. About as complete a penhold resource as exists in this batch.

Reviewer This is what real coaching looks like - specific, correct, and hard to find elsewhere.

Moderator A real coach correcting a real penhold player's push and loop mechanics live - standing position, contact timing, paddle angle, forearm vs upper arm use. About as squarely on-topic as this skill gets.

Reviewer The standout of this batch -- real depth, real tradeoffs, not just 'hold it like this.'

Moderator Entirely about the grip -- not just how to hold it, but why elite grips have shifted over the last generation (game got faster, backhand became ~70% of rallies), the mechanical difference between the old thumb-locked grip and the modern backhand-biased grip used by Ma Long/Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin, and the real tradeoff each choice creates for forehand wrist freedom. As deep and specific as this sub-skill gets.

Reviewer If you only watch one penhold grip video, make it this one.

Moderator This is the real thing -- large vs small clamp style, exact thumb/index/middle-finger placement, how the grip shifts between forehand and backhand attack, and a catalogue of common wrong grips with WHY they fail (can't rotate the racket, must compensate with wrist/elbow/shoulder). Precisely what a penhold-grip lesson should be.

Reviewer Best one in the batch - precise, structured, gives concrete guidance for newer players.

Moderator This is literally 'how to grip the penhold racket' - finger placement, the 50-50 balanced grip vs forehand/backhand-favoring adjustments. Exactly the sub-skill, nothing else.

Reviewer Catches a real, specific mistake unique to this grip.

Moderator Squarely penhold-specific: which finger (thumb, not index) to use for backhand preparation and why, plus the follow-through mechanics. Exactly the named skill.

Reviewer One of the best in the batch -- explains the mechanism behind the grip's advantages, backed by a real demonstration.

Moderator Entirely and explicitly about the penhold grip -- systematically compares its wrist range of motion to shakehand, explains how that translates into more spin and better disguise, covers leg/shoulder use for forehand power specific to penhold players, and demonstrates several backhand variations (chop-block, angle changes) enabled by the grip. Nothing here is off-topic.

Reviewer Thorough and correct -- covers the actual grip mechanics, not just grip trivia.

Moderator All penhold, all the way through -- history, variants, finger mechanics, how to adjust it for backhand blocking. Nothing off-topic.

Reviewer Specific, credible grip mechanics from an actual world champion -- a membership plug at the end doesn't take away from it.

Moderator Fully on-topic and from a highly credible source -- grip pressure points, how pressure differs between forehand and backhand, and how the grip supports fast transitions between them.

Reviewer Balanced, honest, and genuinely useful for choosing or understanding the grip.

Moderator Genuinely thorough on penhold specifically - hand position, curled vs flat fingers, wrist/spin advantage, no-crossover advantage, and the historical backhand weakness plus the reverse-backhand fix. Shares time with shakehand as an explicit, useful comparison.

Reviewer Clear, credible breakdown of what each penhold style is actually good for and why - worth it if you're choosing between them.

Moderator Exactly what 'Penhold grip' as a skill should mean - a direct comparison of Chinese-style vs Japanese-style penhold, focused entirely on grip structure and its consequences (how the racket face opens for backhand, blade thickness affecting spin). No detours.

Reviewer Strong technical breakdown from a credible source, though it gets more anecdotal toward the end.

Moderator Squarely about the penhold grip's advantages and disadvantages versus shakehand -- why the wrist freedom gives penhold forehand players a natural edge (hook, wipe, loop without a full reset), why backhand mechanics are the grip's real weakness, and concrete grip-tightness/wrist-mobility cues. Some closing commentary drifts into 'which grip suits which kid's personality,' which is softer and less technical, but the bulk is squarely on the grip itself.

Reviewer Good technical substance, just work to parse through the translation.

Moderator Centers on penhold-specific push and backhand mechanics, including the reverse-penhold-backhand variations and why penhold retains value in the amateur game. Squarely on topic despite the rough auto-dub phrasing.

Reviewer Clean, step-by-step teaching with real cues -- one of the more usable write-ups in the batch.

Moderator Consistently and specifically about executing the backhand block with the penhold grip -- elbow lift, wrist rotation to close the racket, 'block with your stomach' to absorb pace with the body, and how to adjust racket angle for incoming topspin vs. backspin. Grip mechanics are the throughline, not an aside.

Reviewer Clearly explained with real common-mistake coaching - useful.

Moderator Squarely about the push stroke as executed with the penhold grip - wrist control, contact point, common mistakes. On topic.

Reviewer Clear, structured, and specific - exactly what good serve coaching should look like.

Moderator Penhold-specific serve mechanics, tied directly to the grip's wrist flexibility. On topic and well specialized.

Reviewer Good insight if you can follow the translation -- dense and a bit disjointed.

Moderator A coach's technical breakdown of a specific elite penhold variant -- straight vs bent index finger, how that changes loop quality, serve spin, wrist rotation, and close-to-table control. Genuinely analyzing the grip's mechanics, at a very high level, comparing it to Wang Hao/Xu Xin's style.

Reviewer Good structure, real common-mistake coaching, clear cues.

Moderator Forehand loop specifically taught through the penhold grip, contrasted against shakehand. On topic, grip-specific application of a core stroke.

Reviewer Great for understanding grip variations, not a hands-on how-to.

Moderator Direct comparison of two elite penhold grip variations - straight-finger vs bent-finger, and how each trades off stability/power against wrist freedom/speed. Squarely about the grip itself and its variations.

Reviewer One good cue buried in a lot of personal story.

Moderator Personal account of developing both traditional and reverse penhold backhand, with named coaches and one concrete technique cue (start from the hip, rotate the forearm, add wrist, squeeze on contact). Squarely on topic, if narrative-heavy.

Reviewer Useful comparison of grip styles in principle, but almost all demo and very little spoken teaching.

Moderator Fully on-topic -- the entire video is comparing four penhold grip variants and their tradeoffs for forehand, backhand, and short game.

Reviewer Solid fundamentals-first teaching -- grip before you ever worry about the serve itself.

Moderator Squarely about grip mechanics for serving specifically -- exact finger placement, and a direct comparison of why penhold naturally opens/closes the racket face for spin more easily than shakehand without needing to rotate the wrist as much. Application is narrowed to serving, but the grip itself is the entire subject.

Reviewer The few cues given are correct, but there's a lot of silent demo and not much explanation.

Moderator Specifically about the reverse penhold backhand - a well-known, important penhold-specific technique. Squarely on topic where the transcript has actual narration.

Reviewer Interesting detail, but it stops right when it gets good.

Moderator Covers real grip specifics -- his modified index/thumb press on the rubber side for stability and wrist mobility, contrasted with Wang Hao/Xu Xin's straight-finger style -- but wrapped in biographical framing, and it cuts off right as it's about to get into pros/cons. Squarely about the grip topic, just brief and unresolved.

Reviewer Small but real fix -- worth the 30 seconds.

Moderator Specifically explains finger mechanics of the grip for backhand prep -- thumb vs index finger placement changes the racket angle, common error of using the index finger for prep causing too steep an angle into the net. Real grip-usage content, framed around one stroke.

Reviewer Good info buried in very messy, repetitive delivery.

Moderator This is real penhold grip correction -- thumb vs index finger pressure for different strokes, where to shave the handle, keeping the grip hidden in the palm. Genuinely about the grip, not just strokes in general.

Reviewer Useful if you're patient - it wanders, but the substance is there.

Moderator Covers penhold vs shakehand finger mechanics, wrist flexibility benefits, and penhold-specific serve applications (reverse pendulum). Genuinely about the grip and what it enables.

Reviewer Some genuinely useful penhold-specific tactics buried in a pretty disorganized delivery.

Moderator On-topic -- covers the two basic finger-support styles, experimenting with which fingers you support with, and rubber-side switching tactics specific to penhold play.

Reviewer What it teaches about penhold is accurate and honestly presents the tradeoffs, it's just half the video.

Moderator Covers penhold as one of two grips taught here, roughly half the video -- legitimate coverage but shared time with the shakehand grip, not exclusively about penhold.

Reviewer Specific, correct mistakes to check for — just wish it explained the fixes more.

Moderator Walks through five specific mistakes beginners make with the penhold grip — overusing the forehand, inconsistent strokes, wrist flicking, thumb control on the paddle. Squarely about this grip.

Moderator This is about how to actually hold the racket in penhold — thumb and index finger securing the handle. That's the grip itself, not a derived stroke or anything else.

Reviewer Good intro to the grip if you've never held a penhold racket before.

Reviewer When it gets to the grip, it's as good as it gets -- a world champion being specific about a real tradeoff.

Moderator Most of this transcript is Xu Xin talking through drop shots as a tactic -- a different skill. It does turn to the grip specifically toward the end: how forehand-biased vs. backhand-biased penhold players hold the paddle differently (higher up with two fingers braced for forehand power, smaller/lower for backhand feel) and the tradeoff each implies. That segment is squarely on this sub-skill; the rest isn't.

Reviewer Real corrections in here, but you'll have to dig for them.

Moderator Framed as a backhand lesson but grip correction is a constant thread throughout -- thumb/index positioning, how much of the racket should show in the palm, handle shaping -- which is central to penhold grip since grip directly gates backhand capability. Still clearly on topic, just blended with stroke execution.

Reviewer Good diagnostic coaching -- actually explains why the mistake happens, not just what to fix.

Moderator The core lesson is the backhand loop against backspin as a stroke -- elbow stability, forward force direction, racket angle at contact -- most of which applies to any grip. But it's repeatedly anchored back to penhold specifically (thumb pressure needed for backhand power, 'especially for penhold grip players this will hit the net'), so the grip isn't incidental, it's a recurring qualifier throughout.

Reviewer This is 'here's what I do,' not 'here's how to do it' -- even he's not sure his own grip is right.

Moderator On-topic -- a detailed personal breakdown of finger and thumb pressure points for forehand and backhand with the Chinese penhold grip.

Reviewer Useful if you're deciding between grips, though penhold gets less airtime here.

Moderator A comparison of the two main grips, including penhold — though the piece described here leans on explaining the shakehand side of that comparison.

Reviewer There's a good nugget on finger position in here, but you have to dig for it.

Moderator Mostly about backhand flick/counter/twist and serve-spin generation rather than the grip itself, but it does include a genuinely useful grip-mechanics segment (thumb press vs index-finger point changing shot type) buried in the middle. Overall more about strokes and serving than the grip as a topic.

Reviewer Explains 'why penhold' -- doesn't show you 'how'.

Moderator A direct comparison of the two grips and their tactical tradeoffs (wrist flexibility close to the table, deceptive direction changes, elbow coverage vs shakehand's balance and reach) -- squarely about penhold as a topic, even though it never shows how to physically hold the racket.