OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hey all,

My modern defender coach says I choke up too high on my grip. He suggests I loosen my grip, and actually slide down the handle a bit. Do any of you fellow choppers grip the paddle in this way?

I tried to find pics of pros and their grips....

Chtchitine does:


Joo does not:


Chen does not:


Thoughts? Seems like most pros do not.

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Imho, Your coach suggestion half right, but not wrong.

If when chopping You can loosen your grip, You can use the blade whole flexibility and vibration to absorb opponent ball speed, and prolonging “ball impact duration" / dwell time

Longer grip means longer chop path and more flexibility, but, come on, I dont think a ball length difference is really that matter when chopping.

And loosening or tightening grip when chopping do have some effect on ball return speed.

The more you go down the handle, the more wrist you will get into the shot= more spin; however, you will also have less control. also your chop may tend to carry a little more side spin and be a little more difficult for your opponent to track assuming you can hit the table.

Ian

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Jap, I think you don't need to change your grip (like the pro's examples illustrate), but you need to loosen your grip for the reasons BeGo explained. Loosening up, however, is a matter of psychology and not something you can control. In contrary, trying to control it will make it worse. Just try to enjoy the game, place that nervous feeling next to you, don't be afraid to play your shots and your grip will loosen automatically.