Ping pong is an amazing sport that requires precise hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes. It takes skill to hit the ball and even more skill to hit the ball on the table. Basic skills to know are being able to serve the ball and being able to hit the ball on the other side of the net. This guide starts from the very beginning and teaches newcomers to ping pong on how to hold a ping pong paddle properly. It is important that beginners start with learning this because it gets more difficult to get used to a different grip as they become more skilled to the sport. So it is better to start off with a proper grip. Let's get started!

Things needed:
-A ping pong paddle
-Yourself

Step 1: Shakehand Grip

This grip is named the "Shakehand" grip because of the way the paddle is held. This grip is the most common and is a great start for beginning players. It gives the advantage of being able to perform backhands with ease. One disadvantage to this grip is that it has a wide crossover point between forehand and backhand, meaning that there is a large area where a player cannot hit easily with forehand or backhand without changing their position.

-The handle is gripped the same way a hand is gripped while shaking hands.
-The thumb, pinky, middle and ring fingers are wrapped around the handle while the pointer finger is laid out near the base of the rubber.
-The handle should be gripped firmly.

Step 2: Penhold Grip

This grip is named the "Penhold" grip because of the way the paddle is held. This grip is far less popular than the previous grip; the majority of penholders are Asian and about 1/3 of Asian ping pong players use this grip. It gives the advantage of being able to cover a wide area with backhand and forehand while in a stationary position. One disadvantage to this grip is that backhands are hard to perform. Even when mastered, backhands with a penhold grip are less powerful than backhands with a shakehand grip. Overall, this grip is harder to master.

-The handle is gripped similarly to holding a pen.
-Wrap the thumb and forefinger around the handle near the start of the handle.
-The other fingers can be laid out across the back to create a firmer grip. Or it can be kept together, so the fingers won't be in the way when using backhand.