Idris asked 4 years ago
Hi Tom,
Love your videos. Im quite new to table tennis and have previously played with an outdoor bat.
I recently purchased the Bribar All Round Professional and the bat feels a little odd in my hand, and sometimes a little painful. I appreciate its a new bat and need to get used to it but perhaps I’m doing something wrong when holding it
I watched your video and can’t quite work out what you mean by V in the grip and leaving a gap??
Could you perhaps elaborate?
Thanks
Tom Lodziak Staff answered 4 years ago
Ideally you should have your thumb loosely touching the bottom of the rubber on your forehand side and your index finger loosely touching the bottom of the rubber on the backhand side.
If you do this, you should have a little gap between the edge of the blade and the soft part of skin inbetween your thumb and index finger. It’s a little tricky to explain, so I recommend watching this video where coach Mark Mitchell explains in greater detail: How to improve your table tennis grip
If you find the edge of the blade is a little sharp and uncomfortable, then you can make it smoother with some sandpaper.
Ultimately you need to use a grip which you are comfortable with. So even if your grip is not exactly like how Mark describes in the video, it’s not a disaster. I have my hand a little higher up the handle, which seems to suit my style of play.