The short version. Shakehand is the grip almost every coach in India teaches first, and it's what every racket we sell is built around. Penhold has genuine advantages — a stronger forehand loop, a more natural wrist snap — but a real disadvantage on the backhand that took decades of technique evolution to partly solve. Unless you have a specific reason to learn penhold, start shakehand.
How each grip actually works
Shakehand
You hold the handle the way you'd shake a hand — palm around the grip, one face of the blade for forehand, the other for backhand. Both sides of the blade are usable without changing your grip mid-rally, which is why it naturally produces a more symmetrical game: a shakehand player's forehand and backhand loops are built on the same wrist mechanics, just mirrored.
Penhold
You hold the blade the way you'd hold a pen, with the thumb and forefinger wrapped around the handle and the rest of the fingers curled against the back. Traditionally, only one face of the blade is used for both forehand and backhand strokes, which means the backhand side is played with the same face rather than flipping to a second one.
Why penhold's backhand is the real trade-off
The traditional penhold backhand is played with a wrist-flick rather than the same shoulder-driven stroke a shakehand backhand uses, and it produces meaningfully less power and reach. This was penhold's defining weakness for decades at the highest level of the sport.
The modern fix is the reverse penhold backhand (RPB) — using the back face of the blade for backhand topspin, which closes most of the power gap. It's a genuinely advanced technique, not something a first-time penhold player picks up naturally; it takes real coaching and practice to execute well, which is part of why penhold has become rarer at the beginner and intermediate level even in regions where it was once the default.
What each grip is naturally better at
| Shakehand | Penhold | |
|---|---|---|
| Backhand | Strong by default — full shoulder-driven stroke | Weaker without RPB; strong with it, but RPB takes real coaching |
| Forehand loop | Strong, standard technique | Often slightly more wrist snap and spin on the forehand |
| Close-to-table blocking | Solid, standard | Traditionally very strong — the grip's historical strength |
| Learning curve | What nearly every coach teaches first | Steeper if you want a genuinely two-sided attacking game |
| Equipment availability | Everything we sell is built around it | Same rackets can be held penhold-style, but no penhold-specific handles in our range |
Which one should you actually learn
If you've never held either: start shakehand. It's what nearly every coach in India teaches first, it produces a naturally symmetrical game without needing an advanced technique like RPB to be competitive on both wings, and it's what our own beginner racket guide assumes when it talks about grip.
Learn penhold specifically if you already have a coach teaching it, you're drawn to the close-to-table blocking and forehand-dominant style it naturally produces, and you're prepared to put in the extra work RPB requires to avoid a genuine backhand weakness. It's a legitimate, historically successful grip — it's just a harder one to be well-rounded with early on.
Does the grip change which racket to buy?
Not for the blade or rubber itself — every racket in our range works with either grip, since the grip is about how you hold the handle, not the blade's construction. What it does change is which side of a two-colour racket you'll favour and how quickly a heavier blade tires your wrist, since penhold's wrist-forward hold is more sensitive to weight than shakehand's fuller-hand grip. Our beginner racket guide already flags 170–180g as the point where weight starts working against a new player — that threshold matters slightly more if you're learning penhold.
Frequently asked
Can I switch grips later if I start with the wrong one?
Yes, but it's a genuine relearn, not a small adjustment — the two grips use different wrist and forearm mechanics on both wings. Most players who switch do it early, within their first year, before the muscle memory is deeply set.
Is penhold obsolete at the professional level?
No, but it's rarer than it once was. Reverse penhold backhand kept it competitive at the top level, but the extra technical demand it requires has meant fewer new players choose it starting out, especially outside East Asia.
Does the grip affect which rubber I should buy?
Not directly — rubber choice is about your playstyle (speed, spin, control) more than your grip. See our intermediate rubber guide for that decision separately from grip.
Do you sell penhold-specific blades?
We do not currently carry a dedicated penhold blade. Chinese penhold handles are shorter than standard shakehand handles. Check the handle style before ordering; holding a shakehand blade differently does not make it the same design. See Butterfly's handle guide for the shapes.