Start with the conclusion

Choosing shakehand or penhold isn’t about picking “the more advanced one.” It’s about picking the power chain that fits you.

What the pros use shouldn’t be your main reference. Your feel, your body, and the style you want to build are what matter. A lot of beginners get this backwards — they stare at the champion’s racket but forget that racket grew out of a decade and a half of specialized training, not the other way around.

This article won’t pick for you. It just lays out the underlying logic you need to decide.

What actually differs: not the grip, the power chain

On the surface, shakehand is “shaking hands” and penhold is “holding a pen” — just two ways to hold. The real difference is the power chain, the path force travels from your feet to the racket. Over years of play, that path shapes your habits and your limits.

Shakehand (handshake grip)

The handle sits in the web of the thumb; you use the same rubber for forehand and backhand, switching by rolling the wrist and forearm. The power chain runs foot → hip → forearm → wrist as one smooth line; switching sides is cheap, and you can reach the backhand corner comfortably, covering more table.

Simply put, shakehand is like “a tool that fits either hand” — forehand and backhand are both ready, you just turn the body.

Penhold (pen grip)

You pinch the handle between the web and the index finger, like holding a pen. The forehand is crisp and the wrist extremely alive, giving a natural edge in close-to-the-table attack and touch play. Traditional penhold covers the backhand with a push block, covering less table; modern penhold fills the backhand with a reverse stroke, but that’s a later story with a steeper learning cost.

Penhold is like “a pen that fits your hand perfectly” — the forehand side writes beautifully, but the range it reaches is a notch smaller than shakehand’s, and the backhand side needs its own solution.

Two lines to sum it up: shakehand wins on balance and table coverage; penhold wins on forehand feel and close-table speed. Neither is stronger; they’re two different ecosystems.

Where each feels at home

There’s no “beats everything” grip, only “fits your style better.”

  • Shakehand feels better if you: like a two-wing balance, defense-to-counter, mid-and-long-distance rallies; or you don’t want to spend much thought on the backhand and would rather pour energy into the forehand; or you’re starting as an adult and want a gentler learning curve.
  • Penhold feels better if you: came up on close-table attack, use the forehand heavily, and have a naturally lively wrist; or you grew up in a penhold circle where the coach plays penhold and the gear and coaching are already there.

Note the word “better,” not “stronger.” Both grips reach very high levels; the only difference is your personal feel and growth path.

Three common myths

Beginners trip on these three lines constantly. Let’s take them apart.

Myth 1: “Penhold is obsolete.”

It’s true penhold is a smaller share of the pro field. But plenty of amateurs play it strongly. Penhold hasn’t vanished; it’s just no longer the single mainstream. Calling a still-active, style-capable grip “obsolete” is both unfair and likely to steer the wrong person away from their path.

Myth 2: “Shakehand is easier to learn.”

Shakehand’s symmetric forehand and backhand feels “natural” to beginners because it doesn’t force you to solve the backhand immediately. But the demands on wrist control and a connected power chain are just as high — many shakehand players go years without ever powering the forehand, because the chain breaks between hip and wrist. Penhold, by contrast, often builds the forehand faster, since the wrist’s liveliness turns straight into threat.

So “easy” depends on which part you mean: shakehand’s entry slope is gentle, penhold’s forehand grows fast. Each has its own hill.

Myth 3: “Copy whoever wins the title.”

Ma Long plays shakehand, Xu Xin plays penhold — their achievements rest on specialized training, physique, and a tactical system, not on the grip itself making them strong. The champion’s racket in untrained hands won’t magically deliver a champion’s feel. Borrowing someone else’s result as your starting point is a common source of racket anxiety.

Decision checklist: self-check on four dimensions

Take a piece of paper, or just run these four through your head.

① Feel. Go to a hall, pick up both a shakehand and a penhold, and swing a few times. Which makes you feel “this grew on my hand”? That first bodily instinct is often more accurate than any analysis. Don’t dismiss it — the power chain has to mesh with the body, and “feels right” is the beginning.

② Age you start at. For a child’s first lessons, either grip works — what matters is what the coach teaches and what the local circle plays. For an adult starting out, shakehand’s entry slope is usually gentler, with more gear and teaching available. Not a rule, just the more likely easy road.

③ Playing goal. Want close-table attack, a forehand-heavy game, sharp and aggressive? Penhold fits. Want two-wing balance, able to defend and attack, fond of rallies? Shakehand fits. Decide “what kind of player do I want to be” first; the grip is the result, not the start.

④ Environment and people. Which grip dominates the hall you frequent, the coach and partners you train with? Early on, follow the mainstream — gear is easy to buy, form gets corrected, questions get answered. Once you’ve formed your own opinions, switching is fine.

If two or three of the four clearly point the same way, the answer is there. If all four sit dead center and nothing feels different — then the grip doesn’t matter much to you yet. Just pick one and start playing; that matters far more than the agonizing.

After you choose: notes for each grip

Once the grip is set, the roads diverge.

  • Shakehand: the rhythm of grip tension is key. Many shakehand players can’t generate power because they “clench” the palm, breaking the chain at the hand. For how to actually hold it, see How Tight Should You Grip the Racket?.
  • Penhold: the forehand feel builds fast, but the backhand (traditional block or reverse) is a long-term project. Don’t rush to patch the weakness; build the forehand first.
  • Either way: choose blade and rubber by your power level, not by chasing pro setups on day one. The thinking is in How to Choose a Blade and Where the Money Goes First; concrete pairings in A Playable Racket for $15–45.

One closing line

Can’t settle the grip? It won’t stop you from starting.

Most beginners won’t feel the essential difference between shakehand and penhold for the first three months — the power chain hasn’t grown yet, so “which fits better” is premature. Once your body has memory, the way you play will tell you the answer.

Getting rallies going matters more than picking the right grip. It’s the same point Getting Started for New Players makes — “spend the first thirty days just getting rallies out”: gear is an accessory, the person is the mainstay.