How to jam a penholder

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Most tactics involve hitting to the wide corners or the oppenents playing elbow to try to jam them. I understand that aiming for the playing elbow might be ideal for jamming a shakehander, but I'm not quite sure if that's the same for penholders.

I'm wondering if you guys could help explain the best general areas to aim for to jam traditional penholders and RPB penholders.
 
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I play most of my BHs TPB (so traditional) but also have inverted back there for a more attacking RPB when I need it.

If the person plays TPB, it'll be really hard to jam them. That crossover point on the hip you'd normally aim at just doesn't work. That's an easy TPB block. That being said, if they're a TPB, you should likely be aiming to their far wide BH testing that TPB anyways so don't worry about the crossover.

If they play almost exclusively RPB, a lot of younger penholders will, then it's just like shakehand. Aim for that hip in the crossover point. That's awkward for me to try to reach that with RPB. They'll most likely try to step around that and hit it with the FH... But that puts them wide of the table and your next shot should have one side wide open.

As for what I'd do if I were you? don't forget about a deep push deep to their BH. That's a tough shot to open up on. I'm guessing most will push that ball back but if they want to open up on that either with TPB or RPB, let them. See how many times they can keep doing it. If they can, just be ready to counter that topspin back. But the first hit on their part is a difficult open up. I'm guessing you'll get some freebie errors there.
 
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Good question.

The crossover point for penholders (where you jam someone, in other words, where it is not clear to the opponent if they should use a forehand or a backhand) is more to the side than it is for most shakehanders.

Where you jam a SH player for most orthodox (forehand dominant) players it is a little outside of their right hip (for right-handed players).

Importantly, a penholder (especially Chinese PH blade) will usually handle that easily. For those players you need to go significantly further to the right side, maybe just a little to the right of their elbow, usually about halfway towards their hand.

A SH player with a grip that normally favors the BH side ( a grip sort of like Kong Linghui or Grubba) will be a bit like a PH player in that respect but the crossover is not quite as far over.

Eric Owens taught me once to always figure out in the warm up from how the opponent holds the paddle where the likely crossover point is and he emphasized it is not the same for everyone and depends on their grip. Also very easy to figure out (once you grasp the whole importance of their grip).

Edit added. For RPB players it is the same thing I mentioned above because they can and will use a traditional PH backhand if they need to block an attack.
 
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There's an age-old tactic called "調正壓反" in Chinese that involves moving the opponent to the wide FH and then putting pressure on the BH to force a weak return.

Effective even on those with RPB since penholders tend to stand more to the BH side.

Look up Oh Sang Eun and Kenta Matsudaira against penholders. Textbook execution.

 
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