Is penhold still viable?

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Jpen no longer viable.
I'm sure you'll find exceptions, probably even a couple of top 100 international (if there are any at this point) or top ranking players within their own respective national scenes. Maybe someone will even post that video of the Japanese guy playing against Xia with a really powerful TBH loop but not every person is gifted with contortionism. One might say
"just practice" but what is good is practice when every session brings you closer and closer to arthitis + carpal tunnel syndrome?
The fact is Shakehand just has way more options that don't require you to repeatedly injure yourself.

Cpen while I feel is still viable needs a lot of adjustment to be able to execute all shots that Shakehand allows. Felix Lebrun is doing great now but he is also in near physical prime. He's quick enough on his feet to perfectly position himself for those RPB shots but I feel like his refusal to sand his blades adequately is holding him back from realizing full range of motion RPB strokes.

Penhold lost blood with service rule change
Jpen lost life with speed glue ban

Cpen + RPB is the only survival now, still a few here and there in China among provincial teams, but elite is really limited - say every 6 to 10 players, you will have 1 penholder or not even.
Very scarce in China.

I think for World Team Champs
France will have more penholders than China lol

 

[jbvttcc]

Jpen no longer viable.
I'm sure you'll find exceptions, probably even a couple of top 100 international (if there are any at this point) or top ranking players within their own respective national scenes. Maybe someone will even post that video of the Japanese guy playing against Xia with a really powerful TBH loop but not every person is gifted with contortionism. One might say
"just practice" but what is good is practice when every session brings you closer and closer to arthitis + carpal tunnel syndrome?
The fact is Shakehand just has way more options that don't require you to repeatedly injure yourself.

Cpen while I feel is still viable needs a lot of adjustment to be able to execute all shots that Shakehand allows. Felix Lebrun is doing great now but he is also in near physical prime. He's quick enough on his feet to perfectly position himself for those RPB shots but I feel like his refusal to sand his blades adequately is holding him back from realizing full range of motion RPB strokes.

Traditional Penholder (Jpen and traditional Cpen- both TPB) is a more challenging way to play, requiring more effort on several levels.
Those of us who choose to play this way know how satisfying traditional penholder shots can be 😀

 

[Ch3nM3ng]

Traditional Penholder (Jpen and traditional Cpen- both TPB) is a more challenging way to play, requiring more effort on several levels.
Those of us who choose to play this way know how satisfying traditional penholder shots can be 😀

Yes. More effort for lower quality shots. Not exactly a good tradeoff.
One might argue TBH punch is more powerful than its's RPB counterpart but the need to be in position 100% of the time leaving the FH side wide open just isn't worth it.
For modern play the ability to pull of shots out of position is more important.

 

[Ch3nM3ng]

So are you suggesting that all PH players must only play RPB and never (learn to) play TPB punch block at all ?

by sanding off the entire wing it's possible to free up wrist to allow for RPB punch block motion.
Although most players are never going to do that for fear of
"shifting the balance of the blade" like that's a bad thing.

But if it were RPB only that's a better alternative than TPB punch blocks only.

 

[brokenball]

c-pen is not only viable, it is natural. I play c-pen from time to time. It is different but it is still natural to me. I can play c-pen well enough to make people believe I am a c-pen player. I use TPB to cover my pocket area and to punch block. I use RPB to attack balls with top spin. This isn't an either do this or do that. Take advantage of all the options.

There is no force I can apply with c-pen that I can't with shake hands or visa versa. c-pen does let my use my wrist a little bit more. Another thing I do is change the position of my fingers behind the blade depending on the situation. I also like that my TPB covers my pocket area. I have a video where I play c-pen and use TPB and RPB in the same rally.