This is a question that many penhold enthusiasts ask me:
“Mr. Su, Chinese Penhold has produced so many great champions. Why do fewer young players choose it today?”
After spending more than 30 years designing penhold blades and talking to players around the world, I don’t think the answer is that Chinese Penhold is outdated.
I think the answer is much simpler.
For many beginners, it is harder to learn comfortably.
Chinese Penhold Is Powerful, but It Has a Higher Learning Curve
One of the greatest strengths of Chinese Penhold is how naturally it supports forehand play.
The blade feels closely connected to the hand, allowing excellent touch, quick reactions, and explosive attacks close to the table.
These advantages have never disappeared.
However, modern players also expect much more from a racket than they did thirty years ago.
They want to play RPB confidently.
They want to switch quickly between forehand and backhand.
They want to train for hours without discomfort.
This is where many players begin to struggle.
Small Discomfort Becomes a Big Problem
When I watch club players practice, I often notice something that coaches rarely talk about.
Many players are not giving up because the techniques are impossible.
They are giving up because the grip never feels comfortable.
Traditional Chinese Penhold handles can create pressure on the index finger, especially during long practice sessions.
At first, it feels like a small irritation.
After hundreds of strokes, it becomes finger pain.
Once that happens, the body naturally tries to avoid the discomfort.
Players unconsciously change their grip.
They hesitate to hold the racket the way they should.
Little by little, bad habits begin to replace natural movement.
Sanwei Su Style Tiger Claw
- ITTF Approved: Fully compliant with ITTF regulations, the Sanwei Su Style Racket is certified for use in any level of table tennis competition, ensuring you stay competitive and compliant with official standards.
- Ultimate Pen-Holding Solution: Specifically engineered for pen-hold players, the Su Style Racket offers unmatched comfort and control, addressing the unique needs of pen-hold enthusiasts.
- Ergonomic Swing Design: Utilizing ergonomic principles, the traditional CS handle is transformed to align the racket face parallel to the palm. This design reduces strain and enhances the natural swing motion, providing better control and precision.
- More structures are available for selection.
- The handle design has been updated to make it more comfortable
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Modern Penhold Requires Even More Grip Changes
Another challenge is RPB.
Compared with traditional forehand play, modern RPB often requires more precise grip transitions.
For experienced players, these adjustments become automatic.
For beginners, they can feel complicated.
Many players spend more time adjusting the racket than concentrating on the ball.
That slows down learning and reduces confidence.
Why I Developed the Su Style Tiger Claw
For more than three decades, I kept asking myself one question:
Can we keep everything people love about Chinese Penhold while making it easier to learn?
That idea eventually became the Su Style Tiger Claw.
One of the most important changes is the thenar support, which gives the base of the thumb a secure place to support the racket.
Instead of relying mainly on finger pressure, the palm and the handle work together to create a more stable grip.
Another feature is the angled index-finger platform.
By increasing the contact area of the index finger, pressure is spread over a larger surface instead of concentrating on one narrow edge.
The result is a grip that many players find significantly more comfortable during long training sessions.
When the hand is comfortable, it becomes much easier to maintain a correct and repeatable grip.
And when the grip is repeatable, high-quality strokes become repeatable as well.
Innovation Should Preserve Strengths, Not Replace Them
I never wanted to change Chinese Penhold into something else.
Its fast forehand, delicate touch, and unique playing style are exactly what make it special.
My goal was simply to remove some of the obstacles that discourage modern players from learning it.
If a player can enjoy the advantages of Chinese Penhold without constantly fighting discomfort, I believe more people will be willing to give it a chance.
Final Thoughts
People often ask me whether Chinese Penhold is disappearing.
I don’t think so.
I believe it is evolving.
Every generation of players has different expectations, and equipment should evolve with those expectations.
The Su Style Tiger Claw is my answer to that challenge—not by changing the spirit of Chinese Penhold, but by making its strengths easier to experience for today’s players.
Because when a racket feels comfortable from the very first session, players are far more likely to stay with it, improve with it, and discover just how exciting Chinese Penhold can be.
—
Su Zhimin
Founder of SANWEI Sports
