This is one of the most frustrating situations for penhold players.
You watch videos.
You copy the professionals.
You practice multiball.
You spend months—or even years—working on your Reverse Penhold Backhand.
Yet somehow, it still doesn’t feel natural.
If this sounds familiar, let me tell you something I have learned after decades in table tennis:
Sometimes the problem is not your effort.
Sometimes the problem is the way the racket interacts with your hand.
Most Players Assume the Problem Is Technique
When an RPB shot breaks down, players usually blame themselves.
“My timing is wrong.”
“My swing path is wrong.”
“My wrist isn’t flexible enough.”
And yes, sometimes those things are true.
But after watching countless amateur players struggle with RPB, I noticed something interesting.
Many players were fighting their grip before they were even hitting the ball.
The Hidden Challenge of Traditional Penhold
Traditional Chinese Penhold is a brilliant design and has produced some of the greatest players in history.
However, it was not originally created around modern RPB play.
As a result, many players must constantly adjust the racket position when transitioning into an RPB stroke.
The hand rotates.
The fingers shift.
The racket angle changes.
Experienced players learn to do this automatically.
But for many club players, these adjustments become a constant source of inconsistency.
Every adjustment creates another opportunity for error.
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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Why Does RPB Often Feel Uncomfortable?
One issue that many players never talk about is finger discomfort.
I have heard the same complaint countless times:
“My index finger hurts after training.”
At first, this seems unrelated to technique.
But discomfort changes behavior.
When the index finger becomes sore, players unconsciously alter their grip.
The racket angle changes.
The contact point changes.
The stroke changes.
And suddenly, the RPB that felt good yesterday feels completely different today.
Comfort and technique are more connected than most people realize.
Thirty Years of Searching for a Better Solution
For more than 30 years, I have been thinking about how to make modern penhold play feel more natural.
Not easier.
Not magical.
Just more natural.
That journey eventually led to the development of the Su Style Tiger Claw.
Why Is the Su Style Tiger Claw Different?
One of my goals was to eliminate unnecessary adjustments.
Traditional penhold often requires a degree of rotational adjustment around the handle axis before reaching an effective RPB position.
With the Tiger Claw, I wanted the hand to arrive at an RPB-ready position immediately.
As a result, many players notice that the moment they pick up the racket, their hand naturally falls into a position suitable for RPB play.
Instead of constantly rotating and repositioning the racket, they can focus directly on the stroke.
I often hear players say:
“For the first time, I feel like I’m already holding the racket in an RPB position.”
That was exactly the goal.
Comfort Creates Confidence
Another major design priority was reducing finger pressure.
After countless revisions over the years, the handle evolved into a shape that many players find significantly more comfortable than traditional penhold designs.
When the index finger remains relaxed and comfortable:
- Grip stability improves.
- Stroke repetition becomes easier.
- Long training sessions become more enjoyable.
- Confidence increases.
And confidence is one of the most underrated parts of RPB development.
What Else Can Help RPB Feel More Natural?
Besides equipment, I usually recommend:
- Practicing RPB against slow topspin before increasing speed.
- Focusing on contact quality instead of power.
- Reducing excessive wrist movement.
- Recording your technique to identify unnecessary motions.
- Building consistency before chasing winners.
Sometimes players try to hit like professionals before they can repeat the same stroke ten times in a row.
Stability always comes first.
Final Thoughts
After decades of studying penhold techniques, I have become convinced of one thing:
If a player constantly feels uncomfortable holding the racket, technical improvement becomes much harder.
The Su Style Tiger Claw was designed to remove some of those barriers by creating a more natural, comfortable, and RPB-oriented grip experience.
Because when the grip feels right, the stroke often begins to feel right as well.
And for many players, that is the breakthrough they have been searching for.
—
Su Zhimin
Founder of SANWEI Sports
