Site Products
Coach Truong Tu

Ask The Experts: Truong Tu, No. 406

Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:  I am looking to upgrade my racket setup to match my play style. I play with the Chinese or hold grip and do use the backhand to impart a backhand smash and an occasional flick. I use the front primarily and have found I tend to focus heavily on spunky serves and then prefer to attack but like to use spunky returns as well. What do you recommend? I do not have a Chinese penhold blade and am interested in getting one but do not know if it would benefit me.

Answer: 

image004

This Ask the Experts question was answered by Truong Tu. Truong plays at the Silicon Valley Table Tennis Club in San Jose, CA. Coach Tu’s response is as follows:

Hi Isaac,  Per your description, your game is heavily based on serve and attack as well as tricky return to setup your attack.  Therefore, I would recommend an actual penhold blade that will free your wrist more to create more spin and flexibility on your serve and return.   You can use the Innerforce Layer ALC.S CS blade which has 5 plies of wood for control and spin, plus two plies of Arylate/Carbon for power when you attack, both forehand and backhand.  
 
Best of luck, 
 

Contact our Experts with your table tennis equipment question.

Latest News

The O’Neill Op-Ed + A Smarter Spin on Club Growth

June 12, 2025
(by: Major League Table Tennis) Thursday, June 12 O’Neil Op-Ed | SPINDEX Challenge Nights | Official MLTT Jersey  INTRODUCING: The O’Neil Op-Ed 📝 … Read More

The USA Junior National Team Trials II – Championship Recap

June 12, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports Team) The excitement was palpable at the 2025 USA Junior National Team Trials II held… Read More

Rachid El Bou Bou Carolina Pong Highlights

June 12, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Rachid El Bou Bou is in action at the… Read More

Faster Wrist Snap

June 11, 2025
Forehand topspin against backspin that comes half long to Forehand (imagine 2nd ball bounce is slightly behind the… Read More

My First World Championship Experience In Doha – By Sally Moyland

June 10, 2025
(by Sally Moyland) Wow…so many flags. On every post we drove past there was a Qatari and an… Read More

Most Competitive Matches Are Won or Lost on Two Things

June 9, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Between players of roughly equal levels, matches are almost always won or lost on one… Read More

Contact the Ball Closer to the Net

June 9, 2025
1 Backhand drop shot from short Backhand to short wide Backhand and 1 Forehand drop shot from short… Read More

MLTT Featured Team: Princeton Revolution

June 8, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) The Princeton Revolution are hoping to fire a shot that will be heard around the… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.