The Penhold vs. Shakehand Debate

"Coach He, who do you think will win today?"

Luo Zhihong seized the opportunity to sidle up to He Jingping and strike up a conversation in a low voice.

He had spent several years at the base with He Jingping. Despite his careful deference, there had never been much interaction between them, primarily because He Jingping had refused to engage.

Because they weren't well acquainted, he couldn't just call him "Coach He" with a familiar tone; he had to use the more formal "Coach He," adding a word to signify a greater degree of distance and respect.

Old Comrade Luo had a good plan today: if He Jingping wasn't going to come, then since he was here to watch the match, it would be unreasonable not to say something.

He Jingping, as expected, didn't refuse. Instead, he seemed quite enthusiastic, saying, "For today's match, we shouldn't focus on who wins or loses, but on the general trend… Little Luo, haven't you realized that this is a microcosm of the current debate between the penhold and shakehand grips?"

Luo Zhihong froze for a moment, then suddenly understood and blurted out, "That's right!"

In fact, the debate between penhold and shakehand grips had been present in the table tennis world for ten years.

China's table tennis initially rose to prominence with the penhold fast attack. Generation after generation of Chinese table tennis players used the traditional Chinese penhold fast attack to win countless gold medals internationally, boosting the national confidence of the Chinese people immensely. But from some point onwards, fewer and fewer people started practicing penhold, and a large number of shakehand players began appearing on amateur courts and professional circuits.

The shakehand style originated in Europe. Compared to the penhold grip, it was more balanced in terms of utilizing both sides of the racket and easier to generate power. Furthermore, it was much faster to learn than the penhold grip.

There was a saying in the table tennis community: "A year without leaving the house with a penhold, and you'll be beaten to death by a shakehand in half a year."

Of course, there was an even more miserable category: "Three years to get started with chopping!"

In short, as the International Table Tennis Federation continuously increased the standard size of the table tennis ball, the ball speed also decreased, placing more emphasis on power and spin. Consequently, the loop drive began to dominate, and the shakehand grip was perfectly suited for two-winged loop drives.

At the same time, as table tennis techniques continued to mature, numerous attacking methods were developed, and the penhold grip's predicament with its backhand became increasingly apparent.

The traditional penhold backhand push was gradually becoming insufficient to solve problems.

The newly created backhand loop with shakehand grip, however, suffered from being too difficult to practice and having a very low success rate.

Most importantly, in the major tournaments of the past decade, the world champions had almost exclusively been shakehand players.

Europe had completely lost its penhold players.

The Asian countries of Sakura Country and Kimchi Country still maintained a very thin bloodline of penhold players.

China's policy was even more extreme, directly requiring the national team to have at least one penhold player, who must be a singles player and not solely specialize in doubles.

Thanks to China's deep foundation in table tennis, by selecting from thousands of promising youngsters, they were able to produce a uniquely talented penhold player for every generation, desperately supporting the penhold lineage in the world of table tennis.

And the penhold representative of China's national team this year was Bai Feng, who lost to Hans Bayer last night.

"Wang Chao is the most spirited penhold player I've seen in years. He has brought the delicate play of a penhold player's forehand within the table to its fullest potential. Even his backhand loop with shakehand grip shows a bit of Bai Feng's flair. The only pity is his lack of power; he can't execute the forehand smash that penhold players are famous for."

He Jingping's tone carried a hint of melancholy. "If I had seen him seven years ago, I would have eagerly taken him on as my disciple."

Luo Zhihong nodded slightly.

As the head coach of the city team, his information was quite well-informed. He vaguely knew the truth behind He Jingping's resignation. He was simply shocked, wondering if Coach He's evaluation of Wang Chao was really that high.

"But don't you think Wang Chao is a bit old? He's already eighteen, and he didn't have professional training when he was young," Luo Zhihong still voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind for a long time.

He Jingping smiled and shook his head dismissively. "What does that matter? He's a genius!"

He paused and emphasized, "You think Wu Li is a genius, but I consider Wu Li merely talented. Wang Chao, however, is a genius whose talent is in no way inferior to Luo Jiu's!"

Luo Zhihong was speechless with shock.

"So, even if Wang Chao loses today, he shouldn't be discouraged," He Jingping said, sighing again with a hint of regret. "You know, for a genius like him, why does he insist on using a penhold grip?"

The implication was that if Wang Chao used a shakehand grip, it would be Wu Li who lost today.

Luo Zhihong was stunned again. He suddenly remembered that He Jingping was a staunch supporter of the shakehand playing style, and his disciple Luo Jiu had once been evaluated by the International Table Tennis Federation as "the controller of the most advanced two-winged loop drive technique with a shakehand grip."

At this moment, Old Luo understood everything.

He Jingping must have been itching for it.

His fear of misleading a disciple was probably just an excuse; his true regret was his disdain for Wang Chao being a penhold player…

Otherwise, Luo Jiu would likely have had a junior disciple by now.

As they spoke, several more rallies had already taken place on the court, and the score had become 4-1.

The entire match was extremely intense and exciting, with a level of play that almost seemed beyond a city team competition. However, after five points, Wang Chao was still being thoroughly suppressed.

Just as Liu Heng had summarized in the dormitory yesterday, his offense wasn't strong enough; he was too soft. No matter how he changed direction or deceived his opponent, he couldn't finish off Wu Li.

And after entering a long phase of sustained rallies, Wang Chao was always the first to break down.

It wasn't that his technique was insufficient, but rather his resilience was lacking. His physical fitness was still not enough to support him in continuously generating power during these high-intensity rallies.

However, Wu Li was also not having an easy time.

In fact, all five of the points that had passed were initiated by Wang Chao's attacks.

This was something that had almost never happened to Wu Li in the past few years.

Wu Li's offensive attributes were maxed out. Before today, everyone had described him as a player with nine parts offense and one part defense. But today, facing Wang Chao at full strength and full stamina, he was severely suppressed and couldn't find any opportunity to attack.

Every time, it was Wang Chao who found the first attacking opportunity.

But in the end, it was Wang Chao who lost the rally.

Wang Chao gained the advantage but couldn't score.

Wu Li scored but didn't gain the advantage.

Jiang Shan was so tense watching the match, his hands clenched together so tightly he wished he could rush onto the court, snatch Wang Chao's paddle, and smash a shot himself!

"Such a waste, such a waste... If it were me, with so many opportunities, I definitely could have beaten Wu Li!"

The little brat grumbled the whole time, barely pausing for breath.

"See that?" He Jingping said in a low voice. "Technically and tactically, he's completely superior. He's just lacking in physical fitness... but physical fitness can be improved. I guarantee, in three months, Wu Li won't be his opponent anymore."

Luo Zhihong could only sigh in admiration.

He had once thought Wang Chao wouldn't be able to beat Wu Li for at least three years, but the reality proved that the national-level coach's judgment was indeed sharper.

Wu Li, who usually favored an aggressive style, was playing a defensive counter-attack today. His most powerful offensive abilities were completely suppressed.

The score slowly climbed as Wang Chao gradually found some ways to score.

For example, not pushing the limits when changing direction, prioritizing keeping the ball on the table.

For example, occasionally using a whirlwind loop to disrupt Wu Li's rhythm.

For example, consistently pushing backspin balls short, engaging in a rally with Wu Li to see whose drop shot technique was more refined.

For example, occasionally pulling off a surprise shot.

5-1.

5-2.

6-2.

7-2.

7-3.

7-4.

8-4.

9-4.

10-4.

10-5.

10-6.

11-6.

The first game ended with the score finalized at 11-6. Despite Wang Chao's best efforts, he couldn't close the final gap.

However, it was also the first time in Wu Li's life that he was drenched in sweat after a game.

The pressure Wang Chao put on him was immense.

When he went to the cafeteria to challenge Wang Chao yesterday, he never imagined he would face such immense pressure.

On the surface, it was just an 11-6 score, a significant difference, even less close than the last two games of their previous encounter. But only Wu Li knew that he had played normally last time, while today he had definitely played beyond his limits.

To return Wang Chao's attacks that were almost entirely aimed at the corners, to chase down Wang Chao's unbelievable directional changes, he had to frantically move his body, his calf muscles starting to ache slightly, indicating the huge physical exertion of the game.

But he was relieved, a faint, involuntary smile appearing on his face.

He still remembered the harsh words Wang Chao had spoken in the cafeteria yesterday.

But now, even though he had won in a messy fashion, he had still won.

From now on, his stamina would definitely be greater than Wang Chao's, so the gap between them would only widen, and there would be no possibility of a comeback.

Today, he had fought Wang Chao fair and square, with Coach He Jingping watching live. If he could win 4-0, it should be quite convincing, shouldn't it?

Thanks to "Bad Guy Emperor" and "Clear River Flowing Clouds" for the monthly tickets, and thanks to "Autumn Wind Small Building" for the tip.

One chapter at 12 PM today, one chapter at 3 PM, and one chapter at 5 PM.