Felix LeBrun and Qiu Dang on Grip and Balance: A Chinese Penhold Deep Dive
Qiu Dang recently switched blades, moving from his old Boll ALC penhold special to the Viscaria penhold special. Because the two blades have different head sizes — the Boll ALC penhold is 161 x 150 mm, the Viscaria penhold is 158 x 150 mm — I wondered at the time whether he was chasing extra speed. A smaller head makes forehand and backhand topspin loops feel lighter and allows faster transition between strokes. For his style, which really demands connection speed, the logic made sense.
Of course, we are reasoning from retail spec. A top player’s custom-order blade head may differ from what is sold to the public.
From the late 1950s through the 1980s, Chinese players essentially all used the Chinese penhold grip. Those blades tended to have larger heads. Japanese brands later used those old blades as the template when they began manufacturing and selling large-head Chinese penhold blades.
Around the mid-1990s, some Chinese penhold players began using rubber on the back of the paddle and played well with it. To keep overall racket weight manageable, brands gradually trimmed the head size slightly to reach what we see today. Even so, it is still a bit larger than a shakehand blade.
Felix LeBrun: “Weight and Balance Matter Most”
Despite what he says, Felix’s racket is not light — his assembled paddle weighs 92 grams.
He says the Felix Tibhar blade head is on the larger side, but he finds that manageable and actually likes the balance. The blade dwell time is good, and he is drawn to its “spring” feeling. Among inner arylate-carbon blades it is genuinely one of the livelier options.
His grip: both the thumb and index finger are seated quite “deep” on the blade, and the fingers on the back form a circle, which allows the wrist to move freely. LeBrun emphasizes this strongly — he says it is to maximize wrist use in order to handle receives and create variety on short balls.
He slightly beveled the blade shoulder so it does not dig into his hand. His rubber application is also unique — he covers the entire hitting surface, edge to edge.
For reference, here are representative blade head sizes and handle dimensions from various brands, sourced from Takkyuu Kingdom magazine.
Qiu Dang: “I Like the Weight Forward”
Late last year, Qiu Dang mentioned that he has no particular preference for handle shape. He tested the various Chinese penhold handle styles that Butterfly offers and found them all comfortable. But he does prefer a heavier blade with the balance point toward the head — which he finds helps with attacking play.
Blade selection is entirely personal. The custom B-Horse KLC penhold, for instance, has a head size close to the Xu Xin Blue Label and a balance point slightly toward the head, making forehand and backhand topspin loops feel more powerful. But some players prefer a more centered balance, in which case they should look at blades with a thicker handle or a slightly smaller head.
Qiu Dang’s grip: the thumb is also seated fairly deep, the index finger hooks around the handle. The fingers on the back are neither extended nor tightly curled — somewhere in between. He reportedly modeled this after Wang Hao’s grip.
