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I am told that Asian grip (aka penhold or vertical grip) is superior to European grip (aka shakehand or horizontal)
Is this true and why.
Do you think Asian grip is far more versatile than European grip
Please note : This series of postings for best grips for specific strokes is not meant encourage you to switch to a different grip. Because every human has a natural grip that they can perform the best overall. For some it is European grip. For some it is Asian grip. American grip is a bit more complicated. I will explain this separately later.
So for most players it is a choice between Asian grip and European grip. Most Asian grip players can also play decent European grip but sadly the opposite is not true.

Fahriye wrote: ↑August 27th, 2026, 12:12 am I am told that Asian grip (aka penhold or vertical grip) is superior to European grip (aka shakehand or horizontal)
Is this true and why

Neither
Best grip for blocking is American grip
This was well demonstrated by Eric Boggan & Seemillers

In American grip both fingers are sort of on the back of the blade giving good support for the block making it stable especially against heavy spin loops.
Just try a few blocks yourself using both Seemiller grip and Eric grip

Hard backhand punch blocking with a side swipe from right to left (righthander) is also impossible to return

Eric had a modified grip that made the backhand block even stronger. Most non USA players made the mistake of going to his backhand thinking it is weaker and paid dearly

After American grip , Asian grip is the best for blocking as it does not suffer from Euro grip disease, the middle transition weakness between forehand and backhand