Jpen vs Cpen: Which is right for you

Today I'm going to give a few of my own personal observations between Japanese penhold (Jpen) and Chinese penhold (Cpen) in how they differ and which one is right for you.

This debate is an age old one with no correct answer. It's largely a matter of preference. I will occasionally switch between the two styles as I love how they both play.

I should point out that there are several combination types of Jpens & Cpens out there in terms of shapes and sizes. This is taking a look at them in their more traditional sense.

I'll start by comparing two blades I own.

Jpen: Nittaku Airuline 8.8 / Cpen: Stiga Clipper Classic

Nittaku Airuline 8.8

As you can see, the Nittaku has a more rectangular head and is designed to only have one side of the blade hit the ball. On the backhand, you perform a traditional penhold backhand (TBH).

Jpens typically have an oval shaped sweetspot.

Stiga Clipper Classic

The Stiga is more rounded and can have a rubber attached to the backhand side of the blade for executing the reverse penhold backhand (RPB).

Cpens typically have a round shaped sweetspot.

I've hit with multiple Jpens & multiple Cpens and one constant theme I see is this. Jpen hits with more power. Cpen hits with more spin. This is not to say you cannot spin it with Jpen nor hit power shots with Cpen. It is not an all or nothing situation. It is simply the impression I've formed over the years.

Here's why I think the two different type of blades play the way they do.

With Jpen, the elongated, narrow head provides a more oval sweetspot further out on that paddle. The blade head speed on the farthest tip is moving at a faster speed compared to closer to the handle. This creates massive speed & power when you contact the ball  further out. You also have the cork piece to wrap your index finger around. This provides me a hook, if you will, to swing the blade extremely hard with no thought or fear of the blade slipping out of my hand due to the centripetal force created during a swing. I've often described it as the feeling of hitting the ball with a baseball bat. The power and speed created is truly unbelievable. Lastly, given the hitting surface area, which is very long and not very wide, you have more margin for error swinging on a horizontal plane again providing further power with a direct, head-on contact.

With Cpen, the rounded head provides a circular sweetspot. You have more room given the width of the blade to swing on a vertical plane. With this stroke I tend to brush the ball more and thus greater spin is created. The power is still significant given the nature of penhold but the spin is much higher for me vs Jpen.

RPB Stroke

Cpen also opens the possibility for the RPB stroke which became popular in the 90s thanks to Liu Guoliang and later on perfected by Wang Hao (pictured right). For years the argument against penhold was the claim of a weaker TBH vs a shakehander's backhand. That changed with the advancement of the RPB and the ability to aggressively counter-drive and loop backhand shots.

Another thing I love about Cpen is the versatility it offers if you are a combination player. If you prefer the traditional backhand as I do, you can get creative with what rubber you put on the backhand side to make for a tricky, tactical game. You could play inverted on your forehand and long pimples on the backhand for example (could be any rubber of your choosing on the backhand side). This would free you up to perform a backhand stroke with your inverted TBH or long pips RPB. You could also learn to twiddle making the possibilities of types of shots at your disposal are almost endless.

In closing I will summarize it like this.

If you want to play a fully power, single winged attack, speed game, play Jpen.
(Makes for a great workout given the moving around you have to do.)

If you want to play a balanced two winged attack or tricky combination twiddle game, play Cpen.
(Duel inverted rubber on both sides is by far the most common style in today's game among processional penholders.)