Know how to grip the paddle. There are two commonly-used styles of gripping the paddle: the pen grip (penhold) and the shakehand grip. Regardless of how you grip the paddle, it's important to hold it loosely to allow your wrist to move freely. If your fist is clenched around the handle, most of your force for returns will come from your arm, not your wrist, and you won't be as accurate. Neither grip is rocket science: