TigerWing Style Gains Global Reach Among Table Tennis Players – As of April 2026, the TigerWing playing style has expanded across 14 countries worldwide

TigerWing Style Gains Global Reach Among Table Tennis Players

As of April 2026, the TigerWing playing style has expanded across 14 countries worldwide, reflecting its steady growth from a local innovation in New Zealand to a globally recognized technique. TigerWing’s marketing presence now includes Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Serbia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. This international reach indicates that both amateur and professional players are increasingly adopting the TigerWing approach, making it one of the most talked-about technical styles in modern table tennis.

The TigerWing style and grip, created by coach and innovator John Ho, is unique – regular forehand, long pips backhand but also a normal rubber ‘reverse shakehand backhand (RSB), and often caused confusion for opponents at the outset of a match. A TigerWing style player is not only a two-winged looper but also a long pimple monster on the backhand-side. He has a Japanese-pen-holder-like racket and switches inverted and long pips with a modified shakehand grip and plays seemiller-like style (changing inverted rubber and long pimple randomly and freely) on the backhand.

Public recognition of TigerWing began accelerating after it appeared in major international competitions. At the 2024 ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge in Paraguay, and 2025 WTT Youth Contender in San Francisco II, USA, New Zealand’s promising athlete Eli Ho (September 2025, Clinched the youngest Men’s Singles title in New Zealand Open Championships history at the age of 13) captured global attention with his TigerWing-inspired performance, securing remarkable victories that demonstrated the method’s competitive edge at youth level. This success laid the foundation for broader interest in TigerWing’s technical system among coaches and junior programs internationally.

By the 2025 ITTF World Youth Championships, Eli Ho’s participation under the TigerWing banner made the style’s influence undeniable. The event showcased not only his skill but also the distinctive tactical features that separate TigerWing athletes from traditional play patterns. With media coverage highlighting this new approach, the style’s visibility expanded well beyond New Zealand’s domestic scene.

Today, TigerWing’s presence across continents shows that the style has moved from concept to culture—embraced by amateurs refining their fundamentals and professionals looking for adaptive control. Its spread across 14 active markets underscores the power of innovation in sport when combined with passionate advocacy and proven results on the global stage.