Whether your playing for recreation or competitive sports, knowing what ping pong paddles to buy can make or break your game.
Table tennis continues to be the top racket sport around the world because it provides hours of fun and a complete physical workout and challenges your skills.
Because much of your skills and strategy depends on your racket, deciding whether to buy a pre made or custom paddle or its individual parts requires some careful thought.
Here are some expert tips for choosing the correct ping pong paddles:
- Selecting rubber
Rubbers cover both sides of the paddle surface or blades and can be of various types:
Smooth inverted and sticky: These are the most preferred rubbers because they produce high speeds, powerful strokes and forceful spins for offensive plays.
Pips or pimpled rubber surfaces: These give faster and more direct shots, reverses the opponents spin for great defensive playing.
Anti-spin rubber: This is ideally used for defensive playing to reverse the opponent’s spins although most competitive players use a combination of anti-spin and long pips for better control of the game.
- Choosing the blade
Blades must be at least 85% natural wood. The rest of the blade can be made of composite materials like glass or carbon fiber. Carbon blades strengthen the blade and provide a larger sweet spot.
But beginners and recreational players may no longer feel confused when choosing the right kind of blades or materials as manufacturers now provide speed ratings to guide buyers in their selection. As a rule of thumb, a slower blade gives better control while a faster blade is good for offensive shots but has little control.
Over 70: this is a fast blade which is suitable for offensive players but offer less control.
50 – 70: is an all-around range that beginners and recreational players may also use.
Slower blades are for defensive plays because these provide better control.
- Choosing the sponge
In between the blade and rubber is a sponge layer between 1.2 mm to 2.5 mm thick. A thin sponge gives you better control while a thick one produces more speed but little control.
Recreational players can still buy pre made ping pong paddles for their convenience as these are increasingly manufactured using high quality materials. But if you are thinking of improving your game, investing in a custom racket is more cost effective in the long run because it is easier to replace rubbers as your skills develop.
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