Table Tennis Racket

Top tips to help you choose your ideal table tennis racket.
Part one - the basics.

Table Tennis Racket   |   Table Tennis Blade   |   Table Tennis Rubber

Table Tennis Glue   |   Table Tennis Racket Case

If you're looking for advice on buying a table tennis racket, you're in the right place. I've been playing table tennis since 1971, and during that time I've built up a wealth of knowledge which I'd like to share with you.

Let's begin with the name ...

  Racket, paddle or bat?

Whether you call them table tennis rackets, table tennis paddles, table tennis bats, ping pong rackets, ping pong paddles or ping pong bats ...
we're talking table tennis equipment.

The Official Laws of Table Tennis refer to the table tennis racket, so I'll be using that term from now on.

If you use the term ping pong, you might be interested in my article about the difference between table tennis and ping pong.

OK, before we go too far, let's deal with one popular question ...

  Can a table tennis racket be of any size?

The official rules state that a table tennis racket may be of any size, shape or weight, but that the blade must be flat and rigid.

However you'll find that most rackets are actually all very similar in size - about 15cm (6 inches) across and 25cm (10 inches) long including the handle.

Are you clear about ...

  What is a racket?

A table tennis racket is made up of two distinct parts - a wooden blade which incorporates the handle with table tennis rubbers affixed to each side of the blade using special table tennis glue.

Because there are so many different types of table tennis rackets available, you may find it difficult to choose the right one for you.

So let me help you choose your ideal table tennis racket.

 

First, you'll need to decide ...

  Should I buy a ready-made or a customised racket?

Although you can go to your local sports store and buy a ready-made table tennis racket, I wouldn't recommend buying one.

The main problem with this type of racket is that you don't know how long it's been in the packet, and table tennis rubbers deteriorate with age and exposure to light, even if they've been kept in a sealed packet.

This type of racket is therefore only suitable if you're just looking for a cheap racket that you and all your friends can share.

But if you're serious about playing table tennis ...

I'd recommend ...

Buying each element of your table tennis racket from one of the numerous big brand table tennis equipment suppliers such as Butterfly, Stiga, Donic or TSP etc.

Most of these suppliers provide a racket review or racket ranking chart to help you make comparisons between the different blades and rubbers they sell.

 

But, before you buy - the most important question is ...

  What style of play do you have?

Before you can decide which racket is best for you, you'll need to consider your style of play.

Do you have an attacking / offensive style of play or are you a more defensive type of player?

Maybe you're neither one nor the other - perhaps you've developed a counter-attacking style?

 

When you know what your own style of play is, you'll be ready to consider the next stage ...

... what type of table tennis blade do you need?

continued ...

Table Tennis Racket   |    Table Tennis Blade   |   Table Tennis Rubber

Table Tennis Glue   |   Table Tennis Racket Case

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