How to select blades and balls for table tennis

Table Tennis Blades

A lot of factors influence which blade you should go for. Things like weight of the blade, layers and balance reflect your style of playing. We explain each of these features in detail.

Weight

The weight of the table tennis blade you use is very crucial as it’s a reflection of your playing level. Ideally, you should opt for heavier blades as more the weight, higher is the speed and force with which you hit the ball. Lighter blades are easier to hold and swing and control but will not offer as much speed as a heavy tennis blade would.

One of the ways in which a blade becomes heavier is when manufacturers opt for a larger head size. A larger head size ensures that the center of gravity is not close to the handle. In terms of performance, there is not a big difference between a larger or a smaller head size for the blade except its impact on the overall weight of the blade. Since, speed is the most important element in table tennis, opting for a stiffer, heavier blade with less flexibility is the best way to speed up your game.

Balance

The balance of table tennis blades is the best reflection of your playing style and your preferences. Depending upon whether you want to opt for spin and speed or control, whether you play offensive or defensive the balance of your blade changes.

For loopers and hitters, the offensive players in table tennis, the preference is always speed and spin. Blades with their center of gravity in the head of tip of the blade offer that. Mostly, such players opt for head-heavy blades.

But there are also blockers and for such defensive players, control comes first. Any blade with the center of gravity in the handle offers far greater control than other blades.

The standard handles for table tennis blades are penhold and shakehand. If you have a stronger forehand go for flared handles as they ensure a better grip. Straight handles offer greater flexibility and are easier to flip.

Layers

The material used in making the layers of your blade and the number of layers in your blade can give your blade a variety of features. While most of the blade is made of wood, in keeping with international standards, some blades feature layers of materials like carbon and aralyte. When carbon layers are added to your blade, the quality of blade increases greatly. Carbon enhances the speed of the blade by making it stiffer and adds spin. Aralyte adds spin too, by increasing the sweet spot of the blade.

The number of layers a blade can have varies between 1 to 7, though no specific number is known to affect the game drastically. The material used in the layers is of more importance in terms of having an impact on your game rather than the number of layers.

Table Tennis Balls

In table tennis, balls are ranked in a 3-star scale. The ranking system of the table tennis balls makes it really easy to tell which one suits which playing level. Balls with 3 stars are the top quality balls made for professional and advanced players. They’re perfect for rally drills. 2-star and 1-star balls are less durable and not as well performing as 3-star balls, so only if you’re an absolute beginner should you opt for these. For children and recreational playing, there are training balls available.

The 1-star and training balls usually are softer but the 3-star balls are made for the intensity of advanced table tennis and long rallies.

One way to ensure the durability of your table tennis balls is to keep them in a cool and dry place. Table tennis is an indoor game and unnecessary exposure of its equipment to direct sunlight or excessive moisture will only have you running to the shops for new equipment.

As long as you take good care of your table tennis balls, the 3 stars are very durable and can outlast many intense matches and practice games. You can purchase these balls in bulk too. Due to visibility reasons, most official table tennis balls are orange or white. Unlike squash, the colours on table tennis balls have little to do with their quality or performance.