It is important to choose the right table tennis blades for your playing style. Your style of play will help to determine which blade that feels good in your hand and you can be confident that it will be right for you. Every player plays differently and has different ability on either section. There are several things to be considered when choosing your table tennis blade:

1)      Weight of the blade

2)      Stiffness of the blade

3)      Thickness of the blade

4)      Speed of the blade

5)      Balance of the blade

6)      No of layers/ply

7)      Combination with Rubber

8)      Handle Type of the blade

9)      Price

10)   Conclusion

1)      Weight of the blade:

It can be divided into two parts:

A)     Lighter

B)      Heavier

A)      Lighter table tennis blades will give you more swing and slower spin and speed. It is suitable for all-round or defensive playing styles.

B)      Heavier table tennis blades will generate more power and gives maximum ball speed. In physics terms, momentum is equal to mass multiplied by velocity, So you should look for heavier blade that produce a swing comfortably and higher speed to spin ratio for topspin attacking shots. It tends to be faster and suitable for offensive attacking players.

2)      Stiffness: It is important to consider the stiffness of the blades. The stiffness of the blade refers the amount of elasticity or flex the blade has.

• A stiffer table tennis blade will usually be faster and provides you more speed and quick balance reaction.
•  A flex table tennis blades are provides you more control.

3)      Thickness of the Blade:  Thickness is generally defined into three parts-

a)      Thinner   b) Thicker     c) Thickest

• Thinner blades are less than 6mm and suitable for looping.
• Thicker blades are 6 – 7mm and used for driving.
• Thickest blades are 7mm or more and used for blocking.

Thickest blades being used for blocking is that any attempt to block the hard loops initiate at the higher levels of play requires the face of the blade to be as closed as possible.

4)      Speed of the Blade:

It is important to choose the right speed of your blade to suit your playing style.

It can be classified into two parts:

a)      Faster Blades

b)      Slower Blades

The faster blades provide you more speed and control on ball. It is suitable for aggressive players.

The slower blades provide you amount of time of the ball is in contact with the rubber and giving the more spin on the ball. Players who use more spin also tend to prefer slower blades. It is suitable for more defensive players.

5)      Balance of the Blade:

The balance of a blade mention to the center of gravity of your table tennis blade is closer to the handle or top of the racket head. It can be classified into two parts:

a)      Head Light   b) Head Heavy

Head heavy blades produce the more power on shots. It is suitable for topspin or counter attack players.

Head light blades produce the quickest racket acceleration.

6)      No of layers/ply of the Blade:  

The two things are important of the layers of your table tennis blade.

a)    First thing is the number of layers

b)    Second is what type of materials is used for the layers of blade.

• The number of wood layers of a blade generally ranges from 1 to 7.
• 5 ply blades are the most common in the all-round range.
•  5 plies of blade are used for looping while 7 plies of blade are used for blocking and driving.
• At least 85% of the blade thickness must be natural wood. The other 15% of the blade can comprise layers made of such materials such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, titanium or aralyte.
• Carbon fiber is used to make the blade harder and faster, as well as facilitate the blade to have a better sweet spot.

7)      Combination with Rubber: The selection of table tennis rubber is important to match your blade and suits the play of your style. There are 3 main differences you need to be aware of-

a) Thickness of the sponge   b) Pimples Out       c) Pimples In

Table tennis rubber is available in different thickness of the sponge. A 2.0mm or 2.5 mm sponge will be more suitable for an attacking and offensive style of play, while a 1.0mm or 1.5mm sponge will suit more defensive players.

Pimples- out Rubber have facing outwards the playing area which means that the smooth side of the rubber is attached to the sponge.

Pimples -In rubber type, players get more effective hitting area so table tennis balls observed more area of contact. It is generally designed for advanced players who want to play a particular type of play. The good combination of rubber gives you good control and can help to develop your strokes.

8)      Handle Type of the Blade: The choice of handle type is a personal decision. The size and shape of the handle that feels best in your hand is what you should use.  There are three main types of handle:

a)      Flared   b) Straight   c) Anatomic

Flared handle is also called concave handle are the most popular. They allow a loose grip with less risk of the blade slipping out of the hand during play than the straight handle.

Straight handle are the second most popular type of grip with layers of all styles and more admired with defensive type players.

9)      Price:  You are looking for a table tennis blade that suits the way you play and the cost you are willing to pay for. Expensive blade is not surely better but the cheaper blade may have just the right selection of characteristics that suit you best. If price is important factor to you select a blade before looking at prices.

10)  Conclusion:  We hope this selection guide will help to choose the right table tennis blade for your style of play and feels comfortable in your hand. It will provide you a large sweet spot and more stability of the blade. The slower blade is better for control factor and faster blade is good for offensive shots. Now you will decide which table tennis blade is suitable for you.