Table tennis is a fast, challenging game that requires physical skill, strategy and patience. A good table tennis racket should provide excellent balance and control to avoid the ball being hit long. A table tennis racket is composed of three key parts: the blade, the handle and the rubbers.
Different combinations of these parts will affect how a racket plays or feels in your hand while serving or returning balls. Here are described some important points that helps choose the best table tennis racket.
1. Blade with appropriate flex:
The blade is the heart of a racket and can be made of various materials. The blade determines the overall stiffness and shape. The thickness of a blade determines the amount of power and surface quickness.
2. Stiff handle for control:
The handle helps you maintain control over your racket, especially during faster strokes and serves. When choosing a racket, make sure to hold the handle with some tension when you push forward or rotate your wrist while returning the ball to understand how it feels in your hands.
3. Light weight:
A light-weight racket is useful for both serving and returning, because at higher speeds stiffer blades can twist with less strength in the wrist and arm, which is the key to control. The size of a table tennis racket is also important as it determines how far you can hit while hitting back spin or hitting flat balls.
4. Right rubber on top:
The rubber covering is one of the most important components of a table tennis racket. This gives a player control over speed, spin and placement for different shots. The quality of the rubber determines the durability of a table tennis racket, while the thickness of the sponge affects the speed. A thicker sponge makes a racket more forgiving.
5. Table tennis string tension:
String tension is another important factor to determine how well table tennis rackets play. The lower the string tension, the more flexible a racket will feel and vice versa. When choosing table tennis rackets, you should also consider what kind of surface you play on most often as not every table tennis materials are suitable for every surface type.
The most common way to get a good balance while playing table tennis is to hold the racket at eye level without applying any tension on your wrist.
