Anatomical, flared, straight, padded, penhold, carbon, and wood, table tennis blades come in many styles and materials. While handle style is largely a matter
of personal preference, the material composition of the table tennis blade will affect performance.
Which is right for your game?
Choosing the best table tennis blade is more involved than buying the fastest or newest ping pong blade on the market. The right ping pong blade for you depends on your playing style and level. To improve your game, access your style and then find a table tennis blade that matches your game.
Handle Type
The type of handle you choose is largely personal preference, although there are
a few rules of thumb. Straight ping pong paddles give the best flexibility for backhands, where forehands get the best grip with flared ping pong paddles. Straight ping pong paddles are the easiest to flip, so are popular with players who like to flip the ping pong blade. Flared ping pong paddles allow the player to maintain a loose grip, and are the most popular handle style. Anatomical ping pong paddles, also called double flared handles, have a flared handle with a second wide part in the middle.
Penhold Table Tennis Racket
Penhold table tennis blades are designed for the Asian style of play. Japanese and Chinese penhold blades differ in the grip and the blade itself. The Japanese grip spreads out the non-index fingers behind the blade for maximum forehand power. The Japanese table tennis blades have a longer and narrower head and thicker handles than other blade styles. The Chinese grip curls the non-index fingers around the handle. The table tennis blade is less powerful, but easier to control than the Japanese style. Chinese penhold table tennis blades have a rounder shape and thinner, rounded handle.
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Table Tennis Blade Composition
Thin slices of wood veneers are bound together to make the table tennis blade. Some table tennis blades have an outer laminate coating of carbon fiber that will give the blade a larger sweet spot. Composite blades have one or more carbon fiber, graphite, or other synthetic material layers, giving them the advantage of being lighter, faster, and stronger than wood blades. To meet regulations, the blade must be 85 percent wood. Although composite table tennis blades have a larger sweet spot, they are more expensive.
