The Best Ping Pong Paddle

One of the most asked question in ping pong or table tennis is “what is the best ping pong paddle?” Similar to my article regarding what the best ping pong table is, greatly depends on your play style. Some players think that by getting one that the current world champion uses, they will somehow become a better player. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.  You need to make sure that the one that you get fits your play style or it will make your game even worse.

Ping pong paddles also known as table tennis rackets, table tennis bats, ping pong rackets, ping pong bats, etc…is the same ping pong equipment regardless of what you call it.

First let’s look at the official International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rules when it comes to ping pong rackets.

The rules state that a ping pong paddle may be of any size, weight or shape, but the blade must be rigid and flat. Most rackets used however are close to around 6 inches (15cm) across and 10 inches (25cm) long including the ping pong handle.

A ping pong racket has two main parts – the blade which can be made of wood, carbon, or both and the larger part of the racket which is the area you hit the ball with.  This is also the area where you would glue the rubber sheet (unless you like to play old school and not use rubber sheets).

There are various handle types to choose from. You can pick a shake hand or western blade grip which has an anatomical, flared, or straight handle.



Or you can get the popular Asian paddles commonly known as the pen hold grip. The pen hold grip has two types, the Chinese and Japanese grip. Try them both and get a feel for which one you prefer. Either way, the one you like the most is the best one for you.

For beginners, I suggest going to your local sports store and buy a pre-made western and pen hold paddles. Play for a few days to find out which grip you prefer.  Once you’ve decided on the type of grip you like, you can then start looking into a customized one. A customized paddle is the only way to play if you’re serious about table tennis. If you only play occasionally with friends outside or in the garage, then a pre-made paddle should suffice.

The reason custom made types are better than pre-made types is due to the flexibility you have when building the ping pong paddle according to your play style. Assembling your paddle gives you a wide range of options. You can have a spinny rubber on one side and an anti-spin on the other. You can also use a fast blade and rubber combination for aggressive attack play. It’s almost like trying to assemble your own bike. You can pick the pieces that you like.

The main companies that create the best ping pong paddles, rubber, and equipment are Butterfly, Donic, Stiga, TSP, Killerspin, Yasaka, and Nittaku.  These companies have been around for a long time and are always researching and developing new table tennis technologies.

These companies have a rating on their products. They tell you if their product is offensive, defensive, or all-around.  You should find the product that best suits your play style. If you like to attack with your backhand, then get an offensive rubber for that side of your ping pong bat. If you like control, then you should get an all-around blade. Think of how you play ping pong and based on that, make the right product purchase that reflect the equipment rating.

By choosing the right rubber and blade combination that fits your play style, you will maximize your success in table tennis matches and find the best ping pong paddle for you.

China Great Table Tennis Player - Ma Lin

Ma Lin, one of the greatest table tennis players in recent history, has been quite consistent for the last 8 years, winning several tournaments. Currently, he is ranked number FOUR in table tennis by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). He is also holding the rank of number one player in Asia and in his native land, China. In the last one year, he holds an incredible win average of 86.6%. However, Wang Liqin, his compatriot, is closely on the heels of Ma Lin with ranking points of 12,661 against Ma Lin’s 12,688 points. Wang Liqin went in to the final of the Men’s Singles event at the H.I.S. World Championships in Yokohama following a semi-final victory over Ma Lin in May 2009 in an epic struggle.

Ma Lin was born in the Shenyang Liaoning province in China on February 19, 1980. He started playing table tennis when he was jus six years old. At the age of 10, he managed to become a member of the provincial team. Four years later, in 1994, he was included in the Chinese national team. He was coached by Liu Guoliang, former World Champion. Guoliang saw the potential in the young boy and nurtured him.

Impeccable Records: Here is a peep-in at the outstanding record of Ma Lin. From February 2002 to April 2007, he has always been in the first 5 ranks in the world. He has been holding the first rank for 13 months in this period, while he was ranked second for 30 months.

Ma Lin won the World Cup for the first time in 2000. One of his major titles after that was the ITTF Pro Tour Singles Title in 2002. Later, he won a doubles title, partnering Chen Qi, in the Athens Olympic Games held in 2004. In 2006, he won the Singapore Open and Men’s World Cup. He was also the runner-up in 2006 Men’s World Championship.

When Ma Lin won the Liebherr Men’s World Cup in Paris on October 29, 2006, he became the only player in the world to have won it four times. He has won the Men’s World Cup in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2006. No other player had won the World Cup for more than two times. He beat compatriot Wang Hao in a grueling seven-game battle in the 2006 finals. Ma Lin attributed his success to the training given by his coach, Liu Guoliang.

Ma Lin became the Olympic table tennis champion in the Men’s Singles event in the year 2008. MA overcame his compatriot Wang Hao in five games 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-7, and 11-9. The twelve month reign of Ma Lin came to an end in December 2008, when he was beaten at the semi-final stage of the Men’s Singles event at the Volkswagen Pro Grand Finals, the man who had captured the title in Beijing in December 2007 was beaten by Ma Long.

Style of Grip: Ma Lin uses the penhold style of grip. Players using the penhold style normally have a weak backhand. To compensate for this, Ma Lin has practiced and developed the reverse backhand, which is an innovative stroke. This stroke enables him to utilize the underside of the blade. He also plays the standard backhand push very well. Thus, Ma Lin is able to employ three types of strokes. This helps him in overcoming even the toughest opponents.

Coach’s Word of Advice: According to Ma Lin’s coach, Liu Guoliang, Ma Lin is better off playing the game at a fast pace than a slow one. Normally, he advised Ma Lin to be very aggressive in his 3rd ball attacks so that he could control the pace of the game. When the first few points are won with such a tactic, automatically Ma Lin would gain in confidence and play the balance games with the same smooth tempo. Liu feels that in analytical powers and in the ability to vary his playing tactics, Ma Lin has very few equals in the world. He always told Ma Lin that he has to fight to hold his world number one ranking, instead of playing safe. This expert guidance and coaching had made Ma Lin the top-ranking player in the world.

Table Tennis Table Selection Guide

Top Thickness:  A table top should be 3/4" thick or more to be resistant to warpage. 1/2" and 5/8" thick tops are too thin to provide much resistance to warping. Tops less than 3/4" thick do not bounce consistently over the entire surface of the table. A too thin top will cause the ball to bounce too low in places and makes it difficult to play especially for children.

Table tennis table tops range from 1/2" to 1" thick. Generally the thicker the top the better if the material used is of the same quality.  A thicker top generally enhances the quality of a table tennis table. The quality of the material (particle board is used for almost all table tennis tables) used is also very important Some table tennis table tops are made of a high resin material that can have a higher resistance to warpage than regular particle board. The evenness of support under the top is also important in determining the bounce quality of a ping pong table.


Frame (chassis) Durability & Thickness:  Larger size legs are generally thought to improve durability; however a table with many connecting points within the chassis may have greater durability even though the legs and bracing may be thinner. A table tennis table like a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a table tennis table with thick legs that are strong in appearance, without enough connections in the right places may not be as strong as a table tennis table with thinner higher quality connections that are placed in the optimum places.

Table Tennis Table Stability 

The table tennis tables commonly available through mass market retailers lack the proper design and support to allow the table to hold together very long before loosening and collapsing. Call us to go over your intended usage and we will help evaluate what table model would best work for you.

Table Tennis Table Warpage 

Warping of table tennis table tops is a common problem. There needs to be enough built-in resistance to warpage for your environment and usage. Call us to go over your intended usage and we will help you select the model that most suits your needs with the highest resistance to warping.

Country of manufacturing for Table Tennis Tables

Table tennis tables are made in many countries around the world. The relationship  between country of manufacturing and quality of table tennis tables is about the same as it is for other goods. Germany produces quality goods, and is also the home of the worlds largest professional table tennis league. Germany has a table tennis league that has over 800,000 participants. Germany as a result has manufacturing capability that allows it to produce many of the worlds finest table tennis tables.

Why buy from megaspin?

They have the best price on the best table tennis tables.  They have a wide variety of the best tables and they really know and will recommend a table for your usage that will last years for your usage at a great price.

They are located in the U.S. and they are not at all new at the table tennis table business. Many companies on the internet are new and not even located in the US. They have operated a table tennis mail order catalog business since then. 

Megaspin processes the warranties. If you have a problem with a product you have bought from them, you would contact them. They process warranties by contacting the manufacturers. It is still the manufacturers warranty, but they do the processing for you.

Many companies that sell table tennis tables are new at it. Sometimes they do not have any real presence in the U.S. Often shipment is made only through independent  warehouses.

Wood vs. Aluminum Encapsulated Table Tennis Tables

Wood: Most table tennis table tops are made entirely of wood. These should not be exposed to excessive humidity, moisture, or temperature extremes.

Aluminum:  The table tennis tables with aluminum encapsulation have a great resistance to moisture and warpage. These tables are suitable for outdoor patio usage.   The encapsulation process makes these tables warp proof.

Table tennis tables that are encapsulated in aluminum are wood table that are enclosed in aluminum, top, bottom, and sides. Aluminum encapsulated tops can delaminate if not properly designed and manufactured. A well designed and made table of this type can last for many years.  

 Features

Roll-Away & Storage Positions: Roll –Away table tennis tables usually have the halves of the table attached to a center frame with wheels allowing quick set-up and fold up for storage. It is important for long term chassis durability that the wheels on each side of the table have adequate connections between them to maintain stability. It is the wheels and whatever connects that will need to support the weight of the entire table tennis table when it is folded up for storage. Without adequate connections between the wheels, the legs and the whole chassis will loosen causing the legs to wobble and overall chassis to loosen. It is very important that the chassis have enough connections to provide an overall strength; some Roll-A-ways have 4 wheels on each side allowing each half to be rolled away separately.

Playback Demonstration

Playback feature: Some tables can be used by one player alone for practice by raising one half of the table to the storage position to be used as a practice backboard.  Some tables have a gap between the folded up side and the net when folded up for the playback. Such a gap will cause you to have to hit the ball hard enough to clear the gap which will cause the ball to go off the end a lot. With a gap the trajectory of your shots is limited also, and in many ways not like playing regular table tennis. Some tables will allow the folded up table half to fold flat against the net which will allow normal play. Children like the playback feature. A gap-less playback with a lighter weight (for easier fold up) can be a more useful table for a home with children.  

Stationary Net & Post: Many roll-away tables have net brackets permanently attached to the table frame for both playing and storage. This type makes setup a little faster, but is sometimes less adjustable and sturdy than separate net and post sets. However some permanent table tennis table net & posts are stronger and more adjustable than others.

Net Included: Most tables come with a net and post included.

Compact Storage: When not in use, these tables store in a smaller space, particularly important for some clubs, schools or recreational facilities storing multiple tables in limited storage space.

Leg Thickness: The thicker the legs, the more stable the table will be in terms of its tendency to remain ion place.

Casters: The larger the casters, the easier the table will be to move around. Dual wheel casters can make a table easier to roll.  

Get To The Perfect Playlist For Table Tennis Performance

In this article, let’s look at how to choose the perfect soundtrack for your training or matches.

No the Beatles don't have to be on the list...unless you want them to be.

Photo source: Contributed by Steve Grant to celebritiesplayingtabletennis.com

Choose rhythm that matches your activity
Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie was famous for setting world records running in time to the rhythmical pop song “Scatman.” He selected this song because the tempo perfectly matched his target stride rate.

As I mentioned in the last article, luckily for us, table tennis is one of the most rhythmic sports in existence! Let’s take a look at how we can find the songs that help us find our perfect rhythm:
I estimate that I forehand counterhit close to the table at about 72 strokes per minute, forehand loop to block at about 52 strokes per minute and forehand counterloop back from the table at about 40 strokes per minute. Of course each of these will slow slightly if I’m doing footwork while performing the stroke.

But it’s rare to find music this slow, and I wouldn’t want to risk slowing my heartrate either, so I’d opt for music at about 144, 104 beats per minute (BPM) respectively for counterhitting and loop-to-block drills and aim for one stroke per two beats, and 160BPM for counterlooping and aim for one stroke per four beats. Of course, if your focus is to increase the tempo at which you do these drills (which sometimes it should), then you should select slightly faster BPM than your current rate for performing each drill.

Irregular rhythm drills such as third ball attack can be more difficult to determine a stroke rate for. I studied a video of Wang Liqin practicing 3^rd ball attack and each instance of the drill created 7 ‘sounds’ (ball hitting racket or ball hitting table) in about 1.9 seconds. This equates to an average of 224 ‘beats’ per minute. Music is rarely this fast, so I’d be inclined to try music at half that, 112 BPM, for my 3^rd ball drills and roughly the same for my service receive drills.

If I can’t have that much control over the BPM of my playlist, I’d probably aim for songs at 120BPM as a good average across all my drills and also for matches, where I’ll be performing a variety of skills at once.

Not sure what the BPM of a song is? Just google the title of it and “BPM” or otherwise google, for example, “120 BPM songs” and look through some lists to find some you like. It's not a hard and fast rule, though. Some songs have the right BPM but the song itself has a slower energy, and vice versa. So, if you listen to a song that lists a BPM of 120, but it doesn't get you pumped to play or train, cut it from your playlist.

I'll finish by listing a few songs around 120BPM on my playlist to get you started:
- 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi
- 'Get Lucky' by Daft Punk
- 'Alive' by Empire Of The Sun
- 'We Take Care Of Our Own' by Bruce Springsteen
- 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas
- '4 Minutes (ft. Justin Timberlake)' by Madonna
- 'Gangnam Style' by PSY
- Get rocking, and stay tuned for Part 2!

Butterfly Bryce Highspeed Rubber Review

For high speed comes with all-new packaign along with the new Butterfly logo. The company really transformed their look and feel of their latest products since the release of Tenergy 05 back in 2008.

The Bryce Highspeed Rubber comes with new technology called micro layer design for the new plastic ball. This micro layer technology enables the surface to be very thin and the finish to be very fine.

This allows the rubber to have longer pimples underneath for easy compression during impact. This gives a high-tension build up as a result for its greater speed.

According to the Butterfly statistics, Bryce Highspeed is the fastest rubber in their range. It performs faster than the popular Tenergy 05.

When pressing on the rubber, the Bryce Highspeed is slightly softer than Tenergy 05. To be precise, Bryce Highspeed is 45 degrees and Tenergy 05 is 36 degrees.

The weight of Bryce Highspeed after fine cut is 38 grams which is really light in comparison to Tenergy 05 that have 46 grams after cut.

As the name suggest, Bryce Highspeed rubber certainly does give you a lot of speed. You will be able to perfome very fine top spin without much effort. The amount of speed this rubber produces means that already catapults the surface of the rubber.

This means that the Bryce Highspeed has a very little dwell time and can push back real quickly from the low arc.

You may sometime found you couldn't generate as much place as you would like as you need to brush the ball a little more to get the higher gesture that required to get the ball over the net.

This was especially evident on low ball that need to get more control for it to bounce.

Some people found the Bryce Highspeed can be more suited for their backhand and the low gesture really help when playing wiht a close racket angle.

To maintain the speed which in turn will give you a lots of spin and control.

With certain natural technique you may use your backhand drive when pressing forward and it can gives you a lot of spin and speed with consistency.

You will be able to take advantage early on in the point with this aggressive shot. If you time in the ball well, you will surely get a lot of spin.

Although the Bryce Highspeed is primarily designs first and foremost as an extremely fast rubber, you will still able to get a lot of spin on the ball with your backhand flip and backhand topspin.

You may not able to get the same amount of spin on your forehand side as there is less wrist involvement with this stroke.

When comparing the Bryce Highspeed to other rubbers in the Butterfly range, this rubber can give you more spin in comparison to traditional Bryce speed. However, you can generate more spin with Tenergy 05 but when it comes to pure speed this rubber is the fastest that being produced by Butterfly.

For short game test, you may struggle to adapt at the beginning due to the rebound effect as it give little feedback. This rubber can be hard to control until you play it for a while and get more used to it.

If you are an aggresive player that need to have quite an upward motion when play away from the table, this rubber can offer you the best low arc that would send the ball just over the net. Of course, you will need to make a little adaptation to your stroke.

Topspin from mid distance and close to the table is fantastic.

Is perfect sweet spot across the back side and the rest of the area.

The Butterfly Bryce Highspeed has definitely been created a fast amount of speed on the ball. When a precise brush shot is used, a decent amount of spin can also be generated.

The spin is medium to hard and top sheet allow for higher pimple placement in the sponge.

This rubber can be an excellent choice for your backhand side and you can get a good balance between spin and speed on the final shots.

You can put your opponent under lot of pressure with this rubber due to speed. However, at times can be a little hard to control. This rubber is suited for intermediate to advanced players who like to generate a lot of speed on the ball. It is also good for players who like to punch and play far shots from close to the table.

This rubber can be also well suited fro a passive blocking game. Choose an amount of pace you can generate with little effort.

Top Player Who Uses Tenergy 05

Christophe Legout

Christophe Legout is a French table tennis player born on August 6th 1973 in Montbeliard, it is with Patrick Chila, Damien Eloi and Jean-Philippe Gatien of the best representatives of the Table Tennis French. He another person who uses tenergy 05 both sides on Boll Spirit.

Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 05 red 2,1 mm; Tenergy 05 black 2,1 mm Blade: Boll Spirit (FL)

He is licensed to Istres Sports club (which also operates Michael Martinez) is still ranking well and also trains at the INSEP. He is champion of France in singles in 2005, and won many times the national title twice. Style of play: Left, attacking, dominating speed and rotation with an exceptional arm speed. World No. 62 in the world in September 2006, No. 51 in May 2008, his best world ranking was No. 14 in April 1999.

Past 1 / 4 finalist in singles European Championship 2009 1 / 8 finalist in doubles (with Abdel-Kader Salifou) European Championship 2009 with Abdel-Kader Salifou, Emmanuel Lebesson, Damien Eloi)

European Championship 2009 Champion de France double in 2009
Champion de France double in 2007
Champion of France in singles and doubles in 2005
Champion de France double in 2004 12 Finalist 2003
Bronze medalist France championships 2002
5th at the Sydney Olympics in doubles (with Damien Eloi) in 2000
Champion of France in men's doubles in 2000
Champion of France in men's doubles and mixed doubles in 1998
Silver medal team at the World Championships 1997
Vice-European champion team in 1996 Winner Doubles (with Damien Eloi) of England International 1995
European Champion team in 1994


Korbel, Petr

Rubber: Tenergy 05 black 2,1 mm and Tenergy 05 red 2,1 mm

Table Tennis Nets Are Key To The Game

As the sport of ping pong has grown, so has the quality of the equipment including table tennis nets. Setting it up properly is very important to those who are serious about the game. The rules of the game dictate that the net must be six inches high and six feet long, which is the standard width. The color must be black, dark green or dark blue with a white tape at the top that is no wider than 15 mm. Contrast colors can make a difference on how you see the ball and how you play the game so you need to choose the best that matches and contrast correctly between your table tennis tables and the table tennis nets.

The bottom of the net should sit as closely to the table top and as close to the end posts as possible. It should be taut between the two posts and not sag. The tension at the top should be tighter than the rest, as if a ball hits the top it should return to that player’s side, not slip over it to the opposition.

Knowing More About Table Tennis Nets and Sets

While some ping pong sets come with the posts permanently fixed to the table, most come with clamp-on style posts. Most posts will fit most tables, but table tennis nets are designed to fit specific posts. You should be aware of this when ordering or replacing an existing one and know what type of posts you have to fit. Thus, when buying table for table tennis, you need to make sure that your accessories including your ping pong net and other sets should be the correct one for the whole set of ping pong equipment.

Some manufacturers use different materials for making nets and different materials are better in varied situations. Cotton, polyethylene and nylon are the most common and generally hold up well for outdoor use as well as indoor. Many come with a tension adjustment cord for positioning.

To make equipment last it is important to take proper care of it and keep it covered whenever possible. Folding up and setting up a ping pong game is pretty easy. But when the nets become old and worn out, they don’t play well and certainly do not look pleasant. Replacements are not expensive and if ping pong is a game played often in your household or activity center you will want to keep your equipment fresh including new balls and table tennis nets.