The often obscure product descriptions of the manufacturers do not make this any easier. Many companies work with value specifications for speed, spin and control. But these cannot be compared with other brands working with, again, a different value system. Add to this the infinite number of blade-rubber combinations that can be created from the range of pro rubbers and pro blades. Even for savvy equipment experts, it’s not easy to keep track of everything, as many new rubbers and blades appear on the market every year.

The blade makes the difference

Finding a suitable blade is not easy. Should it be an allround blade or the enormously fast carbon trowel? The most important thing is to be honest with yourself. It doesn’t make sense to buy the newest, fastest and most expensive blade if you can hardly play a backspin safely over the net or if the technique is not yet fully developed.

The best thing is to find a compromise between what I want to play and what I can play. A youth player, who is able to play a safe topspin and has been playing an allround blade, which he got at the beginning of his TT career, should, if he now wants to have faster material, make a small step at once. For example looking for a blade with OFF- or instead choosing at first a faster rubber on the current blade.

The change of a blade should be well considered in any case. Your first step can be the racket of a fellow club member, whose equipment can be tested. In addition, there are many local TT stores where you can get test sets, which makes testing easier. Much more attention than on the attributes within the product descriptions should be devoted to the structure of the individual blade. Elastic 5-ply allwood blades without a fiber such as carbon support the spin game and are generally more controlled and softer to play.

For higher training effort and stroking power, 7-ply solid blades or those with fiber-layer reinforcements should be considered. These are stiffer and often much more direct. The speed reserves are significantly increased, but it is more difficult to control such blade due to the lack of flexibility. Ultimately, it is also a matter of feeling, with which table tennis blade you feel comfortable.

The most important hint for the choice of your blade: Once a suitable blade is found, then it should be kept.

Influence of the rubber-blade combination

There is an unwritten rule that applies in most cases. Soft rubbers work better on stiffer, harder blades. Harder rubbers work well with soft blades. Let me put it this way now: Every player has a preferred hardness range, which can shift over time. It should not be too soft, but also not too hard.

A player who exclusively plays with soft topspins should not combine hard rubbers with a stiff blade. However, the necessary power is missing if a soft rubber is mounted on a slow, tempo-elastic blade. For example, a slow, soft allround blade with medium-hard topspin rubbers or a harder carbon blade with soft rubbers is ideal.

A table tennis bat lives from the overall feel. In addition, the hardness range generally shifts with your playing level. The better a player is, the harder the rubbers and blades are. This is mainly due to the arm acceleration of the individual player. In professional table tennis, hard rubbers with enormously fast, hard and fiber-reinforced blades are used almost exclusively.

There are no absolutes on this matter. But the overall hardness is a key factor in choosing the right racket.

Conclusion

– Do not play too fast material, but according to your own abilities

– Rather change the rubbers than the blade.

– Testing is important, but should not be overdone

– Pay attention to the overall hardness of the table tennis racket

If you have any other suggestions on the topic: “Choosing the right table tennis bat” or have a question on this topic, just leave a comment, I’ll be happy to help

An already good preselection with suitable bats for all performance classes you can also find in our article “Best table tennis rackets”. So take a look

The post Choosing the “right” Table Tennis Racket appeared first on TT-SPIN.COM - Table Tennis Reviews.

The Pros for soft rubbers

In favor of soft rubbers we can argue with the “control” or better said the forgiving effect at the moment of ball impact. Even if the stroke is executed properly, it can still be played safely over the net. Due to the deeper penetration of the ball when hitting it, you have a better feel at a moderate pace.

Another point is that it is much easier to generate spin with soft rubbers. The ball can be guided “longer”. Especially with slow movement strokes, a soft rubber has clear advantages over harder rubbers. The strong catapult effect provides sufficient speed without much effort. Another advantage, that should not be underestimated, is the lower weight compared to hard rubbers.

The Pros for hard rubbers

Hard rubbers have a much more direct impact when hitting the ball. Cleanly executed strokes can be played more precisely and with more speed. The ball can be accelerated perfectly in short, fast movements. The spin potential is much greater than with softer rubbers, especially on fast strokes and when hitting winners.

Hard rubbers have less inherent catapult. This means that the ball-speed can be controlled more precisely by the player’s own abilities. Hard rubbers are heavier, but have a much higher power and dynamics.

Conclusion

The general differences can be compensated or strengthened by the choice of blade. More about this in the article “Choosing the right racket”.

A good compromise is a medium rubber. However, the versatility means that neither the strengths of a soft rubber nor the strengths of a hard rubber really come into their own.

If you have any questions or suggestions, just leave a comment.

The post Table Tennis Rubber: Hard vs. Soft appeared first on TT-SPIN.COM - Table Tennis Reviews.