Even if you don’t have your own ping pong table, and you only play at a club, it’s best to have your own paddle. Having your own ping pong paddles allows you to establish your own playing techniques. Furthermore, when you have your own racket, you don’t have to depend on borrowing someone else’s, or use one that is mangled or worn.

When shopping, you will find that there are different styles of ping pong paddles. However, before we take a look at the paddle varieties, first it’s a good idea to talk about what ping pong paddles are made out of.

The standard tennis table paddle is comprised of wood. Ping pong paddles feature a wooden handle and blade. The blade must be rigid and flat, but the size, shape and weight can vary (average paddle size 25.5 cm in length and 15.2 cm x15.2 cm blade surface). That being said, the heavier and larger the racket, the more resistance is created. Therefore, players with larger and heavier ping pong paddles are at a disadvantage.

Although the main structure of the blade is wood, both sides are covered in a thin layer of rubber that is glued to the blade. Most table tennis paddles have two different types of rubber. One side is equipped with sandwich pimpled rubber (surface has hundreds of tiny bumps). The other has a smooth sheet of rubber. The purpose of these two rubbers is to produce different ball speeds.

Which rubber is better? Players use both rubbers, but most prefer the smooth rubber sheet as it produces a faster speed and a sharper spin on the ball.

The two different rubbers have their own colors (one side is black, the other red). The colors distinguish the two surfaces, and allow the opponent to judge the upcoming possible speed and spin of the ball.

You should also keep in mind that you can purchase ping pong paddles with both sides featuring the same style of pimpled rubber instead of having two different sheets. These are known as hardbats.

In addition, there are two different pimple rubber sheets for ping pong paddles. There is ordinary pimple rubber which is comprised of a single layer of non cellular rubber, and sandwich rubber which is comprised of two layers. The first layer is cellular rubber (sponge), and the second is pimpled rubber.

Lastly, know that when it comes to ping pong paddles there are thickness rules. For instance, the wood of the paddle must make up a minimum of 85% thickness. If the wood has an adhesive layer inside it for reinforcement such as glass or carbon fiber, this extra layer can not be any more than 7.5%. Moreover, the thickness of the rubber sheet on the racket can only be 2mm without sponge, and no more than 4 mm with a sponge combination.