If
you want to get the right blade for your style, these are some factors to consider:
Blade
Speed:
The
general trend regarding blade speed is that faster blades tend to be used by the
more aggressive players, and slower blades by the more defensive. Players who
use more spin also tend to prefer slower blades, because they believe that a
slower blade increases the amount of time the ball is in contact with the
rubber, giving them more time to put spin on the ball. In general the faster
blades have less control, whereas the slower blades have more control.
Blade
Stiffness:
The
stiffness of the blade refers to the amount of flex or bend the blade has. A
stiffer blade will generally be faster but less spinny than a flexible blade.
The different materials used in manufacturing blades will affect the stiffness
of the blade.
Blade
Layers:
According
to the Rules of Table Tennis, at least 85% of the blade by thickness must be
natural wood. This gives manufacturers some leeway to make composite blades
including layers made of such material as carbon fibre, aralyte, or glass fibre.
The effect of these materials can vary - carbon is said to strengthen and
stiffen the blade, while also increasing the speed and the size of the sweet
spot of the blade. Aralyte and glass fiber is meant to also increase the speed
and size of the sweet spot, but is supposed to dampen vibration and give a
softer feel than carbon.
In
general the softer all-wooden blades will usually give you the best feel and
therefore control, whereas composite blades will give you better speed and a
larger sweet spot.
Blade
Balance:
The
balance of a blade refers to whether the centre of gravity of the blade is
closer to the handle or the tip of the head. Loopers and hitters tend to prefer
head-heavy blades which help them generate that little bit of extra spin and
speed, while blockers and defensive players quite often prefer blades with the
centre of gravity towards the handle, which can increase the feeling of control.
Bear in mind that the centre of gravity of a blade can change quite a bit
depending on the weight of the rubbers you choose - heavy rubbers will tend to
move the centre of gravity out towards the tip of the rackethead.
Blade
Weight:
The
weight of the blade itself can be a factor. Lighter blades can usually be swung
more quickly, but heavier blades have more mass to use when hitting the ball.
Some suggest you should look for the heaviest blade that you can still swing comfortably and
quickly, which should give you the best speed when hitting the ball.
Personally I feel the weight comes down to personal preference.
Blade
Head
Size
The
difference in air resistance between large headed table tennis paddles and
smaller headed paddles is pretty much insignificant, so the main issue of
concern here is that larger rackets require more rubber to cover the surface,
which makes the racket heavier and also tends to move the centre of gravity of
the blade away from the handle.
|