Are You Ready For Your First Ping Pong Paddle? - By: Sheila Sigonti

Ping pong paddles, also known as table tennis rackets for the more serious players, come in wide variety of shapes, sizes, grips, and rubbers. It is all very confusing to a beginning or recreational player.

Ping pong paddles are made of two elements: the blade and the rubber. The ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) was formed way back in 1926 to decide upon and set up the standardized rules of table tennis. Every ping pong paddle must conform to certain specifications to be deemed legal.

The paddle itself may be any shape, size or weight but the blade needs to be flat and firm. On the blade is the most important part of the paddle which is the rubber and foam covering. For table tennis tournament play, you need to have a paddle that is red on one side and black on the other.

The rubber/foam covering can come in a large variety of textures and thicknesses which is why it can be overwhelming for a beginner or a recreational player to decide on a ping pong paddle. You can spend days trying to figure out the different rubber and sponge types, whether the rubber has dimples, and what type of paddle configuration you should get.

Many professional table tennis players recommend that the best place to start is with an all around racket. A recreational player should first concentrate on finding a ping pong paddle that has a grip that is comfortable for them. Without a grip that feels natural and comfortable, the player will most likely never be able to advance in the sport. It is somewhat difficult to change grip styles so a good strategy would be to borrow several paddles from your friends first so you can try out the different styles. The two most popular grips are the penholder and the shakehand and it is difficult to play the different techniques with the wrong style paddle.

Whatever you choose first is most likely what you will stick with for your life so make sure you try all your options. Don't bother too much with the multitudes of rubbers available for your first paddle. Only after you become more familiar with ping pong and your abilities should you investigate into changing to a more specialized paddle with a more advanced rubber.

All of the major brands Butterfly, Killerspin, Stiga, and Double Happiness have all round ping pong paddles that are great for beginner and recreational players. Choosing one of these paddles should be relatively easy. You should find out whether you like the pen grip or the shakehand grip and then choose a paddle that is in your price range. Any paddle from one of these major brands will be a good paddle and able to get your game up to the next level.

About the Author

Please visit Ping Pong Paddles to learn more about how to choose your new racket and to find out where to get the best brands and prices.

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