If you want to play ping pong competitively, you need to have the right paddle. Actually, you'll also need to know that the game of ping pong is officially called table tennis and that the paddle is referred to as a racket in competitive events. Table tennis competition rules are set by the International Table Tennis Federation.
Blade
The blade on your paddle, or racket, has to be flat and rigid, but your racket can be any size, shape or weight. At least 85 percent of your blade, by thickness, needs to consist of natural wood. You can have an adhesive layer within your blade that is reinforced by materials such as glass or carbon fiber, but it cannot be thicker than 0.35 mm or 7.5 percent of your blade's total thickness, whichever is less.
Covering
One side of your paddle's blade needs to be covered with pimpled rubber with a maximum thickness of 2 mm. Ordinary pimpled rubber is defined as a single layer of non-cellular synthetic or natural rubber that has pimples distributed evenly over its surface. The pimples' density must be between 10 and 30 per square centimeter. Alternately, your blade can be covered with sandwich rubber and have a maximum thickness of 4 mm. Sandwich rubber is defined as one layer of cellular rubber that is covered with one outer layer of pimpled rubber. With this option, the pimpled rubber thickness cannot exceed 2 mm. Whichever you choose, it has to be continuous and have an even thickness throughout.
Surface Deviations
Small deviations from surface uniformity that are caused by accidental damage or wear and tear may be allowed, but these deviations cannot change your racket's surface significantly.
Inspection
Players must show their opponent and the umpire their rackets before using them. This applies at the beginning of a match or whenever a player changes a racket during a match. As of 2010, the ITTF rules were updated to state that racket control tests are conducted at random after matches. Failure to pass the test means disqualification.
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