The Best Ping Pong Paddles in the World

The Best Ping Pong Paddles in the World
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Pingpong is a popular sport in many garages and game rooms, and it is also an Olympic sport. Most people learn the game with simple and often cheap recreational paddles that limit a player's ability.

Considerations

Pingpong paddles are an extremely customizable sporting tool. The best players in the world create paddles that match their playing style. Differences in wood, grip shape and rubber thickness are just a few of the variables in a top paddle. In this way, the best pingpong paddle in the world is the one designed for your game. Choose the bat, or wooden part of the paddle, and the rubber that suits your game. Top companies to choose from include Killerspin, Stiga, Joola, Butterfly and Donic.

Rubber

Rubber is available in two basic styles: pips in and pips out. Most professional players choose rubbers that are smooth, or pips in. These rubbers are best for creating spin, a critical part of playing pingpong. Pips-out rubbers are used to increase speed, or to reduce the spin of an opponent's shot. In general, thicker rubbers are for slower, more controlled play and thinner rubbers are for faster, powerful shots.

Blade

A blades, also called a bat, is the term given to the wooden part of the paddle, although more modern paddles also use graphite and synthetic materials. Paddles are composed of several layers of wood. In general, the more layers a blade has, the faster and more offensive it will play. Likewise for paddles with fewer layers. Choosing a blade also requires choosing a handle shape. Handle shapes come straight or slightly curved.

Considerations

It is often hard to find a ping pong store locally, so online shopping is your best bet. Online stores such as Megaspin.net and Paddlepalace.com have an enormous selection of bats and rubbers, complete with ratings and comparison ability. Most online stores will also assemble your paddle after you have made your component selections and ship it to you ready for play.

References

Article reviewed by Kirk Ericson Last updated on: Apr 29, 2012

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