Probably, for no sport there is a universal inventory that would suit any player or for any style of play. Therefore, the right choice of rackets for table tennis is not at all an idle question. Despite its (generally) simple design, it still has nuances that can greatly affect the game.
In order to know how to choose a racket for table tennis, you first need to determine the level of the tennis player for whom it is intended. And here athletes can be conditionally represented in the form of three groups: athletes, beginners and continuing. Professional players do not need advice.
We decipher the designated concepts. Athlete - a person who plays tennis for leisure, does not specifically train and does not participate in competitions. Beginner - a person who has an elementary level of the game, but, unlike the sportsman, purposefully trains and tries to achieve a result, and not just positive emotions. The follower is one who has a good class of the game, but does not yet use professional equipment and has no experience in serious preparation.
The easiest way to answer the question of how to choose a racket for a sportsman. Almost any equipment from well-known manufacturers is suitable for him, for example, table tennis rackets Stiga or DHS, Joola, Yasaka, Butterfly. All these companies designate the class of their products with stars - from one to five. The most reasonable choice would be, perhaps, a racket with three or four stars.
The beginner is not yet able to determine which style of play is most suitable for him, and therefore the racket should help him make a choice, and not make it difficult. There are three main styles in table tennis: a defense game, an attacking style and the so-called all-round, which contains elements of the previous ones. Of course, a novice tennis player should choose an all-round racket. She will help him work out the basic elements, learn to control and keep the ball on the table.
Structurally, the all-round racket has a medium-speed base and pads with a sponge of medium thickness. The first refers to the foundations of ALL, ALL + and OFF-class (with reservations). The most suitable sponge thickness for such a racket is 1.5-1.7 mm.
How to choose a continuing racket for
table tennis ? Such a person has already decided on the style of the game, but cannot yet pick up the inventory for himself.
Consider two styles: “attacker” and “defender”. An attacking-style tennis player can use the base class of type OFF. In addition, the thickness of the sponge can be increased to two millimeters. Protective style, as a rule, implies the use of studded pads - the so-called pimple out. The game with them is specific and diverse, and their choice is very large, so it is pointless to recommend something to an unprofessional player in absentia.
The continuing player already has his own idea of what he needs, but choosing the best is always the path of trial and error, and you should not try to immediately find the perfect combination.
Well, at the end, a few general recommendations on how to choose a racket for table tennis:
- it’s better to go to a specialized store with a person who is knowledgeable in this matter, who knows how to choose a racket for table tennis;
- you should try to try out as many racquets of different types as possible, using second-hand inventory or taken from your comrades;
- the main thing in a racket is the base, and its pads are an important thing, but still secondary;
- Do not, once playing, immediately take another racket. Only a few trainings in a row with one equipment will make it possible to make a correct judgment about it;
- Do not simultaneously change the lining and the base, you need to try them in a different combination;
- all linings from the same batch, as a rule, are identical, but the choice of the base should be approached very carefully and select it personally.