Beginners Guide to Choosing a Table Tennis Racket

June 27, 2018

Beginners Guide to Choosing a Table Tennis Racket

If you are new to table tennis and are looking to buy a racket then keep on reading!

When buying sports equipment, it is important to make sure that you get the right gear that is suitable for your level. This will maximize your performance while keeping costs at a minimum.

There are 5 main components of a table tennis racket that you should consider. These components are the blade, handle, grip, sponge, and rubber.

Each component of the racket shown above come in many different varieties, allowing players to customize a racket to their liking.

Since this guide is intended for beginners, we will keep things simple. We will look at your level of play, and the grip style you prefer.

Grip Style

There are 2 main grip styles in table tennis, shakehand and penhold.

There are two versions of the penhold grip style: Chinese and Japanese.

Chinese penhold has a flatter handle compared to the bulkier Japanese penhold. The shape of Chinese penhold blades are more rounded compared to the Japanese penhold blades which are more square shaped and are slightly larger.

Both the shakehand and penhold grips have their own advantages and disadvantages. Both styles are used by professional players so it is best to try both styles to see which one suits you best.

Pre-assembled Rackets

Table tennis rackets can be customized or they can come pre-assembled. For beginners, it is best to go with the pre-assembled rackets as you won't need anything specific when you are starting out.

Pre-assembled rackets are as the name suggests, pre-assembled and ready for play out of the box. These rackets range from $20 to $100+. This type of racket is not only suitable for beginners as there are selections for intermediate and advanced players as well.

Pre-assembled rackets will save time as you won't need to choose between the different types of rubber and blades. You also won't need to spend any time assembling the racket as it is already done for you!

You will also save money as pre-assembled rackets are generally more affordable.

At Yumo, we carry few types of pre-assembled rackets from Butterfly, Stiga, Donic and DHS [double happiness]

Recreational

The recreational rackets are more for the beginner-intermediate level players while the Pro-line is intended for advanced players.

Check out our selection of Recreational Rackets here!

Pro-line

The pro-line rackets are selections of Butterfly's best selling blade and rubber combinations that are used by their sponsored players. They are already assembled and are offered at a discounted price as opposed to if you were to buy the parts separately.