Table Tennis Balls buying guide

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Contents

1 Balls
2 Other Equipment
3 Racquets
4 Tables
5 Extra Items
6 Related Guides
7 External Links

Table Tennis Balls

Table tennis originated in England in the 1880s and eventually and moved its way up to becoming an Olympic sport. The ITTF, or International Table Tennis Federation, sets regulations for game equipment and rules. If you're serious about table tennis, or even if you are just looking to play for fun, picking out the right table tennis ball is important to any game.

Balls

Any ball used for table tennis should be 2.7 grams in weight, 40 mm in diameter, and made out of celluloid. Balls can be coloured either white or orange in the professional game, although if you are playing for recreation, there are many colours to choose from. There are lots of brands out there, and they range in price depending on the quantity and brand you choose to purchase. Note that balls with a three star rating are of the highest quality, and training balls are typically used if you are just starting out or looking to practice.

Brands

Other Equipment

Racquets

Racquets are made out of laminated wood and are usually coated with some type of rubber on the paddles. A racquet without rubber is called a naked racquet. In a professional game, the two sides of the paddles have opposing colours, red and black, since padding may differ on either side. There are various types of padding that the player can choose depending on their table tennis style. Racquets can have a coating of pimpled rubber glued directly to the wood, or they can have a sponge layer covered by a rubber layer.

Two important things to remember:
Non-Chinese rubber racquets with inverted pimples provides lots of speed

Short pimples rubber racquets and long pimples rubber racquets do not provide speed but enable the player to be closer to the table and chop the ball.

Tables

Tables have specific width, height and length measurements and are divided into two halves by a low net. The table colour can be green or blue and its surface smooth. Table quality can vary depending on how often you wish to play the game and at what level. Some tables are made for casual play and will wear away much faster than professional tables, which are equipped for hard hits. There are also specified models for indoor and outdoor table tennnis since outdoor tables are less likely to be damaged or warped by inclement weather. Rollaway-style tables can be folded in on themselves for easy storage and single-player convenience.