How to Select a Beginner Table Tennis Racket

Published on 17 April 2020 4 minutes 4 minutes

Let’s talk about how to selecting a Beginner’s Table Tennis Racket.

So you want to start taking ping pong seriously but lost in the sea of options of table tennis rackets? You have come to the right place! Here is a complete run through on how to choose your first table tennis bat and take your game to the next level!

Most of the time students fall in the traps of a load of options and brands and they end up investing on a racket they think to be great but it turns out average. As a beginner, you have to keep in mind that there is no need to hurry! You can start with a moderate level ready made racket and upgrade to a better customized one once your game improves. To choose a right racket for yourself you need to figure out first how you want to go through the learning process by answering below questions -

Do you want to play just a few games with friends in spring break?
Do you want to take this on another level and slowly start to play competitively?

Whatever your choice is will determine what sort of equipment you should buy.

Tips while buying a Beginner’s Racket

Try not to stray too far from the popular brands like Butterfly, Joola, DHS, Donic, Nittaku, Stiga, XIOM etc.
Don’t fall for the attractive packaging.
Consult with your trainer before buying a racket
Try to stay within a budget
Try to buy your racket from a place which is emptied and replenished often. The rubbers on the e Tennis racket tend to deteriorate with time even if they are in a sealed package

Parts of a table tennis racket

Blade the flat and round wooden base which carries the rubbers(approx. 15cm across)
Handle The long sturdy wooden part which you grip.
Rubber The rubber pads on the blade which is actually the playing surface.

Types of rackets

Readymade/Premade rackets (perfect for beginners, cost efficient)
Customized Rackets (for advanced level)

Premade Rackets

A ready made racket is always suggested more than a high priced customized racket at the entry level. Usually if you are just starting than you can’t go wrong with rackets from Brands such as GKI, Palio, Stag. Below are few of the detailed posts related to those rackets -

GKI KungFu DX or GKI Euro V can be a great option depending on if you want to play just for fun or you genuinely want to improve. GKI Equipments review and detailed comparisons as these provide best value for the price.
Stag Ninja Attack - Review of Stag Ninja Attack - Great for Intermediate Level Players
Palio Expert 3.0 - How good is Palio Expert 3.0, a pre made racket?

Customized Rackets (for advanced level)

Since you are starting playing, I would just going with a premade setup for now and get recommendation based on your playing style. Usually a great setup of custom racket is with below setup

Butterfly Joyner II ply - Amazon Link
Yasaka Mark V rubbers - Amazon Link

You will also need to glue your racket and probably you will chose a water based glue. Check out indepth article on glues of table tennis rubbers

Things to avoid while buying a beginner’s racket

Cost Price Don’t invest too much on your first racket. Stay within a budget of INR 1000-2500 ($15-30)
Weight Steer clear of a racket that is too heavy to hold. That will just tire your hands down.
Material Ask the shop for the material and make sure it has a good percentage of wood rather than plastic. If you buy online, read the product descriptions and the buyer’s review carefully.
False advertisement If the racket blade is covered with a piece of paper or plastic with a photo of a top player on it, you better stay away from those. A racket which is genuinely good will want to show off the product instead of hiding it.