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The blade consists of the body and the handle. The body consists of three layers of specially processed plywood or combination of wood and carbon. The dry soldering, the use of glue and a lot of other factors play an important role to the different characteristics of the blade.
The plies vary from one to seven. Their number, their thickness, their distribution and their hardness give different characteristics to the blade in relation to ball speed and control. For example, blades that have carbon ply have less control, while they give a greater speed to the ball, they have better weight distribution and a larger sweet spot*. The defensive players use 3-ply and some 5-ply soft blades, which give a greater emphasis to ball control while the offensive players use 5-ply and 7-ply hard blades. Offensive players also use extremely fast 1-ply blades. The number of the plies in relation to the size and body shape of the blade affects the weight of the blade. The lighter the blade is, the higher the speed and the racket movement. These blades are perfect for players who play close to the table and hit the ball hard. On the contrary the heaviest blades give a greater spin and speed to the ball and high stability for a block. Another important factor is the size of the body. The defensive players prefer blades with a large body so they can take as much advantage as possible of the large body area. On the other hand, the offensive players favor blades with a small body because they have a smaller surface area and thus offer less resistance to the air. Finally, another considerable factor is the elasticity of the blade, which is directly related to the materials used in making it. The ability of the blade to absorb the vibrations made by the ball on the racket is related to its elasticity.
Another important part of the blade is the handle. The handle is used to hold the racket and for this reason plays an important role in the choice of the blade. The player must choose the handle that permits him to play all the strokes with ease and consistency. There are four kinds or handles, which differ in their width, length and thickness. These are: (a) the flared, (b) the straight, (c) the anatomic and (d) the conic.
There is no ideal handle type due to the anatomic differences between players' hands. This is the reason that many players sandpaper their handles to suit their own grip and, on the other hand, there are players who cover the handle with self-adhesive or non-adhesive tape to make the handle thicker.
* "Sweet spot"is the area of the blade where the player has the best feel during the stroke execution. This area is circular and its center is the center of the blade body. An easy way to find the size of this area is to let a ball fall from a specific height at different points on the blade body. We can easily understand the sweet spot from the bounce and feel of the ball.
Source: Table Tennis: From A to Z e-book
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