Blades

Table tennis blades — the wooden frame a racket is built on. A blade is bought once and kept, and the rubbers glued to it are replaced as they wear, so this is the part of a setup worth taking time over.

Construction is the first decision. An all-wood blade flexes more, gives the clearest feedback and is the usual recommendation while a stroke is still being learned. A composite blade carries a fibre layer that stiffens the frame and adds speed at the cost of some feel — carbon is the most common of those, with arylate-carbon, ZLC, aramid and fibreglass each trading stiffness against touch differently.

Then match the blade to how you actually play. Offensive blades are built to throw the ball back hard and suit a game played away from the table; allround blades give up some speed for control and are the easier place to develop a stroke. Where a blade sits on that scale matters more than its price does.

Weight and stiffness are the fine adjustment. Lighter blades are quicker to move into position and more forgiving over a long session; heavier ones carry more through the ball. A stiff blade returns energy directly, a flexible one lets the ball sit on the wood a fraction longer, which is what players mean by dwell.

Handle shape is a variant, not a different blade — flared (FL) widens toward the base and is the common choice, straight (ST) is even along its length and suits players who change grip, anatomic (AN) is contoured to the palm. Pick by what is comfortable in your hand, and remember a blade needs two rubbers to become a racket.