How to control the balance of your table tennis racket

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION FOR TABLE TENNIS rackets:
Differences TOP-HEAVY VS. GRIP-HEAVY

EVERY PLAYER HAS HIS OWN IDEA OF THE IDEAL WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION OF HIS TABLE TENNIS BLADE.
WHILE ONE PERSON PREFERRES A HIGHLY TOP-HEAVY table tennis bat, THE OTHER IS MORE COMFORTABLE WITH A GRIP-HEAVY TABLE TENNIS BAT – THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG BUT EVERYONE MUST FIND THE PERFECT BALANCE for themselves and their bat.

Contents

• Difference between top-heavy vs. grip-heavy
• Properties of top-heavy table tennis rackets
• Properties of grip-heavy table tennis bats
  • Advantages and disadvantages
  • Level out heavy rubbers
  • Examples of top-heavy or grip-heavy table tennis blades
• How can I influence the center of gravity of my table tennis racket?
  • 1. the choice of blade size
  • 2. choice of handle material
  • 3. handle shape and handle length

What is the difference between a top-heavy and a grip-heavy table tennis bat?

Depending on where the center of gravity of a table tennis racket lies, it is referred to as a top-heavy, a grip-heavy or a balanced table tennis blade.
If the center of gravity is at the top of the racket blade, this is called top-heaviness – if it is closer the the handle, this is called grip-heaviness.

Top-heavy table tennis rackets

Top-heavy table tennis blades often have a large blade so that the center of gravity is as far to the top as possible. This is particularly popular with offensive players who like to play top spins. The weight pulls outwards as you tighten, adding momentum to your topspins and automatically getting your arm moving in the right direction. A clear advantage when playing topspin.

Grip-heavy table tennis blades

Table tennis players who tend to stand close to the table and rarely play topspins, on the other hand, do not need this weight. Many people therefore prefer table tennis rackets that are more grip-heavy, as these usually feel lighter. So if, like many material players, you tend to stand at the table and chop, for example, you will usually get on better with a table tennis blade that is grip-heavy.

Leveling heavy table tennis rubbers

A grip-heavy table tennis racket often feels much lighter than it really is. So if you play particularly heavy rubbers and the weight bothers you, a grip-heavy racket can help you. Just test the difference between two differently balanced TT blades with the same rubbers. You will see that the grip-heavy TT racket will feel much lighter.

As already mentioned, there is no right or wrong here. All in all, however, it is purely a matter of feeling and everyone has to decide for themselves what suits them best.

Advantages and disadvantagesof top-heavytable tennis blades

• well suited for topspins
• Weight pulls outwards = more momentum for topspin
• Your arm is automatically guided in the right direction
• the table tennis blade feels heavier because the center of gravity is higher up

Advantages and disadvantages of table tennis blades that are grip-heavy

• your table tennis blade feels lighter than it actually is because the center of gravity is towards the handle
• well suited for all players who tend to stand close to the table and rarely play topspins
• Well suited for leveling heavy rubbers

Examples of top-heavy or grip-heavy table tennis blades

Here are a few examples of how we classify our table tennis blades.
Of course, you can design your own table tennis racket in the configurator and adjust the balance to suit your needs.

Rather top-heavy TT blades – ROOTS and BASIC series

• Defensive Control
• Various Offensive Roots 5
• Control Roots 4

Rather grip-heavy table tennis blades – ROOTS and BASIC series

• Basalt
• Medium Speed Roots 2

Table tennis bats with balanced weight distribution – ROOTS and BASIC series

• Spin Offensive
• Speed Offensive

How can I influence the center of gravity of my table tennis racket?

You can control the balance of your table tennis racket using the following factors:

1. the choice of blade size

The blade size has the greatest influence on the balance of the racket. A large racket blade shifts the center of gravity far towards the head and is therefore particularly suitable for topspins. The smaller the blade size, the further the center of gravity moves towards the middle of the table tennis blade. Depending on which handle you combine with a large racket blade, you will get a table tennis blade that is balanced to grip-heavy.

In our table tennis racket configurator, you can choose from the 4 blade sizes S, M, L and the extra large defensive blade and thus perfectly adapt the blade size to your wishes.

2. the choice of handle material

Another decisive factor in controlling balance is the choice of grip material. We currently offer 8 types of natural wood and 6 colored Fineline variants, all of which differ in weight.

Many players think that the choice of grip material is just a question of appearance – but you should not forget that the choice of the right material can have a huge influence on the behavior of the racket.

If you want a grip-heavy blade choose a heavy wood type such as color no. 8 – if, on the other hand, you want to further increase the top-heaviness of the table tennis bladein order to have more momentum during topspin, choose a light material for the handle, such as a colored fineline handle or color no. 4.

3. HANDLE SHAPE AND LENGTH

If you want to fine-tune your table tennis racket even further, you can do so by choosing the handle shape and length.

First and foremost, the handle shape must fit well in the hand and match the playing requirements, such as quick and easy turning. Once you have decided on the right combination, you can now decide whether you want to influence the weight via the thickness of the handle shape.

If you want to save weight, e.g. to increase the top-heaviness, then choose the thin version (A or C) – conversely the strong version (B or D) to shift more weight onto the handle.

The same applies to the choice of handle length – we offer all handles in two lengths: normal 100mm and long 103mm
The long version is ideal for table tennis players with large hands, but is also used for weight adjustment, even if the length is not required.

If you want to shift more weight onto the handle, you can do this by choosing a long handle – if you want to increase the top-heaviness even more, choose a handle with a normal length. This shifts the center of gravity more towards the rackets blade.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NARROW HANDLE SHAPES IN NORMAL LENGTH AND STRONG SHAPES WITH A LENGTH OF 103 MM IS ONLY A FEW GRAMS, BUT OFFERS MANY POSSIBILITIES FOR FINE-TUNING.

IN THE CONFIGURATOR YOU CAN SEE LIVE HOW THE CHOICE OF DIFFERENT SHAPES AND MATERIALS AFFECTS THE WEIGHT.

You can find detailed information about our handle shapes here: