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The Racket (frequently called the paddle or bat)
Size and Weight:
The racket may be of any size, shape or weight. The rules are
liberal on this because a larger size or heavier weight would be a
disadvantage, because of the speed needed to compete in the modern game
of table tennis.
The Blade (the wood portion of the racket only)
Blade: At least 85% of the blade's thickness must be of natural wood.
An adhesive layer within the wood may be reinforced with with fibrous
material such as carbon fiber or glass fiber, but cannot constitute more
than
7.5 % of the total blade thickness. A carbon fiber (graphite) blade will be
made of wood laminations with one or two carbon fiber laminations. The
carbon fiber will add stability and provide a larger sweet spot that
provides an overall greater solid feel.
The Rubber (the rubber and sponge portion of the racket only)
Rubber: A racket may be covered with a rubber top sheet that is
attached to a sponge under layer. This rubber and sponge combination
provides the playing surface of the racket. How the rubber sheet and
sponge is combined determines what type of rubber sheet it is.
The rubber sheet has two different surfaces. The first is a smooth
surface and the reverse side is a pimpled surface.
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The thickness of the top sheet may not be more
than 2 millimeters. The total thickness of a top sheet with sponge
combination cannot be more than 4 millimeter total. Two
Color Rule
Rackets used in competition, and at many table tennis clubs, are
required to have red and black rubber sheets on opposite sides. This
rule was enacted to prevent players who use either two different
advanced specialized rubber sheets with very different playing
characteristics, or rubber sheets of the same type with one side
altered, from having an advantage over their opponents. Before the
two-color rule, a player could, by using two very different rubber
sheets on opposite sides of the racket, gain an advantage by twirling
the racket during or between rallies. This would have the effect of
confusing the opponent as to which of the two radically different rubber
sheets was actually used to strike the ball. As a result, the opponent
would be kept guessing as to whether the oncoming shots would be fast or
slow, have a lot of spin or none at all. This confusion caused many
unforced errors that the rule-makers sought to eliminate by requiring
two colors of rubber sheets on a racket.
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