All players of racket sports have modified arms. Why, you ask? Because the player’s racket serves as his extra arm or as some players prefer, the extension of his arm. The same thing goes in the sport of table tennis, table tennis racquets aren’t just players’ equipment; they are somewhat attached to their hands, united during the game. Different table tennis racquets have different features, utilizing these features greatly impact the game’s result.
Table tennis racquets are made from laminated wood with both of the sides covered with rubber though it may depend on the player’s grip. Table tennis racquets may be referred alternatively as paddle, racket, blade or a bat depending on which part of the world the game is being played.
The purpose of the varying surfaces of table tennis racquets is to provide varying levels of spin and speed. In some cases, it may nullify the spin. A racket can have one side providing spin while the other does not. Flipping the racket in play allows for different returns. International rules specify the table tennis racquet sides to be red and black, to help players distinguish how the opponent paddle behaves. A player may inspect his opponent’s racket before the game. Despite high speed play and rapid exchanges, a good player can see clearly what side of the racket was used to hit the ball, thereby adding hype to the game in trying to anticipate a player’s attack and defense based on his racket.