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opoce wrote: on Sunday October 22 20:27
Hello!
I'd like to ask you for help. My son has been playing table tennis for about two years now, and he's made significant improvements. He started with the Joola Match paddle and then switched to the Butterfly Ovtcharov Black, which he currently uses. While watching him play, I've noticed that his current paddle offers good control but seems to lack speed. Can you recommend an upgrade to his current paddle? We're looking for something that can increase speed while maintaining a high level of control. I came across a review of the Bribar Allround Professional (Joola Falcon + Joola Zack) and I'm wondering if this would be a step up. Do you also have any recommendations for pre-assembled paddles or blades with rubbers that can be assembled?
Thank you!

Rob M wrote: on Sunday 23 October 2023, 12:43

At a beginner level I generally recommend a 5 ply all wood blade, any one will do, there are literally hundreds available. For a rubber I generally recommend razka 7.

opoce, The last person you msut be taking equipment advice on forums is Rob M. He is a forum bully who ridicules & harasses posters who does not agree with his opinions & demansds that the poster is be banned & sadly the forum moderator at OOAK thinks , Rob M is God's gift to table tennis . I am unable to post in OOAK forum becaus eof Rob M's incessant harassment & cyberbullying .

Anyway , take Rob M's reply to your posting for example. Does he or other forums posters have sufficient information from you to give you sound advice ? I don't think so. I will get into this in my next post whn I get time & explain why

To start with ,posters should not be giving out advice without fully understanding the background of a poster asking for help, especially if they are beginners as is your case.
Below is a link to a post that asks for all this information
Check post #2 in this thread called Newbie questionnaire

Based on that, more information is needed about your son's playing style. I am not sure if you are familiar with various playing styles.
Anyway if he or she is young person below say age 25 , they should start with smooth rubber both sides.

If he plans to stay in the sport, he needs to learn to buy the blade & rubbers separately and learn to assemble the racket himself. Because if the lowest level tournament players but blade & rubbers separately. At first this assembling of the racket will seem like a daunting task but it is not that hard. You can watch YouiTube videos & learn.

You also mentioned you want a racket with more speed. This is a false premise . Table tennis is primarily a sport of super spins FIRST . Yes speed is also very important but not as much as spin because top spins & back spins are what keep the ball on the table with maximum control & smooth rubber is the best for this. There is another playing styles that focuses on speed but that is not recommended to start with for newbies but one can transition to that later if that is what you want.

My suggestion is to go to a club or many clubs & talk with many players & coaches & test their rackets if possible. They will give lots of advice 7 rubber & blade selection but you usually you have to figure it out what is good for your son.

But in general I definitely do not recommend expensive European or Japanese rubbers as they lack enough spin. These Euro & Jap rubbers are definitely good but only in the hands of a pro & much higher level player with evolved techniques to have enough control to keep the ball on table with highest speeds as well as spins.
But initially children need to feel the power of the spin. Rakza 7 is a Euro rubber & spin is not that high and may be too fast for a developing junior.

I am also against all wood blades for new players. Composite blades have a bigger sweet spot and give better control than all wood blades. You will hear many players & coaches talking about the need to "feel" the ball but again this only matters for developed players. You can buy composite blades at any speed from slow to fastest.

I recommend only Chinese rubbers & blades as they are less expensive to experiment. Again you will hear nonsense about how developing technique is far more important but to me it Is overrated. You can work on your technique while also working on choosing proper blades & rubbers.
Even if you can afford more expensive European & Japanese rubbers, I would not recommend it because the smooth rubbers lack enough spin.