(by: Emily Tan)

This will be a recommendation article for beginners and intermediates. A lot of beginners don’t really know what rubbers they should use when they just start to play, so they chose to use the same equipment as a table tennis player they like. But, it may not be the best choice for beginners who just started because every rubber is different and it is really hard for beginners to control rubbers that are meant to be used for looping when they just learned how to swing a forehand stroke. So, this article will be used as a recommendation article for beginners who don’t know what rubber to use and for intermediates who want to change to a rubber that allows them to play spinnier and control better.

For beginners I recommend them to start with Tenergy 05 for their forehand and Tenergy 64 for their backhand. Tenergy 05 on your forehand will allow you to smash and rally better. It also allows you to loop underspin easier. Tenergy 64 is recommended for your backhand because it is a really soft rubber which is perfect for rallies. It returns the ball really fast and it allows you to block easily. If you can’t follow the rallies or you think Tenergy 64 is too fast you can try to play with both sides Tenergy 05 because it is also a really good rubber for topspin, rallies, and blocking.

For intermediates I think you should change based on your playing style. If you are a smasher who doesn’t like to loop, you should stay with Tenergy 05 or change to Tenergy 05 hard, But, do not change to Dignics 05 or Dignics 09C because it is way too hard and it is really hard for you to smash the ball over, a lot of them will go under the net. Tenergy 05 hard is what I would recommend for smashers because you have to loop underspin when you are in the 1000-2000 range. Tenergy 05 hard makes your underspin loop spinnier and harder to block, it also allows you to punch. Dignics 09C and Dignics 05 is recommended for people who have good loops and want to make their forehand loop longer and spinnier for the opponent to block. Dignics 09C is spinnier then Dignics 05, but Dignics 05 is better for topspin rally compared to Dignics 09C. For example, I use the same amount of power on my forehand, Dignics 09C will be able to add more spin and a longer arc compared to other rubbers I’ve used. But, it is really hard to smash with Dignics 09C. When you are using Dignics 09C you will not be able to touch the ball over, you have to add power and spin it.

This article is about my opinion and how each rubber feels to me, but it might be different for you depending on you playing motion, power, feeling, and style.