Handle shape
— Straight. The simplest form, assumes a flat surface of the handle, without extensions/contractions. For some players, this shape may well be optimal, but in general,
straight handles are considered less comfortable than flared or anatomical ones. Therefore, although quite a lot of such rackets are produced, they are noticeably smaller than models with other types of handles, and they mainly belong to the initial class (1 *, 2 *), although there are rare exceptions.
— Flared. The handle of this shape expands noticeably towards the end. This makes the grip more comfortable and secure than the straight shape, while
flared handles are easier and cheaper to manufacture than anatomical ones. Due to this, this option is very popular today, it is used in most rackets of all classes.
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Anatomical. This category includes handles, the shape of which is optimized for the shape of the human hand. Usually, they have characteristic notches, where the fingers of the athlete fall when held; this can improve the comfort of use and reduce fatigue. On the other hand, such handles are somewhat more complicated, and as a result, they are more expensive than straight or flared ones. In addition, they require increased attention when choosing: even a very small discrepancy between the profile of the handle and the size of the hand can cause inconvenience and reduce all the
...advantages of such a racket to zero. As a result, anatomical handles are somewhat less common than conical ones.
Note that the main selection criterion for the shape of the handle is solely the personal preferences of the athlete. There are no general rules about which option is “better” or “worse”: for different people, the optimal form often turns out to be different. Therefore, before buying, it is highly advisable to try the racket in your hand and evaluate the suitability of its handle for your own preferences.
Note that the same racket model can be produced in several modifications that differ in the shape of the handle; in such cases, the characteristics indicate all available options. And the bases (see "Product type") are, by definition, produced with different shapes of handles; therefore, for this type of product, this moment is not indicated at all.Control
Table tennis rackets have 3 main practical characteristics: speed, spin and control. The general class of the product, the style of play (see above), available techniques, requirements for player skills, etc. depend on their values and ratio. One of the most popular designation options is on a hundred-point scale; This scale is also used in our catalogue.
Control describes the overall handling of a racket. Roughly speaking, this is a parameter of how easily it can be used to give the tennis ball exactly the speed, direction of flight and rotation that the athlete wants to provide. High values on the control scale will be comfortable regardless of the level of the player and the style of play; however, increasing the speed/rotation hurts control, as a “faster” or “spinning” racket is usually more demanding on the accuracy of movements. Therefore, many models for professionals and experienced amateurs, usually, are distinguished by a low degree of controllability, and “beginner” rackets, on the contrary, have high control parameters and low speed/spin.
