Best Intermediate Table Tennis Blade

When yopu need to find the best table tennis blade, the trick is to find one that gives you consistent results because it’s the correct one. You want to go with a high-quality blade because the blade is the major factor in style and power of play. So, what’s the best intermediate table tennis blade?

Playstyle determines the best intermediate table tennis blade, and players choose between offensive, all-round, and defensive. Defensive blades sacrifice speed for control, while offensive blades focus on high speed. The Stiga Allround Evolution is a good all-round intermediate blade.

The blade is the most important factor in choosing your table tennis racket. While the rubbers will affect the speed of play, the blade gives you control for speed and spin, and it should feel and act like it’s simply a part of your hand. Your style of play will determine what blade suits you.

Best Intermediate Table Tennis Blade

There’s a variety in table tennis play and training, often divided along Eastern and Western training styles. The method of training new techniques differs, with China usually opting for a simpler, more focused daily training style, while France and Switzerland may use a more creative focus.

It’s not only the way skills are taught that makes a difference. Blade choice (and rubber choice) also account for the differences in play.

In Chinese training, the blade is meant to feel like an extension of the player’s hand, and they usually prefer a more flexible blade. In contrast, many Western coaches push for speed and go for a blade that delivers maximum speed, like an OFF+ fast blade.

Depending on your playing strategy, you’ll want a blade that suits you. Are you a defensive player, who likes to slow the ball down, an all-rounder who wants a mix of speed and defense, or are you aiming for speed and topspin attacks?

The nine categories will help you determine which blade type will suit you. Still, besides speed, you’ll also want to consider the control, the layers of ply (higher levels of ply usually give a faster, less flexible blade), the weight, and the shape of your handle grip.

Many of these are subjective, and holding and playing with a blade will give you a far better idea if it’s right than simply reading specs online.

Which Table Tennis Blade Is Best For Intermediate Player?

When you started learning to play, you were likely on a basic all-rounder bat that didn’t cost much. When it’s time to move on to a better bat, there is a temptation to splurge and jump up a few levels in bat specifications, which can lead to problems.

It’s best if you choose a bat that improves your style of play but doesn’t cause such a change in what you’re used to that it completely ruins the way you play.

For example, if you were learning to play on some recreational bats that come pre-made with the rubber attached, you’re not going to jump to a Stiga Cybershape Carbon blade and not have your play suffer. As with any sport, you can over-equip and try to use bats you don’t have the skill for.

If you’re an intermediate player graduating to a better blade, you want one that you can use for a long time. Constantly changing blades will set your training back and hamper your play.

By the time you’ve reached this level, you probably have a good idea of your style of play and whether you prefer stiffer blades, ones with more elasticity that give you more feeling, or blades that pack power. Combined with the right rubber, you’ll have a bat that’s an extension of you.

Best Intermediate Table Tennis Blades for Offensive Players

Offensive players rely on the attack, using spin loops, flips, and smashes to keep their opponents on their toes so they cannot return the ball.

Whether you’re more of a top spinner or a smasher, you’ll want a more flexible or stiffer blade.

Offensive blades will be rated OFF- to OFF+, so if you want more flexibility, you’ll go for OFF- with a speed rating of 75 and a control rating of 80.

Price is also a factor, as you can only buy what you can afford!

All-round offensive players who like spins and smashes should look into an OFF blade with 85 speed and 70 control. If you’re a true smasher who plays for speed, that OFF+ will give you a speed rating of 100 but less control with a rating of 55. Look at these blades to get an idea of the best choices.

BLADESPEEDCONTROLRATINGPRICE
Butterfly Primorac75/10088/100OFF-/ALL+$78.99
Stiga Offensive Classic81/10074/100OFF$49.95
Nittaku Violin88/10065/100OFF+$164.95

Butterfly Primorac

The Butterfly Primorac, weighing in at 90 grams, is an incredibly popular intermediate blade that works for offensive to offensive all-round players.

An excellent racket if you’re looking for a control that matches speed. As you improve your offensive game, you may want to switch to a faster racket with an OFF or OFF+ rating, but this will see you through beginner and intermediate. It’s a fantastic blade for training and developing techniques.

For extra speed, pair this 5-ply blade with faster rubbers—a solid buy from an excellent company. Although I’ve listed it for slower offensive players who want speed and control, it also makes for a good all-round blade for players with a more offensive style.

Stiga Offensive Classic

A wonderfully versatile blade for intermediate offensive players, and it’s not a slow blade, though you can pair it with slower rubbers to control the speed—a 5-ply thin, light blade with good flex and medium hardness.

It’s an excellent choice for a beginner moving to intermediate who wants to go from an all-round blade to an offensive blade and is great for topspins, flips, and loops—good for training more speed in offensive play.

Nittaku Violin

A high-quality blade with medium hardness and some flexibility, the Nittaku Violin is good for playing close to the table with speed. The blade feels like an extension of your arm, with consistent control and brilliant loops.

Pair it with hard rubbers for more speed to build a bat that’s great for aggressive players who like to be on the attack.

Best Intermediate Table Tennis Blades For All-Round Players

Suppose you’re an all-rounder who likes to combine offensive and defensive play and needs better control over speed. Some players will attack more than defend, and they’ll want to choose a blade that gives them more speed rather than flexibility.

All-round blades are also good to use, even from beginner levels, and you can stick with them for a long time before you need a faster blade. The emphasis here is on flexibility, so look for blades from ALL- to ALL+, with minus giving less speed and more control, and plus higher speed for less control.

If you start as a beginner on an all-round blade, you don’t necessarily need to move to a new blade as you advance. If you are comfortable with your blade, you can improve the speed by changing to new rubbers.

Many players like using slower blades and faster rubbers to maintain control while getting the spin and speed they want for a more aggressive play. On the other hand, other players prefer fast blades with softer, more controlled rubbers.

Again, this is dependent on your style of play and training. The technique is the most important part, and no equipment, no matter how good, will make you a better player if your technique is lacking.

BLADESPEEDCONTROLRATINGPRICE
Butterfly Timo Boll Control6586ALL$58.99
Yasaka Sweden Classic6592ALL$44.25
Stiga Allround Classic7377ALL$49.99
Stiga Allround Evolution8071ALL+$49.95

Butterfly Timo Boll Control

If you want a table tennis blade that gives you stability and control over speed while still giving you an all-round bat, go for the Butterfly Timo Boll Control. A good blade to start with and can take you on to an intermediate level, though you may start to find it heavy.

Yasaka Sweden Classic

Known as one of the best all-round blades on the market, the Yasak Sweden Classic is a medium soft blade with some flex. It’s on the slower side but gives excellent control and can be used through all levels.

A good blade for beginners, it’s very comfortable and stable, which makes it great for training. Intermediate all-round players can use this until they feel the lack of speed and set it up with a faster medium hard rubber to improve speed.

Stiga Allround Classic

A medium blade with some flex, this is another 5-ply blade that transfers well from beginner to intermediate and gives a lot of spin. This thin blade gives you a lot of control, and players who want a bit more speed should add faster rubbers.

Intermediate players who learned on a Stiga Classic but want more speed might prefer to move on to the Evolution.

Stiga Allround Evolution

Excellent all-round play blade, decent speed for a more offensive player, while still having fine control. The Stiga Allround Evolution is a well-balanced blade that offers the best of both worlds in speed and control.

This blade can last several years of gameplay as you advance and is perfect for modern players who want to utilize control and speed.

Best Intermediate Table Tennis Blades For Defensive Players

Defensive players will sacrifice speed for control, aiming to use backspin and spin reversal to outplay their offensive opponent. It’s considered a more strategic approach to the game, and while offensive techniques are more popular, defensive play is still challenging and a valid approach.

Using control to slow down the gameplay needs an effective defensive blade that absorbs speed and slows the ball down while precisely returning shots. A defensive blade will also suit an all-rounder with a more defensive style. Look for blades with a DEF- to DEF+ rating.

The more versatile your blade is, the more effectively you’ll be able to mix up your play to suit the opposition player. The more modern defensive players prefer versatility and will want a bot with more speed.

Some players prefer a completely defensive style, returning balls steadily until their opponent makes a mistake, aiming to block and push while also making strategic shots.

BLADESPEEDCONTROLRATINGPRICE
JOOLA Chen Defender55104DEF$74.95
Victas Koji Matsushita55.591DEF$87.99
Donic Defplay Senso V36394DEF/ALL-$49.95

JOOLA Chen Defender

As expected from the slower defensive blades, this is a 7-ply soft blade with some flex. Developed from one of the top defensive blades – the Chen Weixing Defensive – this blade is the ultimate for intermediate players with an extremely defensive style.

Beginners who want to learn strong defensive techniques would do well with this blade and its huge paddle size. It’s a good blade to keep using as an intermediate, and the control is phenomenal.

Victas Koji Matsushita

A great blade for modern defensive players who also want the ability to attack and is perfect for chops and blocks — pair it up with faster rubbers for more speed.

This is a very forgiving blade and an excellent choice for an intermediate player who wants a little versatility to a good defensive blade.

Donic Defplay Senso V3

A medium soft blade with some flex, the Donic Defplay Senso V3 is the blade for the aggressive defensive player who wants control to block and chop but needs the versatility of offense styles. A fairly flexible blade that offers slightly slower speed than an all-round blade but excellent control.

The Donic Defplay Senso V3 gives a player reliability and control while keeping the blade comfortably light. This blade allows you to wear your opponent down, blocking shot after shot with effortless control while giving you plenty of close-to-the-table maneuverability.

Conclusion

There is no such thing as a single best blade for intermediate table tennis players, but if you know your preferred style of play, it’s easier to narrow down the feel that’s right for you. Knowing whether you prefer a lighter or heavier blade, more stiffness or flexibility, and if you value speed over control or vice versa, will help you choose.

You can fine-tune your speed and control using the right rubbers for the front and back. Try out the blades beforehand to know if the weight suits you or the grip is right. Some grips suit larger or smaller hands, which you’ll find affects your gameplay if the fit is wrong.

References

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