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Speed: 90

Spin:80

Control:70

Shakehand Flared handles (FL) also called concave are the most popular. They allow a loose grip with less risk of the racket slipping out of the hand during play than with straight handle rackets.

Shakehand Straight handles (ST) are the second most popular type of grip with players of all styles and are more popular with defensive type players.

Shakehand Anatomic (AN) or "double flared handles have the widened end of a flared handle with a second wide part in the middle.

Japanese Penholder (JP) With the Japanese style the other fingers are fanned out behind the blade for maximum forehand power.

Chinese Penholder (CP) With the Chinese grip the non-index fingers are curled around the handle for greater ease in adjusting the racket angle and therefore better control and backhand play.

BLADED WOOD TYPE CHARACTERISTICS

Arylate: Arylate is a reinforcing fiber used to expand the sweet spot of the blade and also to provide unsurpassed vibration control.

Arylate/Carbon: These blades feature the best of both the Carbon and Arylate benefits. The speed and large sweet spot of Carbon combined with the great vibration control and soft feel of Arylate. Perhaps the ultimate in blade technology.

Carbon: Carbon reinforced blades produce great speed along with expanded sweet spots. While fast, the bigger sweet spot provides for a shocking level of control.

Ayous Wood: A lightweight, stiff wood that is excellent for close-to-the-table counterdrive play.

Koto Wood:  Koto wood outer layers produce a faster and stiffer blade. Great wood for players who rely on both looping and countering techniques.

Bass Wood: Bass wood has been a mainstay in racket making for over fifty years due to its high degree of control and economical price. It is favored by the close-to-the-table counterdriver as well as players looking to purchase their first professional racket.

Limba Wood: The classic European topspin wood. Limba wood adds the soft feel and great control needed by today's modern topspin players.

Cypress Wood: The classic Asian attacking wood. Favored by attackers for several decades because of its unique combination of speed and softness. Also known as Hinoki Wood.

Planchonello Wood: Planchonello outer layers produce great speed. This wood is most often found in blades designed for the power attacker.

Yellow Aningre Wood: Yellow Aningre is the ultimate control wood. Providing a soft feel on contact, this wood is favored by many all-round styles of players.


PLAYER STYLES:
1. PIPS-OUT ATTACKER - Pips-out Attackers generally stand within three feet of the table. The contact point on all strokes is as early as possible, top of the bounce, or on the rise. This is a forehand-dominated style with the player exhibiting a strong quick pivot move to use the forehand from the backhand side. The success of this style is based on speed, not spin, thus pips-out rubber is ideal. Example: David Zhuang

2. POWER LOOPER - This is a forehand-dominated style featuring a strong point winning forehand loop stroke. Players of this style end each point as quickly as possible. They will use a backhand loop to open a point, but then step-a-round and use their forehand loop to end the point. Example: Brian Pace

3. ALL-ROUND ATTACKER This athlete typically exhibits a wide variety of attacking strokes executed with almost equal strength from both sides, and the ability to adapt his game to attack the opponent's weaknesses. Players of this style can produce topspin attacking shots from any position or distance from the table. Example: Cheng Yinghua

4. COUNTER DRIVER - Often referred to as "walls", this style plays close to the table. Using forehand and backhand counter-drives and blocks, this style seeks to force their opponents into making errors. Example: Geng Lijuan

5. MID-DISTANCE AGGRESSIVE LOOPER - This style prefers to stay within six to eight feet from the table. Their longer topspin strokes carry considerable power and spin, from either the forehand or backhand. Example: Zoran Primorac

6. ATTACKING CHOPPER - This style can best be thought of as an attacker who uses underspin to set up their attacking shots. Players of this style most often use two different racket surfaces and will flip the racket to produce great variation in their defense and their attack. Example: Derek May

7. CLOSE-TO-THE-TABLE DEFENDER This style is built around a chop/blocking game executed from close to the table. Players of this style use underspin blocks to force weak topspin shots from their opponents. They will then attack the weak topspin with a well placed drive or loop. Example: Gao Jun

8. DEVELOPING PLAYER- This person has not yet played long enough to develop a set style. However, he/she wishes to purchase a Professional Quality Racket to give him/her the best opportunity to advance. We recommend starting out with a medium speed blade and a mid-level rubber. This combination will allow you to learn any style. The rubber can be upgraded in the future as necessary.