Comparison Butterfly Zhang Jike ZJX6 vs Atemi Sniper

— Racket. This type includes classic table tennis rackets, supplied fully assembled and ready to play out of the box. They are sold one at a time and are not equipped with additional equipment such as a net or balls (however, they can be supplemented with cases, see below). Buying a ready-made racket is often more convenient and cheaper than assembling sports equipment yourself. This is especially true for novice athletes and amateurs, but for professional use, this option is considered less suitable than a self-assembled racket. However, rackets of all classes (see below) and price categories are available today in ready-made form.

— Base. The base is the part of the racket that includes the handle and the rigid plate on which the pads are attached. Actually, to turn the base into a full-fledged racket, you need to install pads on it. This option is not very convenient for beginners and intermediate-level players, however, professionals often prefer to choose the combination of base and pads themselves, not trusting the selection and assembly of sports equipment manufacturers. Therefore, models of this type, as a rule, belong to the top class, use advanced materials and are expensive - to the point that some “bare” bases are more expensive than ready-made rackets with similar base characteristics.

- Kit. Kits include sets that include, in addition to a finished racket (see above), also additional sports equipment - te...nnis balls, and sometimes a net. In addition, there can also be several rackets; See below for details on the items included. The convenience of this option is obvious: by purchasing a kit, you can immediately acquire everything you need for a match (except perhaps the table). Most of these kits are made with beginners in mind, but there are exceptions - some kits even reach 5 stars (see “Class”).

The class of a racket describes the general purpose of the product and its ability to perform various table tennis techniques. The general purpose is clear from the name of the class: for example, for those who have not yet held rackets in their hands, 1* models are best suited, players with some experience who play regularly can pay attention to 2*, etc. As for techniques, the more stars, the wider the available range: for example, on “one-star” models only simulations of cutting and top spin are available, while “two-star” models allow you to perform these techniques with average strength, and powerful cutting and top spins are available starting from 3*.

It is worth noting that the term “professional” in this case is somewhat conditional: the class is indicated for the racket (see “Product type”), while professional athletes prefer to assemble equipment, choosing the base and pads themselves. Therefore, the 5* marking corresponds to the most advanced class among ready-made rackets. However, this class is more often designed for experienced amateurs than for representatives of “big sports”.

Table tennis rackets have 3 main practical characteristics: speed, spin and control. The general class of the product, the style of play (see above), the available techniques, the requirements for the player's 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.

The speed indicator describes how fast the ball will move after contact with the racket. High-speed values are very important for an attacking style of play.

Table tennis rackets have 3 main 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.

The higher the spin number, the more the ball will spin with the corresponding hit and the better the racket is suitable for various spinning techniques.

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.

The sponge is the bottom layer of the coating, located under the outer coating (rubber is most often used for such a coating). The thickness of the sponge determines the characteristics of the impulse that the racket transmits to the ball, and, accordingly, the characteristics of the flight of the ball after the impact; in other words, this parameter affects all three practical characteristics of the racket - speed, rotation, control. Accordingly, models for different playing styles (see above) also differ in sponge thickness.

So, a small thickness - up to 1.5 mm - is typical for protective style products, which are distinguished by low speed and good control. All-purpose rackets use sponges of the thickness of 1.5 – 1.8 mm, which provides a balance between speed and control. And thick sponges - from 2 mm - are installed in rackets for an attacking game, and the greater the thickness, the higher the speed and rotation, and the worse the control.

This racket model has an ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) certificate.

The ITTF - International Table Tennis Federation - is the world organization responsible for developing the official rules for international competitions and monitoring their compliance. These rules also include technical requirements for equipment used in international competitions. An official ITTF certificate is required to allow equipment (including rackets) to participate in such competitions; in other words, to participate in an official international tournament you will need a racket with an ITTF certificate. However, having a certificate is more important taking into account another point: the ITTF puts forward quite strict requirements for the quality of equipment. This has a positive effect on the quality of certified products, but it also imposes some restrictions: for example, the base of the racket must consist of at least 85% wood (see “Base Material”), and some types of spikes on the rubbers are prohibited.

It is worth noting that rackets of almost any class can have an ITTF certificate (see above), even very inexpensive models. A certificate can also be issued for sets - as a rule, this means that all complete equipment (net, balls, etc.) meets the ITTF requirements. But the bases (see “Product type”) do not pass certification: a self-assembled racket may turn out to not comply with ITTF...standards, even if the base itself fits perfectly into these standards.

The total weight of the racket or base (see "Product type"). Usually, in the first case, the weight values are in the range of 140 – 180 g; occasionally there are lighter models, mainly these are rackets of the "beginner" class 1 * (see above). For most bases, this figure is 50 – 100 g.

In general, lighter rackets are considered better suited for beginner players — in particular, light weight contributes to good control. Trained professionals can use more "weighty" equipment. In addition, it is believed that heavy rackets are better suited for the attacking style of play (see above), while light rackets are more convenient in defence. Anyway, the choice of weight depends on personal preferences: the racket should not seem either too light or too heavy.

The number of balls in a kit(see "Product type").

This inventory is completed with almost any modern kit, and given that the balls are very easily lost due to their small size, there are usually at least two of them. And in the most extensive sets, this number can reach 8.