Hardness

“Hardness is a measure of the resistance to localized plastic deformation induced by either mechanical indentation or abrasion.”

In table tennis, hardness is closely related to the feedback we get from a blade, the so-called “dwell time”, which means the amount of time that the ball stays on the racket before shooting out. In reality this is a very small interval of time and it’s almost impossible for humans to perceive the differences. However, the hardness of the blade gives us tactile information that allows our brains to better comprehend what our eyes can’t see. It’s not only the hardness of the top ply that matters, all layers play a part in the global hardness of the blade, but will have different roles depending on the type of impact (more on this later). A softer blade provides more feedback to the hand, which gives our brain more information to process what is happening. That’s why we get that feeling of “holding the ball”. A harder blade has more vibration attenuation, thus providing less feedback and the sensation of a lower dwell time, the so-called “crisp” feeling.

Different players will prefer different kinds of feelings. Beginners usually go for softer blades because they provide more feedback and are also slower. As the skills increase, the player no longer needs so much feedback so they choose harder and faster blades.