Site Products

Ask The Experts No. 423: Ahmed Elmallah

Posted on

Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:

Dear

I’m seeking advice regarding the purchase of my very first table tennis racket. It’s hard to make a choice due to the wide range of possibilities on the website, so I’ll try to give as much context and information as possible.

I’ve picked up table tennis a few months ago and I’m doing quite well in my humble opinion so I’m looking for a racket that is already past the beginner series and somewhere in between intermediate and advanced. It must give me the room to grow into as I get better so I don’t bump into another proverbial limit and will need another racket. Next year I’ll start to play competitive as well so its purpose is beyong recreational.

I’d describe my playstyle as offensive/attacking with long strokes and high spin/speed. I will look for ways to convert the game to my advantage by trying to attack on defensive strokes such as a push or chop as well. Even though my preference, I’m not willing to fully sacrifice defensive properties of the racket. So it’s not entirely clear to me if I fall within the off- or off range of blades. I have no idea regarding sponge thickness and type of rubber either as to what better suits me. Professional players I look up to and whose style I really like are Ma Long and Dimitrii Ovcharov.

Budget wise I’m looking for something between €100 and €150 in total (meaning blade+rubber), should there be a perfect match slighly above this range then that may be discussable as well. Once decided, do you always have to glue the both sides together yourself or can Butterfly do this for you as well (possibly against payment)? And by extension: can I easily replace the rubbers? I play in a local club who may assist in this.

As a final piece of info: I live in Belgium so perhaps not everything is available in my region? 

Thanks in advance!

Kind regards

Jonathan

 

Answer:

Hi Jonathan,

Thank you for your question.

I would suggest the Rozena 2.1 for the black and red rubbers.

For the blade, I recommend the Petr Korbel blade. Since you are an intermediate player, a softer blade is better to learn how to get good feeling on the ball.

Best Wishes!

Coach Ahmed

 

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

WTT Youth Contender San Francisco

July 31, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) This week San Francisco was host to a WTT Youth Contender series event. … Read More

Three10 Athletes Sunny Zhang And Cindy Zhu Dominate The Podium At Canadian Championship

July 31, 2026
(By Coach Raymond Zhang / Butterfly Americas) Eight gold medals, two silver, and four bronze highlighted an unforgettable… Read More

Through the Eyes of Our Coaches & Players: By Jessica Reyes-Lai

July 31, 2026
(By Jessica Reyes Lai/ Butterfly Americas) Participating in the 2026 World Table Tennis Championships in London was one… Read More

Butterfly Coach Geovanny Coello Leads Ecuador to Gold at the Lima 2026 Pan American University Games

July 31, 2026
(By Coach Geovanny Coello / Butterfly Americas) Lima, Peru | July 24–29, 2026 Butterfly Coach Geovanny Coello served… Read More

Rachid El Bou Bou – Push & Loop Follow up

July 31, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rachid El Bou Bou is executing a push over the… Read More

Three10 TTC Daniel Liang And Wendy Liu Shine At The 2026 Canadian Championships

July 30, 2026
(By Coach Dan Calderaro) At the Canadian Senior and Junior Championships held on July 17-23 in Winnipeg, Three10… Read More

Shashin Shodhan Amicus Training Series – BH, Mid, BH, FH

July 30, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Amicus Training Series, Shashin Shodhan is executing the footwork and stroke chemistry drill,… Read More

Alex Cazacu – Two Backhand Loop, Two Forehand Loops

July 29, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Alex Cazacu is executing Two Backhand Loops, and Two Forehand… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.