Site Products
Ball evaluation

Ball evaluation

(by Stephanie Sun)

There are a few types of balls that are among the most frequently chosen tournament balls. The Nittaku 40+ ball, which is used in the US nationals and US open. The Butterfly A40+ ball, which was used in the 2019 world’s championship and will be used in the 2021 world’s championship in Houston. Besides these two, there’s a new type of ball from Butterfly: Butterfly S40+.

The Nittaku one has a very rough surface. The bounce is low and carries a lot of speed and spin. Since it can be very fast with low arc, you might find it a little hard to always get to the perfect position for a smash stroke. It’s good for spin though.

The Butterfly S40+ ball plays like Nittaku 40+ but it has a more smooth surface (not quite as smooth as G40+) and it is of the best quality among all the balls. It provides a really consistent bounce and a little higher arc than Nittaku. The higher arc gives players a little more time to swing and yet it is still generating so much spin. It doesn’t kick as quite as much at Butterfly G40+ so the trajectory is slightly more smooth. But if you prefer the kick, the Butterfly G40+ gives the most thrill when you loop a super spinny topspin shot.

The Butterfly A40+ ball has the roughest surface among all the aforementioned balls. It feels a little lighter Nittaku and S40+. It also travels a little slower and it’s less spinny compared to the other two. It’s probably a little easier for players away from the table since it gives more time and the spin is a little weaker.

Latest News

Racket Up All the Time

July 18, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand), Forehand topspin from Forehand/ middle… Read More

Keep the Swing as Compact as Possible

July 16, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand, only Forehand topspin from this… Read More

Reviewing Bugller with Logan Rietz

July 15, 2025
(by: Logan Rietz) I love pips.  I like chopping with them, hitting with them, anything I can do… Read More

Keep Your Elbow Closer to Your Body

July 14, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve long serve to elbow and Robot plays topspin to Forehand, Forehand spin block or counter… Read More

#3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and leads to a quick attack

July 14, 2025
[Feature] [Special feature] America’s star! Jha’s strong points #3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and… Read More

Ten Tips for Faster Footwork

July 14, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move. Grippy shoes on non-grippy… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Third Ball Attack

July 14, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing the “Third Ball Attack” using his… Read More

MLTT Featured Team: Chicago Wind

July 14, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Chicago Wind plan to blow over competition in the upcoming Major League… 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.