I have recently become interested in the sport of ping pong and have a couple questions about ping pong paddles. My uncle has given me a ping pong paddle to start playing with and it seems really nice, except the handle is offset. I tried to look for this type of paddle on the internet but i could not find any. Do you know if this is an older style of paddle, or just a preference that some players have?
Also, I was wondering if rubbers are interchangeable on all paddles or just on paddles that you put together yourself? I would like to change the rubber on my paddle and i don't know if I am able to.
Andy
Offset Handles
Offset handles do exist, but they are fairly rare - I think I've only ever seen a couple in my whole time in the sport. Most players prefer the normal handle type that is at right angles to the racket head. But that doesn't mean you should change it if you really like it! But do keep in mind that you might find it hard to buy new blades with the same offset if you ever want to upgrade your bat.Removing Rubbers from Premade Bats
On many of the premade paddles, the rubbers are glued on with really strong glue, so it's very hard to remove the rubber - you end up either sort of scraping it off or ripping it off in chunks.Try gently peeling a corner of the rubber from the blade, it should come off fairly easily, without leaving parts of the sponge on the blade. If it doesn't, you've probably got a bat where they have used very strong glue. In those cases, unless you really, really like the blade, I'd give up trying to remove the rubber and buy a new blade and rubbers instead. Then you can use ordinary table tennis glue to attach your rubbers to the blade (here's how), which allows easy removal of the rubbers once they need replacing. Just remember to seal the blade first!
If you really must try to remove strongly glued rubbers, I've read that other players have used a warm iron to heat up the glue and make it easier to remove. They place a sheet of paper on the rubber, and then iron the rubber to heat it up - but hopefully without melting it! If this sounds a little bit dangerous, you might try visiting your local hardware store and ask the staff for a solvent that can dissolve glue - hopefully they can point you in the right direction.
