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What is the best backhand rubber for the modern table tennis? Is choosing the backhand rubber is the same as forehand rubber? There are common questions that many new players asked me. So today I will try to explain how to buy a perfect table tennis rubber for your backhand.

Understanding best rubbers for backhand

First of all, you need to know that choosing the backhand rubber is not like the forehand rubber.

Backhand rubber is different than the forehand rubber.

Because you hit the ball with a harder, and longer stroke on your forehand. While you hit the ball on your backhand side with a much shorter and quicker stroke.

For the new trends in table tennis, you can choose the rubber, which is marked as the “P-version”. P version means that the rubber is built and tested with the new “Poly-ball”. Or you can choose the harder version of your rubber. The harder version will fit better the new trend (like choosing Tenergy 05 Hard, instead of the normal version of Tenergy 05).

Forehand rubber

While players prefer choosing the hard, or even very hard rubber on the forehand side. Good players also prefer tacky Chinese rubber as the forehand rubber. Because on your forehand side, you can hit very hard. Using the forehand you can hit while rotating your whole body. It’s the mechanism of this stroke.

Backhand rubber

Unlike forehand rubber, you need to choose the backhand rubber differently. Because the mechanism of the backhand stroke is different than the forehand technique.

You normally can only do the backhand strokes in front of your body. So backhand stroke is much shorter, and weaker than the forehand stroke. That’s the reason why you should play with the softer rubber on the backhand side. So here is my guide to choosing the best rubbers for your backhand side.

How to choose backhand rubber

Choosing a backhand rubber is not the same as choosing your forehand rubber. Here are my tips:

Choose bouncy rubber

Always aim for “offensive and fast rubbers” for your backhand side. Prefer using the Tensor, High Tension, ESN, Japanese rubber on the backhand side.

for your backhand side. Prefer using the Tensor, High Tension, ESN, Japanese rubber on the backhand side. Use Chinese rubber on the backhand side, only if you can hit very hard with your backhand.

on the backhand side, only if you can hit very hard with your backhand. Choose a rubber not too soft, neither too hard (around 41 – 50 ESN hardness scale). Too soft rubber will bottom out the ball. Too hard rubber is difficult to spin the ball.

Choose medium-hard rubber

Don’t use very hard (harder than ESN 53 degree ) on your backhand

) on your backhand Choose a rubber with thickness around 2.0mm to 2.15mm or 2.20mm. Don’t choose too thick rubber (thicker than 2.3 mm sponge thickness).

or 2.20mm. Don’t choose too thick rubber (thicker than 2.3 mm sponge thickness). Don’t use max thickness if you are the beginner.

Best backhand rubbers are “bouncy rubbers”. Because “bouncy rubbers” give you an additional speed for backhand. (Backhand strokes is short).

Don’t choose the too-soft rubber

Don’t choose too soft backhand rubber ( softer than 35 ESN hardness scale ). It’s very bad! Easy to spin, but the ball’s quality (speed and spin) is average.

). It’s very bad! Easy to spin, but the ball’s quality (speed and spin) is average. Contradictory to many Western coaches, who insists new players to play with soft, to very soft rubber on the backhand side. In China, new players begin with medium-hard rubber , and they improve faster! Trust me!

, and they improve faster! Trust me! When you improve your level, prepare to upgrade your backhand rubber. The upgrade means choosing the harder, and faster rubbers .

. Think about color. Red and black rubbers are not the same. Top players often choose red rubbers on the backhand side.

What is a good rubber for backhand?

A good backhand rubber needs to provide:

Spinny ball at the low impact shots (serve, receive, topspin, flick)

Additional speed (to aggressively return the ball, to initiate the first attack, to counterattack)

ability to flick, hit on the table (to fit the new trends of table tennis) (one of the reason for the success of Harimoto Tomokazu – big phenomena in modern table tennis era)

What is the optimal hardness for a backhand rubber?

How hard or how soft rubbers depends on your hitting power. Pro players will play with very hard, and fast rubbers. While beginners will play with softer rubbers. The optimal combination between the forehand rubber and the backhand rubber is:

Forehand rubber’s hardness = x (hardness)

(hardness) Backhand rubber’s hardness = x-2 (hardness)

This formula works best! Tested on many of my players.

So for example, on your forehand side, the sweet hardness for you is about 49 ESN scale. So for your backhand side, you should choose the 47 ESN hardness scale.

Optimal range: backhand hardness = forehand hardness -2

Top 10 backhand rubbers 2018

Here is my recommendation for your backhand rubbers. There are the rubbers that I see my players, and other good players use a lot. The feedback is very high. Because their rubbers give a lot of spins, additional speed, and ability to flick on the table. They are mostly European (ESN rubber), or Japanese rubber because this type of rubbers suit the backhand playing style.

1. Butterfly Tenergy 05

Tenergy 05 (Read reviews / Check price / Cheap price) is no doubt the most used backhand rubbers for both pro players and amateur players. Many top Chinese players including Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Zhang Jike, Xu Xin, Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Chuqin, etc use Tenergy rubber as the backhand rubber.

Advantages: The most popular backhand rubber. Higher spin and easy to create spin.

and easy to create spin. Disadvantage: Expensive, short durability. Not recommended for amateur players who can’t get the sponsor from Butterfly. If you get a free Tenergy rubber, go for it. Higher spin but slower than the Tenergy 64.

2. Stiga Mantra M/H

Stiga Mantra (Read reviews/ check price/ Buy online) is the new generation rubbers from Stiga. Truls Moregards is using Stiga Mantra rubbers on both sides. I really love these rubbers. Much more durable than Tenergy 05. So powerful backhand rubber. The balance of spin and speed is just wonderful. I recommend these rubbers for advanced players or to whom who want to improve quickly with serious training.

3. Butterfly Tenergy 64

Tenergy 64 (Read reviews / Check price / Buy online) is a very popular backhand rubber, just after Ten 05. The main difference between Ten 05 and Ten 64 is: Ten 64 has a lower throw, and faster. Zhang Jike used mainly Ten 64 as his weapon for the backhand. If you play more counter-attacks on your backhand side, just buy Tenergy 64.

For the new poly ball, and the new trends in table tennis, I recommend you check the new version of Tenergy rubber. It’s the harder Tenergy version! Which is even better!

4. Tibhar MX-P

MX-P (check price /Read review/ Buy from a shop) is becoming popular in early 2017-2018. It has been used by many top European professional players. It’s fast and spinny. The main advantage of this rubber is lower throw than Tenergy 05 (similar to Ten 64), easy to create spin. However, I don’t like this rubber. The sponge can be easily broken just after 2 weeks. It’s not durable at all!

If you like something fast for your backhand, this rubber is for you.

5. Nittaku Fastarc G-1

I really like the Nittaku Fastarc G-1 (Read reviews / Check price 1 / Price 2). The topsheet is so grippy, and the sponge is something in between the Ten05 and the Rakza 7. More durable than Ten 05. A good candidate for the alternative of Ten 05.

Fastarc G-1 is made for the new poly ball. But the topsheet is less grippy and less consistent for short ball. Many good Chinese players are using this rubber on his backhand side.

If you want to find a durable, and all-round rubbers, you can find Nittaku Fastarc G-1.

6. DHS Hurricane 3 (38 Chinese hardness degree)

With the new ball, some top Chinese rubbers have changed from Tenergy rubbers to Chinese rubbers on the backhand side. The problem of Tenergy rubber with the new ball is lacking power. The ball is heavier, so you need to play with a harder sponge.

The NEO version is the factory pre-tuned version. If you want to use the booster, I recommend you to buy the old version (non-NEO). Use 2.15mm instead of 2.20 mm will increase the consistency and the feeling (booster will absorb evenly) (Read reviews / Check price / Best price).

For the backhand side, you should choose the DHS Hurricane 3 about 37-38 DHS hardness scale.

Be careful before buying the real DHS Hurricane 3 (National version)! And here is the review of the National version DHS H3.

7. JOOLA Rhyzm-P

This rubber has a medium throw angle and is spinny. Some national players that I know in France use this rubber on the backhand side. Joola Rhyzm-P is perfect for plastic balls. The main advantage is it gives a great amount of spin in loops and serves. Blocking is very easy too. The “P version” (Read reviews / Check price / Best price) means that this rubber is built for the new poly ball. So you are safe! It suits the new trend in table tennis.

It’s easier to impact spin than with other rubbers like Tenergy 80, Yasaka Mark V or DHS hurricane 3. The speed is good but average.

8. Yasaka Rakza 7

Very good rubber for backhand. It shares the similar properties of the recent ESN New generation rubbers: medium-hard sponge, grippy topsheet, easy to spin, and great speed. Rakza 7 (Read reviews / Check price 1 / Price 2) gives you a direct feeling, with a medium throw angle. Lower throw angle than the Tenergy 05.

Blocking is very easy. I recommend it to any intermediate to advanced players.

9. XIOM Vega Europe

One of the best alternatives for Tenergy rubbers. The best choice for intermediate control loopers who can’t afford the high price Tenergy rubbers. Spong spin, and great control. XIOM Vega Europe (Read reviews / Check price/ Best price) has a medium – soft sponge so it gives a good feeling. Recommend to use it on OFF- to OFF blade. This rubber is dynamic and easy to counter-attack.

10. DONIC Bluefire M2

The Bluefire series (Read reviews / Check price / Price 2) is the tensor rubber that gives a wide range of gears. The topsheet is also grippy. Clear feeling for the short game. Service spin is good. This rubber is for the new player who wants to improve the backhand techniques. Because it gives you “dwell-time”. Not as fast as the previous rubber above.

Best backhand rubbers for control

The best rubber for controls is normal soft to medium soft sponges. Some amateur player also prefers playing with the thinner sponge to get control. For higher-level players, control does not mean “soft” and “easy to spin”. Control for top players is “consistency” and the “ability to get max spin”. They are a little bit different.

Here is the list of control backhand rubber (on the side of soft and thin topsheet rubber):

Andro Rasanter R37

Donic Baracuda

Andro Backside 2.0

Palio Aeolus

JOOLA Rhyzm-P

DHS Gold Arc 5

Gewo Hype XT Pro

Andro Rasant Powersponge

Victas VS > 402 Double Extra

JOOLA MAXXX-P

Gewo Hype XT Pro

Palio CJ8000 Light and Fast

Donic Bluefire JP 03

Based on the feedback (read comments below), Gewo and Donic have some good backhand rubbers, preferred by many junior players. If you want something durable, you can play with Palio or Victas. These 2 brands are famous for the durability of their rubbers.

Donic Baracuda (Check price 1 / price 2), one of the best all-around rubber, cheap, spinny, stable rubber and last long times. Recommend for good players who want to learn backhand strokes.

Spinniest backhand rubbers

Based on the highest spin rating of several players, here is the list of the spinniest rubber:

Andro Rasant Grip

Butterfly Tenergy 05

DHS Hurricane 3 National (Blue Sponge)

Tibhar Grip-S

Andro Rasanter R47

JOOLA Rhyzm-P

Yasaka Rakza 7

Xiom Omega V Asia

If you don’t want to buy Tenergy 05, you can try Yasaka Rakza 7, very spinny rubber (Read reviews / Check price 1 / Price 2)

Fastest backhand rubbers

The fastest rubbers are general hard rubbers with a very low throw. But it lacks spin. So to use very fast rubber on the backhand, you should use a flexible blade which can generate spin for your backhand shots. Here are the rubbers with the highest speed ratings:

Andro Rasant Turbo

Yasaka Rakza 9

Butterfly Bryce High Speed

Tibhar Evolution MX-P

Stiga Calibra LT Plus

Gewo Flexxon

Andro Roxon 500 Pro

DHS Gold Arc 8

Donic Coppa X1 Turbo Platin

Stiga Mantra H

Xiom Sigma 1 Pro

Stiga Calibra Tour H

JOOLA Maxxx 500

Tibhar Aurus Prime

Andro Rasanter R47

Gewo Hype XT Pro

Donic Bluefire M1 Turbo

If you want a fast rubber with a good spin, I recommend you Stiga Mantra H. If you want a fast rubber, no less spin, and the ball has the tendance to float (due to harder and thick pimples) it’s is Stiga Calibra LT Plus.

Evolution MX-P (check price /Read review/ Best price) is a fast rubber which goes well with OFF to OFF+ blade. MX-P is easy to spin, but the durability is very bad. After 2-4 weeks, the sponge has some broken part. Rasanter R47 is also a good backhand rubber.

Stiga Evolution MX-P, one of the fastest backhand rubber, best selling rubber in 2017.

Best rubbers for backhand flick and topspin

The backhand flick is a quick gesture but can generate a lot of spins. Best rubbers for backhand flick generally must have a grippy topsheet, and a medium-low throw angle. Choosing the too high throw angle, you can’t apply the force, the speed of your flick. Choosing the too hard rubber, you can’t generate enough spin for such a short stroke.

Tenergy rubbers have a medium to high throw angle, but they have a built-in tension, that’s why you can generate a very fast and spinny flick. You can choose Tenergy rubbers, or Cornilleau rubbers, Tibhar, or Stiga (new version of ESN) rubbers. They are all good for the backhand flick (tested and approved by many top European pro players).

You can go wrong with Ten05 (Read reviews / Check price 1 / Cheak price 2), one of the best backhand rubber to flick, and aggressive attack on the table. The main weakness of Tenergy 05 is: expensive, eat spin easily, so you need to be pro-active in your shot (best for the advanced player).

So here is the list of best backhand rubber for the flick, and close the table attack (adapted to the new trends).

Butterfly Tenergy 05

Gewo Hype XT Pro

Cornilleau Target Pro GT-H47

Butterfly Tenergy 64

Stiga Mantra M

Donic Bluefire M3

Palio CJ8000 Biotech 42-44°

Donic Baracuda

Butterfly Sriver G3

Andro Rasanter R50

Tibhar Grip-S Europe

Gewo Hype EL Pro

Friendship/729 729-3 Transcend

Gewo Hype XT Pro

Tibhar Aurus Select

Thank you, and see you in the next post for the best table tennis rubbers for forehand.