Choosing the right Sponge
Posted by Alois Rosario on March 2nd, 2010
A lot of players ask me “what is the right sponge thickness for me?” and “how do I tell if the sponge is any good?”
The first thing you need to examine is how thick you want your sponge. To do this you need to know the properties of the different thicknesses. So let’s look at this aspect first.
Properties of different thickness
The thinner the sponge the more control you will get, the thicker the sponge the more speed and spin. The thicker sponge allows the ball to sink further into the rubber and wrap around the ball on impact. This allows better grip on the ball and therefore more spin. The thinner sponge allows more direct hitting as the ball goes through to the wood. You get a flatter trajectory as you don’t get as much grip on the ball.
Now let’s examine your playing style and see what suits you best.
Playing Styles
Players that like to play defensively would tend to use a thinner sponge like a 1.0mm to 1.5mm sponge. This gives them more control over the ball, especially when it is hit hard at them.
Attacking players that play a flatter more controlled game would be better with a sponge around 1.5mm.
Players at the other end of the scale that like to attack with a lot of topspin should look more at the 2.0mm and 2.2mm sponges. Often the manufacturers will call their sponge thickness Max (Maximum). This normally refers to thicknesses around 2.2mm.
The different manufacturers of rubbers usually offer a few different sponge thickness options for each of their rubbers. Some of the more popular rubbers will offer thicknesses ranging all the way from 1.0mm to 2.2mm. However most rubber suppliers will offer thicknesses of 1.5 to 2.2mm for attacking rubbers and some of the thinner options for defensive rubbers.
Beginners
To start with I would recommend that beginners use sponge thickness of around 1.5mm. You may go up to 2.0mm with a more controlled type rubber and sponge. The 1.5mm sponge will offer you better control to learn your strokes. You will be able to generate enough spin to do your basic strokes correctly but will not be overwhelmed with the speed. If you use a thick and fast sponge first you will feel like you need to compromise your strokes to have enough control on the ball. The slower sponge will allow you to execute your strokes fully and with confidence.
Quality of Sponge
This is a more difficult question as it is often very difficult to tell the quality of a sponge until you hit with it. If you are a little more experienced look for a sponge that isn’t too aerated without substance. You can see this on some pre-made bats. The sponge needs to be a little firmer to allow it to grip around the ball and not just let the ball go right through to the wood.
