Gifts for ping pong players

This is the easiest recommendation on the whole site. The rackets that come with a ping pong table are the cheapest the manufacturer could source — thin blades with hard, low-grip rubber that the ball skids off.

A proper paddle grips the ball, which is what makes spin and control possible at all. The effect is immediate and dramatic, and people frequently describe it as the table suddenly playing better.

It is the right level for someone who plays regularly. For a complete beginner, a control-focused paddle is a better fit — see the note below.

The paddles bundled with a table are the weakest part of the package, and this is the least you can spend to leave them behind. The ratings are control-leaning rather than fast, which is the right balance while a stroke is still forming.

The blade is ultra-light balsa and the rubber is ITTF-approved and inverted, so it grips enough to start feeling what spin actually does. It is the right first proper paddle.

If you are buying for a family rather than a player, a four-paddle set is the better gift than one good racket — it means everyone has something decent and doubles is possible.

These are family paddles rather than performance rackets, which is exactly right for the job. Pair it with one good paddle if there is a keen player in the house.

This is the gift for the person who has started caring what the ball does in the air. Killerspin rate it Spin 9, Speed 8, Control 7, and the grippy Nitrx-4Z rubber is what a developing player notices first.

It also arrives in a hard memory-book case, which makes it present well and keeps the rubber flat — a bare paddle left out on the table does not stay good for long.

The biggest practical problem for a home table tennis player is that there is often nobody to play against. A ball feeder solves it: consistent, repeatable feeds at an adjustable speed and frequency.

It is a genuinely thoughtful gift for someone who has become serious about the game, and it is the kind of thing people want but do not buy themselves.

Worth knowing before you buy: it feeds balls faster than they come back, so a net or catch arrangement makes the difference between practicing and collecting.

The net is the first thing on a table tennis table to wear out and the last thing anyone thinks to replace. A sagging, faded net makes a good table feel tired.

A new net with proper tension adjustment is inexpensive and makes an old table feel looked-after. It is an unglamorous gift that gets genuinely appreciated.