Early Pingpong Paddles

Pingpong has come a long way since it first began as a social hobby created by bored English military officers in 1881. First known as table tennis, the game was originally played by upper-class English aristocrats and was also called Gossima and Whiff-Whaff. Today people of all stations in life enjoy the game. Pingpong is played for recreational enjoyment, but involves all levels of competition. It has been included in the Olympics since 1988.

The Earliest Pingpong Equipment

When British officers played those first few rounds of table tennis, they probably grabbed whatever was in their reach. For an indoor version of tennis they used cigar box covers for the first pingpong paddles. The earliest balls were carved from champagne corks or were made from large knots of string. A net was created using a row of books.

Other Early Paddles

Besides cigar box covers, early table tennis paddles were typically made of cardboard and covered with leather, cloth or sandpaper. Other early versions of paddles resembled small drums with velum stretched over outer casings. The name "pingpong" was developed from the sound created by using different-sized rackets, bats or paddles that struck balls.

Early 20th Century Paddles

In 1901, Englishman E.C. Goode took sheets of pimpled rubber and glued them to a wooden blade to create a pingpong paddle. Goode's paddle allowed for more spin on the ball. After Goode created his paddle, the first unofficial world pingpong championship was held in England the same year. A pingpong association was also launched in England. In the 1930s, the idea of table tennis competition began to take shape and paddles began to resemble tennis rackets.

Bernard Hock Paddles

Bernard Hock, who was considered America's premiere bladesmith of the 1950s, created a paddle suited best for defensive play. His paddles, with 3-ply blades, were stiffer and more adapted for attack playing styles. In his New Albany, New York, basement Hock used routers, shavers and sharpeners to create his paddles, which were scaled to precision. It's estimated he made about 2,000 paddles each year, according to a USATT (USA Table Tennis) Magazine article published in summer 2002.

Haroi Satoh's Foam Rubber Paddle

The first foam rubber paddle was introduced by Haroi Satoh of Japan in 1953. This allowed the game to be played faster with more spin on the ball. Players developed a technique known as the penholder grip, where the paddle was held between the thumb and forefinger. The penholder grip made it easier for players to strike the ball with the same face of a paddle using any stroke.