More than learning the dictionary definition of a table tennis ball, you need to understand what they’re made of, how they’re designed and the official regulations governing their use.

ITTF-approved table tennis balls must weigh 2.7g. But there’s an accepted tolerance of between 2.67 and 2.77g. Improves Reflexes: Your fine and gross muscle movements will improve with this fast-paced game. As there are swift movements in a confined space, your body will develop muscle faster due to the exertion. This is one of the best brands of ping pong balls not only because it withstands strong hits but also because it meets the ITTF standards. The price is very low, making the balls the best investment a ping pong novice can make.I am sure you will agree that tournaments are the best test for durability of a ball given the amount of games played and the hammering the balls get throughout the day. On December 19th, 1950, Hikosuke Tamasu founded Tamasu Co., Ltd. in the small town of Yanai City, Japan. This was the beginning of a company career which is almost unique in table tennis. So in 2012 the ITTF agreed that, with effect from 1 July 2014, all ITTF events would only use table tennis balls made from plastic. There is a lot of decent quality training balls available (recommendations below), which are much more affordable and perfectly decent for doing training drills, multi-ball and service practice. As you can see in the above chart (Source: ITTF Plastic Ball Q and A), there are a few differences between celluloid and plastic balls, and plastic balls with a seam and seamless balls. If you’re interested in learning more about the physics of table tennis balls, this research paper from the Journal of Human Kinetics does a great job of comparing the performance of celluloid and plastic balls.

This ball is the highest quality poly ball, with outstanding durability, roundness, and consistency. It is made with special poly material available only to Nittaku. At first the quality of the new plastic balls was very poor, which led to quite a lot of frustration and anger in the table tennis community. But over the past five years, the quality of the new plastic balls has improved a lot, especially with the latest ABS material. The ping pong ball you are playing must be of the right weight and dimensions for effective play. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has set some standards to determine the ball’s weight and diameter. The width of the ball cannot be lesser than 40 mm. Some balls have slightly bigger widths. This enhances the ball’s responsiveness, especially in competitive tournaments and games. They are usually referred to as 40+. An example of such a ball included the Killerspin 4-Star 40+ Ping Pong Balls and the PRO SPIN Ping Pong Balls. The weight of such a ball should be 2.7 grams or around 0.09ounces. Stars Funnily enough, players often spend a lot of time (and way more money) choosing the right ping pong paddle, but completely overlook getting the right balls. Playing with cheap table tennis balls is fine if you’re just messing around, but if you’re interested in improving your game then you’ll need the right balls for the job. What are the official ping pong ball regulations? Tabletenniswest stated:“By far the best plastic ball I’ve used to date. Feels heavier than DHS and XuShaoFa 40+ Balls and the bounce is closer to the Celluloid balls. I didn’t find myself having to ‘think’ about adjusting to the plastic ball.”Like the practice balls, these are generally a softer ball and susceptible to breaking when hit hard, but will comply with the rules if they're white or orange 40mm diameter balls, made from plastic and weigh 2.7g. The balls are great for training and this is not because they are cheap but because they give value for money. They spin and bounce right and this allows you to train well. They are also loved by cats so they can double as toys. Let your playing style inform your choices. The best way to figure out if you prefer celluloid or plastic ping pong balls is to try both. Best celluloid ping pong balls

Before any ball can be placed on the International Table Tennis Federation list of authorised 40mm table tennis balls, it must go through a rigourous testing programme.

The XuShaoFa ping pong balls are simply too good for practice. They are used in ITTF tournaments, domestically and internationally, and for very good reason! The XuShaoFa 40+ plays out superbly during rallies and that is one of the major reasons why we rate it so highly! According to USA Table Tennis, plastic balls are thought to be slower than celluloid balls, due to their material difference and slightly increased size. Plastic balls also provide less spin for players, as plastic is a stiffer material than celluloid. Mr. Tamasu is convinced that table tennis keeps young and fit. ”Table tennis really is a life time sport and ideal specially for older people”, he adds. This view is also shared by the management, along with CEO Shunsaku Yamada (since 2005), who carries this motto all over the world. There is almost no country on earth which does not have friendly relations with Butterfly. However, unless they're white or orange 40mm diameter balls, made from plastic and weigh 2.7g, they will not comply with the Laws (rules) of Table Tennis.