I’ve often been asked about how I “glue my bat”. Most top offensive players glue their bats with speed glue before every Table Tennis match and I’d like to share my techniques with you. There is a video below showing how easy it is. It is interesting to note that there are significant changes ahead with regards to speed glue, the ITTF will be banning it from all competitions after the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Standard Technique: Let the glue dry

Peel off the rubbers from your bat and apply a generous layer of glue. Depending on your desired outcome you can apply between 1 and 3 layers of glue letting each layer dry partially before applying the next. Then apply a thin layer of glue to your blade.

Wait 5 to 10 minutes

Now you must wait until the glue has completely dried. If you stick the rubber on when the glue is still wet, you will get a very “bad glue” and the ball will not come off your racket as you expect. So I stress once again, make sure the glue has completely dried.

Stick the rubbers on your bat

Now all you need to do is stick the rubbers on your bat and you are ready to play. Easy as that.

Unusual Technique: Wet Glue

With the wet glue technique, you need to glue the rubbers the night before the tournament. You simply apply a generous amount of glue to your rubber and stick it onto your bat immediately. Do not wait for the glue to dry. Then you can place it in a bat clamp if you have one or otherwise put it in your bat cover and leave it till the morning.

Now use the standard technique

In the morning you simply use the standard technique described above and you are ready to go. The advantage of gluing up wet, is that it really allows the glue to soak into your rubbers and provide a really good effect.

Which technique should I use?

This really depends on how often you are gluing your bat. If you are training everyday and gluing your bat every day, then it makes sense to use the standard technique and glue up dry. As you are applying glue regularly the rubber tends to be quite fast without needing the wet glue. If you are gluing up less frequently then I would recommend trying the wet glue. It gives your rubber the best chance to soak up the glue and in my experience gives a better result more consistently.

So give both techniques a go and let us know which method you prefer.