The black and red sides of the bat

Robert Davis Asked 12 years ago

With a standard bat does the red side and the black side have the same effect on the ball?

Jeff Plumb Answered 12 years ago

Hi Robert,

If you have the same rubber on both sides, the black and the red will be exactly the same.

You need one black and one red rubber because of the rules. When anti-spin became popular, players would use 2 rubbers of the same colour, one normal and one anti-spin. Opponents couldn't tell which rubber was used when the ball was hit and hence it was very difficult to tell if there was spin on the ball or not. To make it easier the rule was brought in that you need 1 red and 1 black rubber. You are also allowed to inspect your opponents bat before you play so you know which rubbers they are using.