The blade, or wooden structure of a ping pong paddle, is the key element in transferring vibrations and sensations from ball contact to the player, which tells the player whether the stroke was executed correctly and where the ball will go. Traditional blades have all wooden layers, but more modern versions can have layers of carbon, fiberglass, or other manmade material. However, those manmade layers can only make up 15% of the blade. The blade also contains the handle, which can be customized for type of grip used (penhold or shakehand). Shakehand handles come is several different shapes, including straight, flared, and anatomic (double flared).
