The Defensive Blades of Table Tennis Chopping Legends
Looking back at the blades these chopping legends have used, you see the same word written all over: heritage. Classics never go out of style, and new models are mostly just refined versions of old ones.
1 — Ding Song, DHS 08B
Once known as the defensive magician. At the 1995 Tianjin World Championships men’s team final, playing in the third singles slot, he defeated Jorgen Persson and helped China beat Sweden — earning the nickname “secret weapon.”
The 08B, with its seven-ply linden (basswood) construction, is an improved version of the classic 08. The feel is honest and linear, and it handles punishment well.
2 — Hou Yingchao, DHS 08B
At the 2019 National Championships, veteran commentator Hou Yingchao consecutively beat Liang Jingkun and Wang Chuqin to claim the men’s singles title — reminding everyone of this blade (Hou uses TSP SPECTOL pimples on his backhand).
One adjective sums up linden blades: methodical. What was once celebrated as a “fast attack powerhouse” construction has evolved into a steady, reliable defensive blade.
Sword also produced a custom blade for Hou Yingchao in the same construction, with weights in the 110-120 gram range. That gives us a rough sense of his weight preferences.
3 — Ma Te and Liu Fei, DHS 08X Special
At the 2021 Olympic simulation tournament, this double-chopper pair won the mixed doubles title. The 08 series was back in the spotlight. Unlike the seven-ply all-wood 08B, the 08X adds two plies of fancy carbon weave, boosting rebound and offensive capability for stronger counterattacks from defense.
At that time, Liu Fei used P1V long pips — fine, long pimples with stronger spin variation. Ma Te used P4V (sometimes 0.5 mm, sometimes 1.0 mm thickness), which gives more precise placement and more consistent chopping.
4 — Yang Yiyun, Yinhe 980 ULTRA
When it comes to domestic defensive blades, Yinhe previously offered the 980 and 980XX, both five-ply all-wood constructions. Young national team player Yang Yiyun’s current blade, the 980 ULTRA, is a new release — five plies of wood with two inner plies of red aramid fiber.
As for the P4V on her backhand, I asked — it’s 1.0 mm.
5 — Joo Sae Hyuk, Butterfly Special
His most iconic setup is a five-ply all-wood blade with a rosewood face and ayous core, the three inner layers close to equal thickness. This is quite different from the Butterfly Joo Sae Hyuk market model, which emphasizes a thicker core in a standard five-ply configuration.
6 — Xu Xiaoyuan, Butterfly Special
Also on a special Diode construction. The original Diode features three nearly equal inner layers, offering durability against loops and good defensive hold.
Deeply influenced by Joo Sae Hyuk, Xu Xiaoyuan once ran the same rubber setup: Tenergy 64 on the forehand, TSP Curl P-1R on the backhand. He later switched the forehand to T05, D05, D09c…
7 — Chen Weixin, Butterfly Defence II
Just before writing this section, the author had been chatting with Chen Weixin’s national team senior about pimple-rubber dipping issues. A fitting coincidence. The Defence II is a hard but non-lively defensive blade, built for steady chopping. More famous than this blade, though, is the Xiom Chen Weixin — though it’s not particularly easy to play. The Xiom Chen Weixin has two inner plies of “Black Cloth” material with a paulownia core; the close-table counterattack and hitting speed are quite good, but the depth on mid-distance loops is quite ordinary. As for chopping, it gets the job done.
8 — Han Ying, Victas Matsushita Koji (Brown Pine)
During Matsushita Koji’s playing days, he was well known. Now it’s his blade series that carries the name. Among defensive blades, the Blue Pine is among the thicker and harder options, becoming the go-to for both Wu Yang and Han Ying. In the plastic ball era, even defensive blades benefit from being stiffer. Later, Han Ying switched to the Brown Pine.
On rubber, I asked Han Ying directly: she uses national-standard Hurricane 3 with an orange sponge on the forehand — more consistent — and Spectol S3 on the backhand. The S3 has smaller pips than the S1, giving more variation.
9 — Gionis, Korbel Special
Not much to add here. A Korbel with an enlarged blade face. Many defensive blades are built with a larger head to increase hitting area and dwell time.
10 — Niwa Koki, Yasaka Seiso
An eye-catching, freewheeling defensive player with a high level of counterattacking from chop. The Seiso is a three-ply hinoki blade at 7.2 mm thickness.
Unlike most defensive players who use long pips or anti-spin on the backhand, Niwa Koki uses inverted rubber on both sides. He previously played Xiom Dragon on the backhand and Rakza 7 on the forehand. Then he switched to R7 on both sides, reportedly for more power. His current rubber setup may have changed again — to be updated.