To Speed Glue or Not to Speed Glue? That is the question!

Speed glue is not for everyone. If you are just getting started or consider yourself to be a novice/beginner, you should hold off on the idea of speed gluing for now. If you're an advanced recreational player, aggressive attacker, or just looking for a little extra kick without the hassle of selecting a new blade or rubber sheet, speed glue may just be the thing for you.

How Does it Work? 

One theory is that the porous cells of soft sponge are forced to expand due to the chemical vapors of the speed glue. Since the top rubber sheet was originally attached to the sponge base in a non-stressed condition, then it too becomes stretched. This causes an extra “kick” or mini-trampoline effect.

Advantages:

• Adds spin and speed to soft sponge rubber without giving up significant control.

Disadvantages:

• Sometimes the effect is inconsistent.
• Takes practice to find optimum amount of glue to use per sheet and to know how long the effect will last.
• New sheets take several regluings before they behave optimally.

At What Level Should I Try It?

Since virtually all of the world's top players use speed glue, we recommend that once you have developed a consistent all round or offensive game, it is worth trying.

Apply an even coat of glue to the blade and allow glue to fully dry. This should take approximately 2 minutes for regular glue or 3–5 minutes for speed glue.		Pour directly from the can a quarter sized amount of regular glue or a pound coin sized amount of speed glue in the center of the sponge and spread evenly. Let the sponge dry for about 3–5 minutes. Wave the blade like a fan to help speed up the drying process.
Attach the bottom edge of the rubber to the blade.	Roll upward with a roller to make sure the rubber stays in place.
Place in a Clicky Press or under a heavy book or object for 7–10 minutes	Trim the excess rubber off the edge of the blade. One application of regular glue should lasts many months while the special effect of speed glue lasts 3-6 hours. Be sure to give yourself at least 15 minutes before match time to practice with the racket to get the feel.