Written from firsthand experience with a deviated septum and checked against clinical sources. We make Ventriq Nasal Strips, so we are always upfront that a strip relieves symptoms rather than fixing the structural problem. Read our methodology or our editorial policy.
If you play table tennis, the best nasal strips are simple ones that stay in place through long practice sessions and matches without irritating your skin. Table tennis will not leave you gasping the way a hard run does, but a tense five game match against a good opponent still asks a lot of quick reactions and short bursts of concentration, and if your nose feels blocked or congested you end up breathing through your mouth at exactly the moment you want a clear head and a steady rhythm. A strip will not sharpen your reflexes or fix your footwork, but it can take one small distraction away so you can stay calm and settled point after point.
I started using nasal strips for sleep after a consultant otolaryngologist at a private hospital in Dublin diagnosed me with a significantly deviated septum and recommended surgery to fix it. I played rugby for over a decade and broke my nose more than once along the way, so my septum was never exactly straight to begin with. I put the surgery off to keep playing and built Ventriq as a way to breathe properly in the meantime. I picked up table tennis casually years later, and even in a sport that looks nothing like rugby, the same pattern showed up. A tense rally or a run of close points and my nose could not keep up, so I would end up breathing through my mouth at the table right when I wanted to feel settled.
Why Nasal Breathing Matters in Table Tennis
Table tennis is not an endurance sport in the way running or cycling is. Rallies last seconds, not minutes, and even a long match is built from short bursts of intense concentration rather than sustained physical effort. What table tennis does demand is composure. You need a clear head to read spin, react to a fast serve and stay settled between points, and how you breathe has more to do with staying calm than with any aerobic ceiling.
Nasal breathing slows your breathing rate and triggers a calmer response in your nervous system than mouth breathing does. The nose also produces nitric oxide as air passes through it, a bronchodilator and vasodilator that helps keep your airways open and your blood vessels relaxed, supporting the steady, settled state you want during a match rather than the ragged breathing that comes with mouth breathing under pressure.
The catch is that a blocked or partly blocked nose makes it hard to stay on nasal breathing even at rest. A deviated septum reduces the cross sectional area of one nasal passage, and combined with the nasal cycle, where the tissue inside your nose alternates which side is more congested on a roughly four hour rotation, the restricted side can feel almost fully blocked during a tense match, right when you want to feel calm rather than distracted by your own breathing.
How Nasal Strips Help Table Tennis Players
A nasal strip works on the outside of the nose. It spans the lower cartilage and uses a spring action to lift the lateral nasal wall outward, widening the internal diameter at the nasal valve. The nasal valve is the narrowest point in your entire airway, and it is the same spot that pinches inward if you press gently on the side of your nose while breathing in hard.
For a table tennis player with a deviated septum, a strip helps most on the side where the deviation crowds the valve area, which can be noticeable during a tense final game when your breathing tightens up along with your nerves. For a player with no structural issue, the main benefit is stopping dynamic valve collapse, where the cartilage gets pulled inward under a heavier breathing load during a fast exchange of tight points. In both cases the practical benefit in table tennis is less about physical output and more about staying settled, since a clear nasal airway makes it easier to breathe quietly and keep your composure between points.
I use the Ventriq Sport Nasal Strips whenever I play. They are stiffer than a standard sleep strip, built to stay put without irritating your skin, and the adhesive holds through a long evening of practice or matches without lifting at the edges.
Our pick for table tennis
Ventriq Sport Nasal Strips
Drug free strips built to stay put through sweat and hold the nasal valve open, so you keep breathing through your nose when the effort ramps up. From EUR 20, with buy more save more packs.
Shop Ventriq SportSleeping or recovering instead? See Ventriq Sleep, or read how to choose the right strip.
What to Look for in a Table Tennis Nasal Strip
Not all nasal strips are built the same, and for table tennis a few things actually matter:
- Adhesive strength: you are not sweating heavily like a runner, but a long practice session still calls for a strip that will not lift or curl at the edges over an hour or more.
- Spring tension: more tension means more lift and a more open airway, which helps most during the tense rallies where your breathing tightens up with your nerves.
- Fit and position: a strip sitting too high on the bony part of your nose does nothing. It has to sit across the lower cartilage where the nasal valve actually is.
- Skin tolerance: if you train several evenings a week, you want a strip that does not leave your skin raw after you peel it off.
I have tried a lot of strips over the years. Most were fine for sleep but felt too soft or started peeling early during a long practice session. The Ventriq Sport strip holds better and keeps the airway open through a full evening of matches.
Does It Actually Improve Performance?
I will be straight about this. There is very little research looking at nasal strips in table tennis specifically, and the wider research on nasal strips producing measurable performance gains in trained athletes is mixed at best. Some studies show small improvements in perceived effort and breathing efficiency. Others show no meaningful change in aerobic measures under laboratory conditions. None of that is really the point in a sport like table tennis anyway, since this is not a sport where raising your VO2 max would show up in your results. A strip is a breathing aid, not a swing speed upgrade, and it will not improve your reflexes or your spin.
What I can tell you from my own experience is that the subjective difference is real. Breathing through your nose during a match feels calmer and less distracting, and it is easier to stay settled heading into a tense final game when you are not aware of your own breathing. If you want a deeper look at the general evidence, I have covered it in Do Nasal Strips Improve Athletic Performance.
Nasal Strips if You Have a Deviated Septum
If you have a deviated septum and you play table tennis regularly, nasal strips are probably more useful for you than for the average player. You are starting every match with your airway already restricted on one side, so anything that gives part of that width back makes it easier to stay calm and breathe quietly rather than switching to your mouth during a tense rally. External strips work best when the restriction sits at the nasal valve rather than deep inside the nasal cavity, which is the most common pattern after an old injury to the nose. I have written more on this in Best Nasal Strips for a Deviated Septum.
If your breathing also wrecks your sleep after a late evening of matches or a weekend tournament, How to Sleep Better with a Deviated Septum covers what has worked for me overnight.
My Recommendation
For table tennis, get the Ventriq Sport Nasal Strips. They were built for active use and they stay on through a long evening of matches without irritating your skin. If your main issue shows up overnight rather than at the table, the Ventriq Sleep Nasal Strips are the right pick for bedtime, and plenty of players use both, a sport strip for matches and a sleep strip overnight. If you also play tennis or padel, the same thinking applies, and I have covered those in Best Nasal Strips for Tennis and Best Nasal Strips for Padel. And if you are unsure which shape or size will actually fit your nose, see how to choose the right nasal strip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are nasal strips allowed in table tennis?
Yes. A nasal strip is a mechanical breathing aid with no drug action, so it is not on any prohibited list and nothing in the rules of table tennis bans wearing one during a match.
Will a nasal strip fall off during a long practice session?
A standard sleep strip can start to curl at the edges after an hour or more of movement and talking. A sport specific strip uses a stronger adhesive designed to hold through a long session, so it stays in place through a full evening of practice or matches.
Where exactly should I place a nasal strip?
Position it across the fleshiest part of your nose, over the lower cartilage rather than the bone. If you feel the spring tension lifting your nostrils when you breathe in, it is in the right place. Sit it too high and it does nothing.
Do nasal strips help concentration in table tennis?
They help you keep breathing through your nose for longer during a match, which can make it easier to stay calm and settled between points rather than distracted by your own breathing. They will not sharpen your reflexes, but a quieter breath can support the composure the sport demands.
Do I need a deviated septum for nasal strips to work?
No. Dynamic nasal valve collapse, where the side of the nose pulls inward under a heavier breathing load, is common even in people with a perfectly straight septum. A strip prevents that collapse and improves airflow either way.
Can a nasal strip help if I only play table tennis socially and not competitively?
Yes. The benefit comes from keeping the nasal valve open and breathing settled, and that applies whether you are playing a relaxed social game or a competitive match. Anyone who notices they switch to mouth breathing during a tense rally may notice a difference.
