Any advice on setup??

The setup is fine. But, still, there is nothing wrong with changing things if that is what you want to do.

But if your loop goes more up than forward it probably means you need to loop more forward over the ball.

When you smash, still try to have a tangential element to your stroke so that you get some spin and use the topsheet better with the sponge. That should give you more pop because you will get more rebound from the sponge.

If you are thinking about H3, be prepared: the sponge has very little catapult compared to BlueFire so it will feel considerably slower, particularly on flat hits.


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beano said:

Thanks, what you say does add up.

1. I feel like I could handle the M2 as my forehand is my stronger side and the M3 suits my backhand.

2. I sometimes forget the leg element in my loop or am slightly out of position resulting in a arm speed rescue.

3. When I see a smash I sometimes tend to give it a good slap rather than an aggressive stroke.

I switched from Geospin and 729 rubbers to give the Bluefires a go, I have to say I really like the catapult of the bluefires and think I'm going to stick with them.

With regard to my blade do you think a carbon blade would benefit me with the Bluefire rubbers, I am happy with my blade but again feel I could do with a bit more pace on my forehand.

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If someone pushes heavy backspin at you, how good is your opening loop against heavy backspin?

The answer to the question will help me tell you if you should keep the blade you have or change it.

But that Persson Power Play is a great blade. I personally don't think anyone needs anything faster than that. And I would say it would be more worthwhile working on the FH technique than getting a faster blade.


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UpSideDownCarl said:

If someone pushes heavy backspin at you, how good is your opening loop against heavy backspin?

The answer to the question will help me tell you if you should keep the blade you have or change it.

But that Persson Power Play is a great blade. I personally don't think anyone needs anything faster than that. And I would say it would be more worthwhile working on the FH technique than getting a faster blade.


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Click to expand...

I dont know about how fast M3 is but if he's good enough to get a faster setup, dont you think he could just get something like MX-P over getting a new blade?

I agree with your statement that he doesnt need a faster blade than the current one especially since getting used to a new blade takes more time

laistrogian said:

I dont know about how fast M3 is but if he's good enough to get a faster setup, dont you think he could just get something like MX-P over getting a new blade?

I agree with your statement that he doesnt need a faster blade than the current one especially since getting used to a new blade takes more time

Click to expand...

Before saying anything about what might be good for him, I want to hear what his answer to my question is.



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I think a video will also help us in giving any advice. But Carl asks a good question.

Well, that sounds like any blade you want should be fine. Truthfully though, I would just stick with the the blade you have. It is an excellent blade.

If you were going to get something that was a carbon blade I would think of TB Spirit, TB ALC, Viscaria or the regular Jun Mizutani blade.

But you don't need them.

JeffM is right that video would help. But from your answer and that key detail that, if your feet are in the right place you can loop a chop, it tells me that you would be okay with any of the blades I listed.

As far as H3: have you ever used it? It is very different than ESN rubbers like BlueFire.

If you are used to using the sponge in your contact, there is very little catapult from H3. ESN rubbers like BlueFire allow you to use the catapult of the sponge to get spin and speed.

With H3, the sponge doesn't do that for you. If you boost it well you can get the sponge to help you a little. But you still need to learn how to use the grab of the topsheet for spin and pace.

That is why, when one of the CNT players is smashing vs lob, they twiddle to their red rubber to get the catapult from the Tenergy sponge. (For Ma Long, these days, the red rubber is an H3 topsheet with a sponge that is softer and has more catapult). Their smashes would be way slower if they used the harder H3 for smashing. That is still the case, even with all the boost they use.

And it is actually a sort of large adjustment from a soft rubber like M3 to a HARD rubber like H3.

But if you have H3 and want to try it, it is worth trying. It is amazing rubber if you are willing to work hard on every shot and can get your feet in the right place for every shot. But, if not, it is an unforgiving rubber that won't help you out if you do not have your whole body behind your stroke.

However, when your technique is very good and you do have full power from your body behind your impact, there are things H3 can do that no other rubber can compare to.


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U can try with rakza 7 on fh

I probably wont use hurricane on a blade any slower than TBS and viscaria

M3 to M2 for FH is a decent idea. Usually someone with a good FH can handle a slightly harder rubber on FH.

As far as slightly thinner, 2.0 is not that different from Max but for me, I often have deep impact; as a kid I played baseball so big impact is natural for me.

So for me, with Max, I feel I have more room before I bottom out. Because of my impact I get less spin and less control with thinner. However, that is not everyone.

And, since you have it, try it and see how it works for you.


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@ beano

you don't want spin on a smash anyway, no worries. often when you change rubbers and adjust to it your stroke will get a little messed up without you knowing. Try recording yourself and watching it back to see if what you think you're doing on your strokes is what you're actually doing.

beano said:

So, I have been playing with the M2 2mm on the forehand for a few sessions now, noticeable point...

1. Smashes are quicker, but flatter..

2. Control on chops seems better.

3. I seem to have lost some arch on fast loop drives.

4. Less spin.

Although I like the extra speed when smashing, its usually an outright winner I am missing the ridiculous amounts of spin I used to generate with the M3 MAX, picking the ball up low and watching it bounce sideways of the table doesn't seem to happen with this new rubber, the exchange is a more devastating finishing smash, but not as much fun.

Not sure what to make of it all really, feel like I want the speed and the spin, not one or the other

Click to expand...

That, in a nutshell, is what I don't love, for me, about anything less than MAX. But, if your technique gets more precise and you start feeling how to get the ball to sink in just the right amount, you can still get back most of that spin with the M2 2.0.

With harder rubbers, to get the full potential of spin, your contact has to be more precise. With 2.0 your contact also has to be more precise for spin. So, at first, this is a double whammy. But if you really get the touch with the harder rubber, you ultimately should be able to get all that spin and more because of the faster rebound. And if you can adjust to the depth of contact for 2.0 you should be able to get most of the spin back.

But for me, I'm sticking to MAX.


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@beano, just a suggestion for future - you mentioned that you have a coach, so it's definitely better to talk to him before any equipment change - he knows you better than anyone on this forum does, he has to be quite experienced to be a coach and from him you won't receive a lot of different answers which may confuse you even more.