Need help on blade

Imran Sayyed said:

Hey everyone I want your review on tiago apolonia zlc. I wanted to know about its feel compared to JMSZLC as well as ZJSZLC when you topspin or counter loop. I am currently owning a viscaria which has kinda a dead feel when you spin and the clicking sound of good spin is kind of very less. Can u please help me with that? I also wanted to know how it plays against backspin n is it consistent in long topspin rallies when you are spinning. Also i wanted to know if there is any better consistent blade .Reply is appreciated


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If you have a Viscaria why does your equipment say that you have an IF ALC?

Suggesting NITTAKU Acoustic.


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MJ SZLC feels harder, with more crisp feeling and bigger sweet spot compared to apolonia ZLC. It's a more linear blade in terms of speed but it is a half or a notch faster than apolonia.

Are you having problem with viscaria when you're pushing? I think when it comes to looping, ALC or ZLC comes down to preference. ALC has way more carbon distinct feel compared to ZLC, at least when comparing Maze ALC to MJ SZLC.

What is your current level of playing? If you're a beginner or developing player, stay away from any of the three blades. They are too fast for people at that level.

Imran Sayyed said:

Carl have you tried acoustic? How is the feeling while looping? How does it perform as i open and punch from my backhand pretty often? How is the close to the table play? And the backhand flick as well as how does it play against backspin? Is it good for drives and also why is it better than acoustic carbon?

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You should look for footage of Ma Long from back in 2009 or 2008 when he was using a Nittaku Acoustic.

It is an awesome blade. But not a carbon blade. It is one of the best looping blades and has amazing feel. It should be a little faster than the IF AL. But not as fast as a Viscaria.

What was wrong with your Innerforce AL? That is a nice blade. So is there a reason you want to go with a faster carbon blade.

If yes the Apolonia is an awesome step up from the IF AL.


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I don't think accoustic is amazing for punch blocks. Although it's certainly good at every aspect of the game, it's best qualities shine when looping. It's flexible with a soft outer ply. Best thing about the blade is the control, it's all wood so you'll develop your strokes better since you're not using a crutch. Remember that ma long used an accoustic for a huge part of his career. So there's no reason to ever think you'll need more power:


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I'm going to throw in that if you want to maintain that strong punch block you get a tenor. It's the next in nittakus instrumental series. Same composition as the accoustic, just a bit thicker.


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So, the actual important piece is this:

What made you decide to change from the Innerforce AL?

5 ply all wood blades like the Nittaku Acoustic are generally better for spin, control and looping. But if you wanted carbon, my opinion is the Butterfly carbon blades are better than carbon blades from any other company.


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What does your coach think?

Imran Sayyed said:

My age is 14 and I have been playing national and few international tournaments in juniors category. I was doing pretty well with innerforce al n then I changed to carbon which is viscaria two months back. Though my backhand improved a lot by playing with viscaria but my forehand topspin started becoming worse. My consistency of topspin was also decreasing . It gave me a very dead response when I used to spin rather than giving that click sound. I then tried my friends JMSZLC and I felt the feeling was amazing. It gave me a great clicking feedback and a crisp feeling which was very good. After Dan's review of tiago apolonia zlc I felt that it had very good control and feeling as stated by Dan. I don't really know how it is as I can't try as none of my friends have it,plz help

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Everyone here has great points, particularly looping blade recommendations since you want to improve your forehand loop.

But I would like to ask why you don't consider the JMSZLC since you have tried your friend's and it is exactly the feeling that you are looking for?
I will assume cost is not an issue since your blades combined plus the Apolonia ZLC you're considering already exceed the cost of JMSZLC. If you purchase something you have not tried yet, you will often end up with something you do not really want, or you will have compromises.

Imran Sayyed said:

I had never tried a carbon blade and I wanted to change and get a carbon as I wanted to see if it improves my games in any aspect and yes it gave me a great outcome in my backhand zone. As carbon has become more advanced these days so I wanted to try it out . Btw my punching was very good with IF AL . Carl is it good for driving and I can get used to the speed of blade in few days. Why is acoustic better when u compare with tiago apolonia zlc? Can u give a brief comparison please?


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Apolonia blade is great. It might. Be very good for you. If you are at a level where you have played some international matches it might be excellent for you.

But I think a lot of times people who would be better off in the long run with an all wood blade like an Acoustic and they go for a carbon blade that does more of the work for them.

Think about this. Ma Long used an Acoustic till he was about 20. Go watch footage of him back when he was using the Acoustic.

A blade like an Acoustic can help you develop your technique a little better because it won't do all the work for you. You will have to earn some of the power.

But it does sound like you are at a level where you could use whatever you want.

BTW: my guess on what happened with the FH from IF AL to Viscaria is that the IF AL is way softer and gets way more spin when looping. And the Viscaria is way harder and you need a totally different touch for spinning the ball. If you stuck with the Viscaria for long enough you might find the right impact for looping with a Koto top ply. But the Apolonia blade will have the same wood as the IF Al but with the carbon added. So if you are going to get a carbon blade it really may be a good choice.

The top ply of a JM ZLC and the Apolonia are the same wood. And that is the same wood as the top ply of your IF AL so it is likely that part of what you felt is that you like Limba when you tried the JM SZLC which also has the same top ply.

Acoustic also has a very similar construction with a Limba top ply. It just doesn't have carbon which will help you get more spin.


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Shuki is right though. Even if an Acoustic would be better for you, you may like a Nittaku Tenor better than the Acoustic because it has more power. But for that extra power you lose some flex.

An OSP Virtuoso Plus or an OSP Martin may also be really good for you.

And since I mentioned a 7 ply wood blade with a Limba top ply like the OSP Martin, I should probably mention the Stiga Clipper which is the blade that Wang Liqin used for his whole career. And he had one of the best forehands ever.


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It was the call of the wild and the BTY Goon Squad tempting the OP to switch...

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Thing I think Carl is trying to say is that there is always a tradeoff.
A wood blade rated all + to off - is usually a good place to start if you feel the carbon blades beeing too stiff/hard/uncontrollable/no feedback/too fast etc etc..

Best thing to do is to try and find clubmembers with blades that you may try..

Also: pairing the blade with rubbers that suit your playing - DO have a role to play .. not to forget..

Here is some footage from back in 2008. I'm pretty sure that is an Acoustic Ma Long is using:


When I can, I will explain the theories on what will cause your level to top out higher.


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So, let's see if I can do this subject justice.

The concept of "better", in regards to a "blade that would be better for YOU," still actually needs a context.

Is the context, what will give you the fastest shots? Or, what will give the most spin? Or, what will give you the best balance between spin and speed? Or, what will help you to win the most games now, today? OR, what will ultimately help you develop to the highest level in the long run, say, 4-5 years down the line?

If the fastest blade was the priority, then a blade like a Schlager Carbon would be ideal.

If, winning games right now, and/or best balance between speed and spin was the priority than a JM ZLC or an Apolonia blade might be what you want.

But if your concern is being at as high a level as possible 5 years from now, then the Acoustic or the Tenor just may be better for you.

Why? Well, it is a little slower. It doesn't have carbon. And it is a great blade for any level player as demonstrated by Ma Long using one through most of his under 18 career. That is worth repeating. Ma Long used that blade for his young career as he was developing.

Okay, so, let's see if I can explain why that was such an intelligent choice for Ma Long.

When baseball players wait in the on deck circle getting ready to bat, they put a weight called a doughnut on the end of the bat to make it heavier. Then when they swing for real the bat feels lighter and they can put more power into their swing.

The analogy is not completely parallel. I am saying that using a slightly slower 5 ply would blade with flex would, over the next several years cause you to top out at your peak level at a higher level.

The reason: carbon does a lot of the work for you so it makes it so your stroke does not have to be as good, so your timing doesn't have to be as precise, so your contact does not have to be so precise. And the tendency with that scenario is for people to accept good enough technique and this scenario does slow the development of power from the hips, legs and core, timing and precision contact; because with acarbon blade, the technique is "good enough". But with a wood blade you would still feel the room for improvement, your, your nervous system would register the need for better timing, better contact, more power from the hips, legs and core so you would develop those things to a higher level.

The Acoustic or the Tenor will make you need to work a little harder and be a little more precise. In the short term, it will feel like you are working harder. In the long term you will be rewarded with higher level technique.

In the end, it would be your choice. The Apolonia is a great choice for the short term, for having fun, for hitting the ball harder when less effort. You still would be able to get to a very high level with that blade. And if you were to get to a level like top 200, it wouldn't stop you from that.

But the Acoustic or the Tenor may get your technique a shade higher in the long run.

So it depends on what context you are thinking from, when you decide which blade would be "better" for you. I hope that makes sense.


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