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❓What Is Your Setup, and WHY?
- Thread starter Bryan TT
- Start date
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Yeah i agree, dignics 05 and 09c have a higher ceiling for quality
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Rubber supposedly not good enough for amateur (too slow or whatever) but used by World champ.
Rubbers for pros are now used by amateurs even though they can't unlock its potential.
Dima said he'd like more control and moved to innerforce. Yet us amateurs get blades even faster than the one he used.
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says
Back to shakehand. Got a Skyline 3-60 and Tin arc 5 for...
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Back to shakehand. Got a Skyline 3-60 and Tin arc 5 for...
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Noice. I have the same setup except I have a korbel for the blade.
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BTY Franzeska ZLC with on forehand Big Dipper 39° and backhand Battle Ⅱ 37°
why.. Big Dipper as H3neo alternative.. works fine
Battle Ⅱ 37° (soft) has a softer topsheet, so I read somewhere which imho helps to generate spin easier
why.. Big Dipper as H3neo alternative.. works fine
Battle Ⅱ 37° (soft) has a softer topsheet, so I read somewhere which imho helps to generate spin easier
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Re: the OP -- Brilliant question! Thanks heaps for asking it. 😎😎😎😎 Huge thanks too to everyone who's posted both their set-ups and the rationale behind their choices thus far. This kind of content is really up my alley.
I'll post my own personal set-ups (and the rationale behind them) separate to this post in just a minute. First however I just want to very briefly flag how valuable this sort of discussion can be for other players -- especially when they're new to the game.
No doubt we've all seen TTD threads where beginners are seeking new/first equipment advice, only to be given so many different options (and so much conflicting advice) that they end up feeling more confused than they were previously.
This can sometimes have them believing the whole subject of beginner equipment is a contentious subject on the whole, but it really shouldn't be.
Personally, I'm of the opinion what many beginners need most, is a reliable method to self-assess their equipment needs for themselves, In relation to their current skill level. This is as opposed to just getting a collection of other's opinions, that have no clear trends to them, which may or may not be useful for them currently, and may or may not be suitable for their needs in six months time.
People being willing to share and illustrate their own personal equipment selection criteria however, is far more useful information for them. It gives them an insight into how to choose, as opposed to just what to choose. It helps them match their choices to their needs far better, and provides them with objective methods and principles to inform their decision making. This by extension also helps them assess their own game in a bit more detail, and gets a better idea of how their skills will change and progress over time.
As a bladesmith I really love this kind of info, as it directly informs all of my design decisions to varying degrees, especially with custom blades.
As a player however I love it because info like this is just so constructive to my own game... It provides brilliant perspective for my own choices and helps informs my future purchases.
Best of all, It takes the focus off assessing that new equipment essentially randomly, where you end up buying / trying out new equipment like an EJ. Instead, it puts emphasis back onto having an equipment optimisation plan.
Equipment optimisation is something a lot of players don't engage in consistently or in a structured manner. This confuses me a little bit frankly, given how useful it can be.
I'm a massive EJ myself, so I know full well when I'm in EJ mode, it's usually me buying myself a shiny new rubber/blade/toy, purely for the love of owning it, trying it, and seeing what happens.
In saying that, please note I'm not knocking or criticizing EJs at all -- I'm just skeptical.of the idea of being one in order to try and improve your game, or find the perfect equipment for your current needs or skill level.
At its heart, being an EJ is really just someone having pure, clean, harmless, enormous indulgent fun through buying equipment for it's own sake -- and there's nothing wrong with that (Full disclosure: As EJs buy more blades in general, they also help me pay my bills each month, and maintain my own modest EJ rubber habit 🤣 ...I am nothing if not honest 😂)
Equipment optimisation however is a radically different process altogether:
-- its an iterative process of formalized experimentation, adaptation and refinement, in order ensure your equipment collection always matches with the extremes of your sporting performance
-- It's a process designed to meet a specific brief, with specific aims in mind.
-- it's executed in a methodical and strategic manner,
-- its both outcomes focussed and individually tailored to each individual player.
-- It's an adaptive, recursive, life-long process, not a finite linear one. It accommodates a player's abilities over their lifetime, and helps them accommodate the changes that come with aging.
-- it turns buying / trying new equipment into a means to an end, instead of an end in itself.
In other words, equipment optimisation is essentially EJ-ing with a plan. Without a plan, any improvement you get from EJ-ing is likely to be accidental, and transitory. The second that new-rubber bug bites you, you're off changing your set-up again, and the changes can often end up being damaging to your game.
Having a formal optimisation plan however makes your equipment changes more systematic, and more structured, and any changes to your performance is not just more predictable, but also more measurable.
I'll post my own personal set-ups (and the rationale behind them) separate to this post in just a minute. First however I just want to very briefly flag how valuable this sort of discussion can be for other players -- especially when they're new to the game.
No doubt we've all seen TTD threads where beginners are seeking new/first equipment advice, only to be given so many different options (and so much conflicting advice) that they end up feeling more confused than they were previously.
This can sometimes have them believing the whole subject of beginner equipment is a contentious subject on the whole, but it really shouldn't be.
Personally, I'm of the opinion what many beginners need most, is a reliable method to self-assess their equipment needs for themselves, In relation to their current skill level. This is as opposed to just getting a collection of other's opinions, that have no clear trends to them, which may or may not be useful for them currently, and may or may not be suitable for their needs in six months time.
People being willing to share and illustrate their own personal equipment selection criteria however, is far more useful information for them. It gives them an insight into how to choose, as opposed to just what to choose. It helps them match their choices to their needs far better, and provides them with objective methods and principles to inform their decision making. This by extension also helps them assess their own game in a bit more detail, and gets a better idea of how their skills will change and progress over time.
As a bladesmith I really love this kind of info, as it directly informs all of my design decisions to varying degrees, especially with custom blades.
As a player however I love it because info like this is just so constructive to my own game... It provides brilliant perspective for my own choices and helps informs my future purchases.
Best of all, It takes the focus off assessing that new equipment essentially randomly, where you end up buying / trying out new equipment like an EJ. Instead, it puts emphasis back onto having an equipment optimisation plan.
Equipment optimisation is something a lot of players don't engage in consistently or in a structured manner. This confuses me a little bit frankly, given how useful it can be.
I'm a massive EJ myself, so I know full well when I'm in EJ mode, it's usually me buying myself a shiny new rubber/blade/toy, purely for the love of owning it, trying it, and seeing what happens.
In saying that, please note I'm not knocking or criticizing EJs at all -- I'm just skeptical.of the idea of being one in order to try and improve your game, or find the perfect equipment for your current needs or skill level.
At its heart, being an EJ is really just someone having pure, clean, harmless, enormous indulgent fun through buying equipment for it's own sake -- and there's nothing wrong with that (Full disclosure: As EJs buy more blades in general, they also help me pay my bills each month, and maintain my own modest EJ rubber habit 🤣 ...I am nothing if not honest 😂)
Equipment optimisation however is a radically different process altogether:
-- its an iterative process of formalized experimentation, adaptation and refinement, in order ensure your equipment collection always matches with the extremes of your sporting performance
-- It's a process designed to meet a specific brief, with specific aims in mind.
-- it's executed in a methodical and strategic manner,
-- its both outcomes focussed and individually tailored to each individual player.
-- It's an adaptive, recursive, life-long process, not a finite linear one. It accommodates a player's abilities over their lifetime, and helps them accommodate the changes that come with aging.
-- it turns buying / trying new equipment into a means to an end, instead of an end in itself.
In other words, equipment optimisation is essentially EJ-ing with a plan. Without a plan, any improvement you get from EJ-ing is likely to be accidental, and transitory. The second that new-rubber bug bites you, you're off changing your set-up again, and the changes can often end up being damaging to your game.
Having a formal optimisation plan however makes your equipment changes more systematic, and more structured, and any changes to your performance is not just more predictable, but also more measurable.
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Blade: Donic Pesson Power Play... solid handle, V1 and V2
PPP had moderate base speed/rebound... EASY to feel the ball. Hard strikes have enough power and still easy to land the ball. Easy to fell ball for spin - a four letter word that starts with an S.
FH Rubber: Aurus (50 degree) makes it 96/100 easy to do anything. not 100/100 for spin like t05/FX, but all accross the board on all the shots i do makes it easy to land the ball. Easy spin, easy power shots.
BH Rubber: Aurus Soft... Same p[roperties as Aurus 50 degree, but softer sponge even easier to spin and overall on all my BH shots, I land 2 or 3 out of 100 on the table over firmer sponge... no sacrifice in quality.
That is my holistic evaluation and this setup is center of mass for my requirements... some deviation a little to left or right, up or under would be fine too.
PPP had moderate base speed/rebound... EASY to feel the ball. Hard strikes have enough power and still easy to land the ball. Easy to fell ball for spin - a four letter word that starts with an S.
FH Rubber: Aurus (50 degree) makes it 96/100 easy to do anything. not 100/100 for spin like t05/FX, but all accross the board on all the shots i do makes it easy to land the ball. Easy spin, easy power shots.
BH Rubber: Aurus Soft... Same p[roperties as Aurus 50 degree, but softer sponge even easier to spin and overall on all my BH shots, I land 2 or 3 out of 100 on the table over firmer sponge... no sacrifice in quality.
That is my holistic evaluation and this setup is center of mass for my requirements... some deviation a little to left or right, up or under would be fine too.
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@Der_Echte ,
Hello my friend. I am responding to you by informing you that, I, too have slapped a piece of Aurus on my Darker Speed 90 recently. Yes, you are the main reason for my decision, as you have written a piece of good review on it. Well, actually the secondary reason, as the actual reason is, my current rubber is rather worn and I needed a replacement and Aurus, to my surprise; is the cheapest modern euro ( read: ESN tensor ) in my locale market at the moment.
First impression:
Spin is good, it is grippy enough for my taste. Slightly heavier than Acuda S1 ( my previous rubber ) but it is not an issue for me. It is completely non - tacky with totally matt surface appearance. I use it on my forehand and the ESN sponge hardness is 47.5 as stated on the packaging and not 50, unless there is a 50 version which I am not aware off.
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Hi Gozo,
You will like it now for how it works... like it even MOAR as you see yourself landing more shots and doing that more easily... and like it down the road in the months to come as this rubber lasts almost FOREVER, you can get legit 500+ hours out of it.
You will also like it as it is not ridiculous spin reactive, but easy to make spin and handle incoming spin.
Not bad for 15 year old rubber technology in TT.
Oh, and you ALREADY like the PRICE.
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The regular Aurus white sponge is 50 hardness, which is medium hard... but overall, that rubber plays like a 47 medium firm rubber in feel. Aurus has a damn good topsheet and the sponge isn't shabby either.
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Well, the Tibhar info page on Tibhar sez 47.5, so 47.5 it must be then.
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At the moment I am playing with a Xiom vega Pro blade with fastarc C-1 on both sides. I like the Vega Pro because it is a light blade with lots of feeling. It's also a blade that is very friendly for generating spin. I have tried many blades over the years but the Vega Pro is the first blade that really feels like an extension of my hand. It's a pity they don't make that blade anymore.
As for rubbers, since a couple of weeks I'm playing with fastarc c-1 on both sides. Mainly because in my opinion it's a jack of all trades rubber. It does everything reasonably well. This allows me to play different play styles which is fun. Before I played with dignics 05 on both sides. Great rubber but I had problems when playing against high level opponents who did not give me the time to load up my shots. The rubber is not really forgiving for inadequate footwork and half strokes. So I gave up some high end power and spin for more consistency and forgiveness. The results are good. In my experience we, as amateurs, can't really unlock the spin potential of top end rubbers like dignics 05 anyway in most match situations. I play at a decent level (top 10% of competitive players in my country) and even there consistency, placement and forgiveness is more important than than the top end power and spin a rubber can give you.
As for rubbers, since a couple of weeks I'm playing with fastarc c-1 on both sides. Mainly because in my opinion it's a jack of all trades rubber. It does everything reasonably well. This allows me to play different play styles which is fun. Before I played with dignics 05 on both sides. Great rubber but I had problems when playing against high level opponents who did not give me the time to load up my shots. The rubber is not really forgiving for inadequate footwork and half strokes. So I gave up some high end power and spin for more consistency and forgiveness. The results are good. In my experience we, as amateurs, can't really unlock the spin potential of top end rubbers like dignics 05 anyway in most match situations. I play at a decent level (top 10% of competitive players in my country) and even there consistency, placement and forgiveness is more important than than the top end power and spin a rubber can give you.
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anybody seen my backhand?
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anybody seen my backhand?
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well, currently I am playing with an interesting combination - OSP Rosin IC 6.5, Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft on forehand and Donic BlueGrip S1 on backhand ...
but there is quite a story behind it ...
I played table tennis professionally until 2004 I think. I played since I can remember, my family says I started playing when I was 4 years old. after almost 20 years of hiatus I started playing again in October 2023. it's been quite a journey so far.
when I stopped playing I had Butterfly Moonbeam with Bryce on forehand and Yasaka Mark V on backhand but was thinking of getting Mark V on both sides ... but then I stopped.
first was OSP Expert with Donic Acuda Blue P2 and I kind of liked it but as I was getting back into it, I realised OSP Expert is a bit too slow for my play (a very aggressive mid-distance both wing looper), so my dad (a coach) suggested Avalox BlueThunder 777. it wasn't a great match with Acudas (very bouncy, very high arch) so for my birthday he introduced me to BlueGrip range - which I loved - FH BlueGrip C2 and BH was BlueGrip S1. I played with that until the end of last season. still, something was missing, probably because I was always looking for something familiar to Moonbeam and was eager to try something with carbon. so I tried Xiom Axelo with Xiom Vega X on both sides and it felt incredibly familiar. so I played with that for a while but really liked Donic rubber and tried that. and it was awesome, until ...
one day my dad calls me, that he has something interesting for me, that I should drop by and try this blade. he gave me another OSP blade, with inner-carbon (was actually telling him that I would love to try something similar and that Butterfly has some blades like that ...) ... so he gives me this beautifully looking OSP Rosin blade, but with quite worn Donic rubber (Bluegrip S1 and C2). because of these worn rubber I was really reluctant to play with it ... but then one of my colleagues wanted to try Axelo and I had to grab OSP. what first hit me was this ... it's hard to explain but amazing feeling for the ball. it is slow when you want it to be slow and fast when you want it to be fast. it's a really amazing blade. and one thing I realised the next day, during warm up - my standard practice partner couldn't return any of my loops/topspins. he said that suddenly, they are much nastier ... with more rotation and speed.
so I wanted to do some research on this blade to see what I have. I couldn't find anything about it ...
my Christmas gift was Donic BlueGrip S2 and and Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft ... I put it on this peculiar OSP blade and ... it is really awesome! but still cannot find much about this blade, except that this is a development blade, prototype, if you like for a blade that will soon go on market, probably in China ...
I will probably try this blade with Rakza 9 & 7 (regular), but Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft is staying, it's a great match for my forehand.
but there is quite a story behind it ...
I played table tennis professionally until 2004 I think. I played since I can remember, my family says I started playing when I was 4 years old. after almost 20 years of hiatus I started playing again in October 2023. it's been quite a journey so far.
when I stopped playing I had Butterfly Moonbeam with Bryce on forehand and Yasaka Mark V on backhand but was thinking of getting Mark V on both sides ... but then I stopped.
first was OSP Expert with Donic Acuda Blue P2 and I kind of liked it but as I was getting back into it, I realised OSP Expert is a bit too slow for my play (a very aggressive mid-distance both wing looper), so my dad (a coach) suggested Avalox BlueThunder 777. it wasn't a great match with Acudas (very bouncy, very high arch) so for my birthday he introduced me to BlueGrip range - which I loved - FH BlueGrip C2 and BH was BlueGrip S1. I played with that until the end of last season. still, something was missing, probably because I was always looking for something familiar to Moonbeam and was eager to try something with carbon. so I tried Xiom Axelo with Xiom Vega X on both sides and it felt incredibly familiar. so I played with that for a while but really liked Donic rubber and tried that. and it was awesome, until ...
one day my dad calls me, that he has something interesting for me, that I should drop by and try this blade. he gave me another OSP blade, with inner-carbon (was actually telling him that I would love to try something similar and that Butterfly has some blades like that ...) ... so he gives me this beautifully looking OSP Rosin blade, but with quite worn Donic rubber (Bluegrip S1 and C2). because of these worn rubber I was really reluctant to play with it ... but then one of my colleagues wanted to try Axelo and I had to grab OSP. what first hit me was this ... it's hard to explain but amazing feeling for the ball. it is slow when you want it to be slow and fast when you want it to be fast. it's a really amazing blade. and one thing I realised the next day, during warm up - my standard practice partner couldn't return any of my loops/topspins. he said that suddenly, they are much nastier ... with more rotation and speed.
so I wanted to do some research on this blade to see what I have. I couldn't find anything about it ...
my Christmas gift was Donic BlueGrip S2 and and Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft ... I put it on this peculiar OSP blade and ... it is really awesome! but still cannot find much about this blade, except that this is a development blade, prototype, if you like for a blade that will soon go on market, probably in China ...
I will probably try this blade with Rakza 9 & 7 (regular), but Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft is staying, it's a great match for my forehand.
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Nice. From my experience @Gozo Aruna , it is also @Der_Echte ~ main reason I tried Aurus soft and Donic Powerplay. I have to say, it did not miss a mark.
Aurus soft is a pretty good and safe rubber. For Donic Powerplay was good, but I still come back to my clipper
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Blade: Xiom 36.5 ALXi
Reason: I was learning to play TT using borrowed or gifted bats and felt I was improving enough to invest in an upgrade. Started researching the blades I'd used already and hitting with club mate bats to see what else I might like and found I don't particularly like all wood blades because I'd been using carbon from beginning without knowing 🤣
Chose the Xiom because it was in my budget, inner carbon and I felt like it was going to be a better version of what I already had.
I've had this blade about 2 years now and I'm still really happy with it. To me it feels very linear, you get out what you put in. So both high and low power shots feel controlled.
FH Rubber: Friendship 729 Battle II pro H40
Reason: I bought Xiom Jekyll and Hyde rubbers with the Xiom blade and practiced with them. I wasn't ready for them, I couldn't control tensor rubbers properly. Having previously used H3 commercial H39, I thought I'd try out more Chinese rubbers. I bought B2 silver first and liked it a lot. Then upgraded to provincial H40 and loved it. I've since been through a few different tacky rubbers to find a favourite and it's definitely B2 pro, it's super spinny and really powerful.
BH rubber: Donic Bluestar A1
Reason: I got it for Christmas so I have to use it! 😁
When I had the B2 silver H39 I tried it out on BH for a while, it was usable but really hard work. So when I got B2 Pro H40 for my FH I also got a sheet of H38 for BH and played a season with it. Massively improved my BH technique using this rubber but started to feel like I wasn't getting the speed I wanted without exhausting myself. More confident in my BH technique I tried out some tensor rubbers. I had Vega Korea for a while then upgraded to J&H V47.5 which I'd used before but could now control. I wanted to try a harder tension rubber and also wanted a non-red colour, which limits options significantly. So I settled on Bluestar. Really happy with it. Super spinny and feels great.
Reason: I was learning to play TT using borrowed or gifted bats and felt I was improving enough to invest in an upgrade. Started researching the blades I'd used already and hitting with club mate bats to see what else I might like and found I don't particularly like all wood blades because I'd been using carbon from beginning without knowing 🤣
Chose the Xiom because it was in my budget, inner carbon and I felt like it was going to be a better version of what I already had.
I've had this blade about 2 years now and I'm still really happy with it. To me it feels very linear, you get out what you put in. So both high and low power shots feel controlled.
FH Rubber: Friendship 729 Battle II pro H40
Reason: I bought Xiom Jekyll and Hyde rubbers with the Xiom blade and practiced with them. I wasn't ready for them, I couldn't control tensor rubbers properly. Having previously used H3 commercial H39, I thought I'd try out more Chinese rubbers. I bought B2 silver first and liked it a lot. Then upgraded to provincial H40 and loved it. I've since been through a few different tacky rubbers to find a favourite and it's definitely B2 pro, it's super spinny and really powerful.
BH rubber: Donic Bluestar A1
Reason: I got it for Christmas so I have to use it! 😁
When I had the B2 silver H39 I tried it out on BH for a while, it was usable but really hard work. So when I got B2 Pro H40 for my FH I also got a sheet of H38 for BH and played a season with it. Massively improved my BH technique using this rubber but started to feel like I wasn't getting the speed I wanted without exhausting myself. More confident in my BH technique I tried out some tensor rubbers. I had Vega Korea for a while then upgraded to J&H V47.5 which I'd used before but could now control. I wanted to try a harder tension rubber and also wanted a non-red colour, which limits options significantly. So I settled on Bluestar. Really happy with it. Super spinny and feels great.
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Ive been playing for 3.5 years. I'll tell you every set up ive ever owned.
When I first joined the club, I was given a USATT rating of 800. I didnt know what I was doing and I bought a 729 V-6 paddle with Presto Speed rubbers because it was a relatively cheap option from our local table tennis shop owner. in retrospect, probably too fast of a set up for me at the time, but i was a fast learner and I was able to score some points with my forehand with this set up. Of course, my backhand and push game completely sucked.
Then I started making friends at the club, and they were trying to help me find a paddle that was a better fit for me. During this time, i tried like 3 or 4 different rubbers, and a few different paddles. honestly cant remember most of them except Tibrar Stratus Powerwood. I was probably rated around 1000 at this time. Then one of the local coaches saw my set up and said it still wasn't correct for me. her recommended the viscaria and tenergy. Now a lot of people at this club would have said its a huge mistake, and maybe it was. but i went ahead and got that set up - tenergy 05 on forehand and tenergy 19 on backhand. at this same time, i got a new coach....a highly qualified USATT certified coach. When we first talked on the phone, he asked what my set up was, and I told him. He wasn't happy about it but he said he could work with it. I trained with him regularly (2-3 times a month) for the next year. My rating increased to approx 1400, but i developed the foundation and technique that has carried me to my current rating of 1700. long story short, i dont believe having the viscaria slowed or increased my development. i simply learned how to play with a carbon blade. I was being coached and made sure my technique was proper. that was the key.
Unfortunately, that coach moved away, and so i stopped training with a coach for a while. i was able to increase my rating another 100 points or so on my own.
Then one day at the club, I got to use my mates butterfly Innerforce ALC with a DHS tacky rubber. i loved the feeling of the ball SLINGING off the rubber. Right there i decided i was going to switch to hurricane on my forehand. It made sense because my forehand has always been my strongest weapon and the hurricane 3 is the best rubber for a forehand. I dropped tenergy on my backhand and I switched to d09c. Funnily enough, this rubber combo is cheaper than 2 tenergy rubbers.
and this has been my set up for the last year and a bit. I've increased my rating another couple hundred points. I was making steady progress until my baby boy arrived. Now im just training in my garage on the robot and having the occasional club mate over to play. Fortunately, i've maintained my skill level during this 2 month hiatus, as i've still won matches against my club mates who are rated 1750 and 1850.
I dont plan to change my set up anytime soon, except I am going to try out the hurricane blue sponge instead of the OS i am currently using.
When I first joined the club, I was given a USATT rating of 800. I didnt know what I was doing and I bought a 729 V-6 paddle with Presto Speed rubbers because it was a relatively cheap option from our local table tennis shop owner. in retrospect, probably too fast of a set up for me at the time, but i was a fast learner and I was able to score some points with my forehand with this set up. Of course, my backhand and push game completely sucked.
Then I started making friends at the club, and they were trying to help me find a paddle that was a better fit for me. During this time, i tried like 3 or 4 different rubbers, and a few different paddles. honestly cant remember most of them except Tibrar Stratus Powerwood. I was probably rated around 1000 at this time. Then one of the local coaches saw my set up and said it still wasn't correct for me. her recommended the viscaria and tenergy. Now a lot of people at this club would have said its a huge mistake, and maybe it was. but i went ahead and got that set up - tenergy 05 on forehand and tenergy 19 on backhand. at this same time, i got a new coach....a highly qualified USATT certified coach. When we first talked on the phone, he asked what my set up was, and I told him. He wasn't happy about it but he said he could work with it. I trained with him regularly (2-3 times a month) for the next year. My rating increased to approx 1400, but i developed the foundation and technique that has carried me to my current rating of 1700. long story short, i dont believe having the viscaria slowed or increased my development. i simply learned how to play with a carbon blade. I was being coached and made sure my technique was proper. that was the key.
Unfortunately, that coach moved away, and so i stopped training with a coach for a while. i was able to increase my rating another 100 points or so on my own.
Then one day at the club, I got to use my mates butterfly Innerforce ALC with a DHS tacky rubber. i loved the feeling of the ball SLINGING off the rubber. Right there i decided i was going to switch to hurricane on my forehand. It made sense because my forehand has always been my strongest weapon and the hurricane 3 is the best rubber for a forehand. I dropped tenergy on my backhand and I switched to d09c. Funnily enough, this rubber combo is cheaper than 2 tenergy rubbers.
and this has been my set up for the last year and a bit. I've increased my rating another couple hundred points. I was making steady progress until my baby boy arrived. Now im just training in my garage on the robot and having the occasional club mate over to play. Fortunately, i've maintained my skill level during this 2 month hiatus, as i've still won matches against my club mates who are rated 1750 and 1850.
I dont plan to change my set up anytime soon, except I am going to try out the hurricane blue sponge instead of the OS i am currently using.
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One pound of practice is worth more than thousand pounds...
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Butterfly Blade - preferably outer ALC, but can play with inner ALC as well. I choose butterfly as it seems to be most balanced (I am not 100% comfortable with head heavy blades) after putting rubbers and Butterfly is easier to sell/trade in case you want to.
Rubbers - I try to play with medium hard rubbers (42.5, 45 or 47.5) on both forehand and backhand. Reason - I am a hobby player, I just play for my passion and physical activity. I don't train like a pro and I don't move like a pro. I need rubbers which can put good spin on the ball and help me compensate for my level. So, I try an choose rubbers like Andro Hexer Grip, Hexer Powergrip, Nittaku Fastarc G1, C1 etc. I don't think that my level of play warrants for very expensive, top of the shelf rubbers and I just try to be relaxed, have fun.
Rubbers - I try to play with medium hard rubbers (42.5, 45 or 47.5) on both forehand and backhand. Reason - I am a hobby player, I just play for my passion and physical activity. I don't train like a pro and I don't move like a pro. I need rubbers which can put good spin on the ball and help me compensate for my level. So, I try an choose rubbers like Andro Hexer Grip, Hexer Powergrip, Nittaku Fastarc G1, C1 etc. I don't think that my level of play warrants for very expensive, top of the shelf rubbers and I just try to be relaxed, have fun.
Nittaku acoustic carbon with T19 FH / Moristo SP 1.4 bh
Used the acoustic carbon since 2018 when I switched to SP BH. I switched bc my BH feeling sucked, couldn't reliably open vs heavy fast pushes. Tried several blades and pips and finally just copied Ito's setup. That turned out to be smart choice, it's a good setup.
After a while I got tired of G1 FH (Ito's) and tried a bunch of hurricanes and battle 2 and whatever. also dignics, andro stuff, blah blah. but Tenergy is best for my FH. that was a stupid years-long bout of EJing for something better. there is nothing better for me.
not that it matters. I never train any more, only coach beginners and play crappy best of threes with the same six guys. I could play my current level with a ham sandwich on a popsicle stick.
Used the acoustic carbon since 2018 when I switched to SP BH. I switched bc my BH feeling sucked, couldn't reliably open vs heavy fast pushes. Tried several blades and pips and finally just copied Ito's setup. That turned out to be smart choice, it's a good setup.
After a while I got tired of G1 FH (Ito's) and tried a bunch of hurricanes and battle 2 and whatever. also dignics, andro stuff, blah blah. but Tenergy is best for my FH. that was a stupid years-long bout of EJing for something better. there is nothing better for me.
not that it matters. I never train any more, only coach beginners and play crappy best of threes with the same six guys. I could play my current level with a ham sandwich on a popsicle stick.
says
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says
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I would assess that the Clipper is close enough to my center of mass for it to be appropriate and effective for me... and you as well.
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