How is your shot consistency?
Do you find yourself missing shots long, or lacking control?
How is your blocking?
Are there particular shots that you just can't play, (touch play etc) with that setup?
Can you implement your match tactics against players at the same level as you or do you make too many unforced errors and can't play the shots you need to implement the tactics?
If not then the equipment could be the issue.
This is a very good point. I think you're at the skill level where you know most of the basics so you can start developing your own tactics and distinctive style of play. What are your strengths, and how can you emphasize them? What are your weaknesses and how can you compensate / make them less obvious? These questions can guide you in what kind of equipment you should use.
09c is obviously very good but R7 is much easier for most ppl to learn with. Advanced intermediate players at my club still use R7 and can do almost anything with it btw! I believe Tensorbackhand and Greenbeanmachine both actually struggled in looping with D09c, unless I'm mixing up names from a thread earlier this yr...
Yes, I really struggled to loop with D09c. The throw angle is extremely high, and it doesn't let you open up your racket to get a good swing at the ball.
Rakza 7 is much friendlier to your skill level than D09c, and it is certainly possible to play very well with it at an intermediate-advanced level. You can use Rakza 7 to gain another 300 points or so, but (as far as I know) almost no one above ~1700 uses it. Hurricane 3, however, will allow you to get much higher than that.
It's a fantastic rubber but (so far as I've read and also been told a few times) it's not easy to play with because it requires really good technique and needs to be played actively. If you take from the word actively to be highly attacking then you can imagine the technique and footwork required to be able to attack almost any ball....It just wouldn't be a top recommendation for beginners or those struggling with their game.
Definitely I agree with this. D09c is most useful for professional players. For mortals like us I think it is too much to handle.
I'd agree with greenbeanmachine in thinking the blade might be the biggest issue.
Have you tried your rubbers on a 'slower' more controlled blade? That's where I'd start. I'd source a good 5 ply (Korbel or Primorac?) and go from there.
Both Korbel and Primorac are great blades. My experience is that they don't pair amazingly with tacky Chinese rubbers; the best thing to pair them with is a hard-sponge tensor like Tenergy 05 Hard or Stiga Mantra XH. Dignics 09c will probably be reasonable on this kind of blade. Rakza 7 or Rakza X will also work very well.
Korbel and Primorac have soft outer plies, so they can grab the ball more and have good contact time. This kind of racket excels at producing very spinny balls, and also at looping very slowly/accurately. The downside of this is that they are very sensitive to incoming spin. You have to actively loop with this kind of blade -- blocking and flat hitting is not very controlled. It's hard to counterattack by "hitting through" your opponent's spin -- you have to loop it. Some people can deal with this, depending on their strengths, weaknesses, and tactics. Petr Korbel used this kind of blade and you can see his playing style:
Rosewood, Ebenholz, and Ma Lin Extra Offensive have hard outer plies (and soft inner plies) so the feeling is different. It feels more similar to ALC, and has that same "popping" feeling that you get with ALC (but you have to hit a bit harder to get it). The main strength of this kind of blade is that they have a very controlled touch, so you can touch the ball very precisely and place it very close to the net if you want to. Chop-blocking, changing pace, and making drop shots with such blades is quite easy. Short game is incredible and you can win a lot of points in the short game. Slow looping is not so consistent -- this kind of blade is made for power-looping and chop-blocking.
Ma Lin used this kind of blade, and you can see his strengths of drop shots, chop-blocks, and power-loops:
You can see from the videos that Petr Korbel is a very consistent looper, but he doesn't really have a kill shot. Almost all of his shots are medium-quality loops. He builds his strategy around consistently putting the ball on the table and aiming the loops well. When he wins a point it's not because he overpowers the opponent -- it's because he puts himself in a good position with a good angle and hits a pretty-good shot. He builds his points slowly and uses many hits to create a good angle for himself.
Ma Lin, on the other hand, wins points with power and change of pace. Either he will kill the ball with a power-loop, or he will change the pace of the game (using a drop shot or chop block) and surprise the opponent. Ma Lin also wins a lot of points in the short game, even before anyone attacks.
Also, switching to H3 or Chinese isn't straightforward at all, Chinese style rubbers take quite a bit of adjusting to.
This is also true. I think that looping with Chinese rubbers will be easier than with D09c, though, and you will probably not find them so foreign because (like D09c) they are sticky and have a hard sponge. But certainly there will be some adjustment time -- particularly when getting used to the lower throw angle.
In my eyes, the adjustment period is worth it, because you will be able to stick with Hurricane 3 / Skyline 2 until you are very advanced. You won't reach a level at which Hurricane 3 is holding you back.
