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Hi everyone! This is my first post after a few months of lurking. I really enjoy reading your discussions about all the players and tournaments. I want to kindly ask for advice.
I will start with a bit of context. I've been training with a coach for over a year now, initially we focused mostly on getting the basics right and eliminating bad habits - I used to play casually on/off since I was a teenager, currently I'm 29YO. Based on my experience I'd say that I'm a two-winged looper. I bought a cheap Chinese LP to mess around outside of training sessions and get an idea of how LP works, this is also how I learned that the LP blocker playstyle is not my cup of tea. Tried and true two-winged looping it is. I feel the most comfortable in the 2nd zone.
I can loop fairly reliably during training, I enjoy looping against backspin. Matches are a different story though, currently my biggest challenges are footwork and maintaining focus, both are connected to each other. My footwork is horrible during matches and sometimes I forget to lower my body back into the starting position when the rally has been going for a while, causing hilarious unforced errors, so this is what I'm currently trying to improve.
My first setup was Donic Appelgren Allplay V2 and a pair of Mark V - I bought it from my colleague's grandpa. Then I lost my paddle and I decided to use this opportunity to upgrade my setup. I bought a 5-ply wooden ALL blade from Nittaku, I loved the control and feedback of Appelgren V2 however I have smaller hands than most of my exes, so I went for the go-to small handle company product. I like this blade and I will not switch from it.
Then I chose Tibhar Evo FX-P as the rubbers. Holy smokes, these badboys have crazy strong catapult. So this is what modern rubbers are capable of. After the initial shock, I learned to control the FX-P to some degree and get the ball back on the table most of the time. I love the spin that this rubber can generate, especially vs backspin. It's a very satisfying experience. However, while the spin is usually there, I noticed that my shots lack power. Even when the movement pattern is clean, I fail to activate the right muscles at the right time and I'm still learning to manage the relaxation/tension timing part of BH and FH loops - there's often not enough acceleration, leading to spinny but easily controllable (and if I'm up against a better player: easily counterable) attacks.
I feel like at the current point I'm very prone to using my high-catapult rubbers as a crutch to cover for this weakness instead of eliminating it. This might hurt my progress long-term. Thus, I want to try something slightly slower and more controllable when the time comes to buy a new rubber so that I can feel more confident while trying to add more power to my shots. I was thinking about Rakza 7/7 Soft, Joola Tronix CMD / Rhyzen ICE or Xiom Vega Intro/Europe.
I'm curious about your recommendations.
I will start with a bit of context. I've been training with a coach for over a year now, initially we focused mostly on getting the basics right and eliminating bad habits - I used to play casually on/off since I was a teenager, currently I'm 29YO. Based on my experience I'd say that I'm a two-winged looper. I bought a cheap Chinese LP to mess around outside of training sessions and get an idea of how LP works, this is also how I learned that the LP blocker playstyle is not my cup of tea. Tried and true two-winged looping it is. I feel the most comfortable in the 2nd zone.
I can loop fairly reliably during training, I enjoy looping against backspin. Matches are a different story though, currently my biggest challenges are footwork and maintaining focus, both are connected to each other. My footwork is horrible during matches and sometimes I forget to lower my body back into the starting position when the rally has been going for a while, causing hilarious unforced errors, so this is what I'm currently trying to improve.
My first setup was Donic Appelgren Allplay V2 and a pair of Mark V - I bought it from my colleague's grandpa. Then I lost my paddle and I decided to use this opportunity to upgrade my setup. I bought a 5-ply wooden ALL blade from Nittaku, I loved the control and feedback of Appelgren V2 however I have smaller hands than most of my exes, so I went for the go-to small handle company product. I like this blade and I will not switch from it.
Then I chose Tibhar Evo FX-P as the rubbers. Holy smokes, these badboys have crazy strong catapult. So this is what modern rubbers are capable of. After the initial shock, I learned to control the FX-P to some degree and get the ball back on the table most of the time. I love the spin that this rubber can generate, especially vs backspin. It's a very satisfying experience. However, while the spin is usually there, I noticed that my shots lack power. Even when the movement pattern is clean, I fail to activate the right muscles at the right time and I'm still learning to manage the relaxation/tension timing part of BH and FH loops - there's often not enough acceleration, leading to spinny but easily controllable (and if I'm up against a better player: easily counterable) attacks.
I feel like at the current point I'm very prone to using my high-catapult rubbers as a crutch to cover for this weakness instead of eliminating it. This might hurt my progress long-term. Thus, I want to try something slightly slower and more controllable when the time comes to buy a new rubber so that I can feel more confident while trying to add more power to my shots. I was thinking about Rakza 7/7 Soft, Joola Tronix CMD / Rhyzen ICE or Xiom Vega Intro/Europe.
I'm curious about your recommendations.
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