Rapidly improving “begginer” equipment

[Matej T]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

 

[ShakehandJpenCpenEnjoyer]

Are you asking question or just want to share your story?

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

Neither idea is that wrong if you are training a lot and determined to improve. However, Korbel and Rozena is a good setup for developing the game. Ideally, don't worry about changing and just train. When rubbers wear out, you could put the Dignics 05 on there. After another 6 months to a year of training, re-evaluate... or change now and get used to it. It's your decision and development but don't get stuck on overthinking equipment or changing too much too often. Be happy to be back training and that you're improving quickly!

 

[Tyce]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

Why did you take a break? Similarly, what made you restart? And how did you move from "just for fun" to training a lot?
And now that you've thought about that, how high are the chances of this situation reversing completely and taking a break from TT again?

Your post reads like someone very impulsive, someone who lives in "phases" and right now you are in your hyper TT phase. I might be wrong about that, of course.
Either way, just don't change your gear. Your rubbers are good, your blade is good and it all fits the game you want to play right now. Don't focus on equipment when you start feeling doubt - the problem isn't in your equipment whatsoever. It's within yourself.

Your current equipment can be played very well up to the highest regions and is in no way at all a problem. By the time you reach the point that it *might* be a problem, you'll be in the professional circuit with a trusted coach who can advise you with honesty and knowledge.

 

[Matej T]

Are you asking question or just want to share your story?

im asking a question what should i do

 

[Matej T]

Neither idea is that wrong if you are training a lot and determined to improve. However, Korbel and Rozena is a good setup for developing the game. Ideally, don't worry about changing and just train. When rubbers wear out, you could put the Dignics 05 on there. After another 6 months to a year of training, re-evaluate... or change now and get used to it. It's your decision and development but don't get stuck on overthinking equipment or changing too much too often. Be happy to be back training and that you're improving quickly!

i dont want to change often i just want to have good setup for long term improvement and development

 

[NetProphet]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

Korbel is a great blade.
I would recommend to stay with it and pick some suitable rubbers (Fastarc G1 FH and Rakza 7 BH as example) while you work on your technique.
When you get to the stage where you can attack almost everything consistently I would only then consider a Viscaria and faster rubbers.
It is also possible of course to switch to a Viscaria now with coaching but imo it will be easier for you to work on your technique with the Korbel. Maybe take advice from your coach here but be careful of listening to other 17/18 yrs olds talking up the exotic gear and recommending FZD and D05.
It is likel they can't use that gear properly and it's often just a fashionable accessory to show off and talk about, or if they can use it they likely have already had the coaching and practice that you missed during your break.
Good luck 👍

 

[Matej T]

Why did you take a break? Similarly, what made you restart? And how did you move from "just for fun" to training a lot?
And now that you've thought about that, how high are the chances of this situation reversing completely and taking a break from TT again?

Your post reads like someone very impulsive, someone who lives in "phases" and right now you are in your hyper TT phase. I might be wrong about that, of course.
Either way, just don't change your gear. Your rubbers are good, your blade is good and it all fits the game you want to play right now. Don't focus on equipment when you start feeling doubt - the problem isn't in your equipment whatsoever. It's within yourself.

Your current equipment can be played very well up to the highest regions and is in no way at all a problem. By the time you reach the point that it *might* be a problem, you'll be in the professional circuit with a trusted coach who can advise you with honesty and knowledge.

i took a forced break when i was like 12/13 even tho i did not want to then i started doing other thibgs and forgot about tt but i was never this dedicated to something not even videogames so i dont thing i will be taking break any time soon.

 

[Matej T]

Korbel is a great blade.
I would recommend to stay with it and pick some suitable rubbers (Fastarc G1 FH and Rakza 7 BH as example) while you work on your technique.
When you get to the stage where you can attack almost everything consistently I would only then consider a Viscaria and faster rubbers.
It is also possible of course to switch to a Viscaria now with coaching but imo it will be easier for you to work on your technique with the Korbel. Maybe take advice from your coach here but be careful of listening to other 17/18 yrs olds talking up the exotic gear and recommending FZD and D05.
It is likel they can't use that gear properly and it's often just a fashionable accessory to show off and talk about, or if they can use it they likely have already had the coaching and practice that you missed during your break.
Good luck 👍

yeah this makes sense i will probably get the g1 for fh and keep the rozena for bh and wait until my technique is good i think it will take not as much time because i train alot so yeah. I just need to focus on improving now.

 

[NextLevel]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

Get an ALC - I would recommend the FZD or Viscaria but if you like the Boll, it is all good as well, they are mostly handle differences though the Boll for some reason feels glossier. You can keep or change the rubbers as you please, Rozena is a good rubber and will prepare you well for any Butterfly advanced rubber. You are young and train enough, you should handle it and I agree with people telling you to change. When you get advanced using something, it is hard to change because you begin to care more about your short term results, so it is better to do it earlier rather than later if you can.

 

[Matej T]

Get an ALC - I would recommend the FZD or Viscaria but if you like the Boll, it is all good as well, they are mostly handle differences though the Boll for some reason feels glossier. You can keep or change the rubbers as you please, Rozena is a good rubber and will prepare you well for any Butterfly advanced rubber. You are young and train enough, you should handle it and I agree with people telling you to change. When you get advanced using something, it is hard to change because you begin to care more about your short term results, so it is better to do it earlier rather than later if you can.

the argument ppl make is that i will develop my technique differently and i will slow my progress. But i like the viscaria or fzd alc so i wanted to that, do you thibk it would help if i make video of my training so you can look at my playing level, if i changethe blade i keep the rozenas but dont know for how long and if i keep the korbel blade (i dont rly like the feel of the korbel even tho its faster all wood blade) idk what rubbers but tbh i will just wait for another month and i will try the viscaria in practice and then make desition, so lets say i buy the fzd alc and buy maybe one more pair of rozenas what rubbers do i want to buy next for my level of play

 

[Haito]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

Whenever you test something for short periods of time it will always feel "great". I would suggest you keep what you get. MAYBE switch rubbers. BTW when is the last time you changed rubbers? Is there a possibility that your rubbers are just more than 3 months old?

 

[Matej T]

Whenever you test something for short periods of time it will always feel "great". I would suggest you keep what you get. MAYBE switch rubbers. BTW when is the last time you changed rubbers? Is there a possibility that your rubbers are just more than 3 months old?

the runners are like month old also the boll alc did not feel better it just had more power and i had better fh topspin defo did not feel better

 

[Haito]

I mean you play 8 hrs a week + Sunday training. If I've done math correctly that is AT LEAST 10. That is like 40ish hours a month, totally 120hrs a quarter. That is enough to reduce spin.

 

[NextLevel]

the argument ppl make is that i will develop my technique differently and i will slow my progress. But i like the viscaria or fzd alc so i wanted to that, do you thibk it would help if i make video of my training so you can look at my playing level, if i changethe blade i keep the rozenas but dont know for how long and if i keep the korbel blade (i dont rly like the feel of the korbel even tho its faster all wood blade) idk what rubbers but tbh i will just wait for another month and i will try the viscaria in practice and then make desition, so lets say i buy the fzd alc and buy maybe one more pair of rozenas what rubbers do i want to buy next for my level of play

The question is what people think that developing your technique differently means when you have a coach. In a sense, if your coach is the one telling you to wait, then do what your coach says because he is taking responsibility for your development. Ask him some questions like what playing level and experience does he think it is good to switch and what do you have to do to get there etc.

If it is people who are not your coach, then you have to figure out what is best and who you trust. I find generally in Europe, some people are very old school and conservative about equipment and keep tying it to playing level. In reality you can play bad with any equipment and play well with any equipment, the real challenge is whether it suits your style (therefore it doesn't matter) and whether you have limited feeling, in which case a blade with higher vibration might help you learn better. Even some pros who like spin feeling still prefer innerforce to outerforce. So one compromise might be to get an innerforce blade. But honestly. IMHO and experience, if you have coaching and you have decent form, the rest is always coaching on how to generate spin and how to develop touch, that comes down to feeling and physicality, not equipment. Equipment can make it harder for sure, but equipment is always making some things harder and other things easier, it is up to you to practice developing the feeling for whatever it makes harder. If you get sticky rubber, it makes holding the ball easier, but can make getting speed harder. The opposite if you get non-sticky rubber. Softer rubber makes it easier to get spin but harder to loop the ball really hard and get high spin. Harder rubber the opposite. Softer topsheet makes blocking easier, but makes it harder to get arc. Harder topsheet makes it easier to get arc/spin, but harder to block.

Carbon makes the ball fly off faster so you might not have the feeling to generate spin with it. But that is the job of a good coach, to show you how to spin with it so that you can play with it. And if you cannot spin with it, you will not be alone and it won't be the blade's fault, there are lots of people using Korbel who have no idea how to spin.

Yes if you want to share video, feel free to share if you are confident. People can make a lot of tough comments. IF you want a safer place, share on the Video Safe Footage Thread.

 

[Matej T]

The question is what people think that developing your technique differently means when you have a coach. In a sense, if your coach is the one telling you to wait, then do what your coach says because he is taking responsibility for your development. Ask him some questions like what playing level and experience does he think it is good to switch and what do you have to do to get there etc.

If it is people who are not your coach, then you have to figure out what is best and who you trust. I find generally in Europe, some people are very old school and conservative about equipment and keep tying it to playing level. In reality you can play bad with any equipment and play well with any equipment, the real challenge is whether it suits your style (therefore it doesn't matter) and whether you have limited feeling, in which case a blade with higher vibration might help you learn better. Even some pros who like spin feeling still prefer innerforce to outerforce. So one compromise might be to get an innerforce blade. But honestly. IMHO and experience, if you have coaching and you have decent form, the rest is always coaching on how to generate spin and how to develop touch, that comes down to feeling and physicality, not equipment. Equipment can make it harder for sure, but equipment is always making some things harder and other things easier, it is up to you to practice developing the feeling for whatever it makes harder. If you get sticky rubber, it makes holding the ball easier, but can make getting speed harder. The opposite if you get non-sticky rubber. Softer rubber makes it easier to get spin but harder to loop the ball really hard and get high spin. Harder rubber the opposite. Softer topsheet makes blocking easier, but makes it harder to get arc. Harder topsheet makes it easier to get arc/spin, but harder to block.

Carbon makes the ball fly off faster so you might not have the feeling to generate spin with it. But that is the job of a good coach, to show you how to spin with it so that you can play with it. And if you cannot spin with it, you will not be alone and it won't be the blade's fault, there are lots of people using Korbel who have no idea how to spin.

Yes if you want to share video, feel free to share if you are confident. People can make a lot of tough comments. IF you want a safer place, share on the Video Safe Footage Thread.

Yeah my coach is very old school he used to play the 1st league here in czechia and he never chamged blade he used korbel his whole life because it suits him he is off player but not something like fan zhendong so im asking here, i will play some matches and practise so i will try to make a video and maybe send u a dm or post it here idc what ppl say i just want to imrpove

 

[chinacurious]

If you want to try out an ALC blade without too much commitment, you can always get a Yinhe Pro-01 for 30€ from Aliexpress.

 

[NextLevel]

Yeah my coach is very old school he used to play the 1st league here in czechia and he never chamged blade he used korbel his whole life because it suits him he is off player but not something like fan zhendong so im asking here, i will play some matches and practise so i will try to make a video and maybe send u a dm or post it here idc what ppl say i just want to imrpove

So the challenge you have is that you will be working with a coach who doesn't believe in it. I am not sure how to advise you because seriously, it is not about form or playing level, the most important thing is having a coach who believes in you and is willing to work with you. And if this will cause a disagreement, it might not be a good idea.

That said you can share the video and get an opinion. But manage the mentor relationship carefully or find someone who is willing to back your decision.

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Hi im 17 and i started training TT again after 4 year brake before that i was playing in a club but only for fun for a year. Now i started training property and im improving super fast. Monday i play 1,5h in a club so no matches only training Tuesday 2 hours of matches in other club with 1300 rated players (ČAST) wensday 1,5h training thursday 2+ hours matches in a club friday 1,5 h training saturday rest or 1h with my dad and sunday 2-4 hour training so u play a lot and i improved so much by doing this in the past 1-2 months. Im using Butterfly petr korbel wood and Butterfly Rozena on both sides and it waights 189 grams (head heavy) and i dont know if i like it tbh, i tried timo boll alc + D05 today and for topspinf it felt better, dodnt try short game. I play aggressive so 3 ball attack and my strongest thing yow my FH topspin. Some ppl tell me i should buy something liie viscaria, boll alc or fzd alc and if i train a lot i will grow with the blade on the other hand some ppl tell me to stay with slower blade and rubbers and develop my technique so idk what to do.

Under professional coach: Use what the coach says

Under self taught: Primorac with Rozena bh / Glayzer regular not the 09c version on fh.

 

[chinacurious]

Before you decide anything, ask your mate to try his alc blade and play a training match with it. It doesn't matter that topspins are great if you can't control the serve/receive game.