Had my first proper session today playing matches against several different players. All of them were higher rated than me and they all had very different playing styles, which was the perfect test for the new setup.
Here are my main takeaways from today:
-This setup demands an active stroke, otherwise you get punished. Many times when I just tried to passive-guide the ball (whether it was a push, block or drive), the ball either died in the net or sailed long.
-I was able to open up against pushes with absolute ease on both FH and BH. I could choose between a soft, spinny opening with a high arc or a harder, more direct loop. I was honestly positively surprised, and it gave me a massive confidence boost knowing that almost all my open ups landed.
-I haven't actually weighed the rubbers, but they feel heavier than the regular Helix. I noticed this because I had an unusually high number of edge hits today, which usually happens when the balance of the blade changes slightly.
-Theer is noticeably more spin in these Hybrid versions compared to the standard Helix. This was very apparent in my serves, pushes, and openings.
-I barely missed any FH counter-loops today, except for the ones where I was completely caught out of position. I did miss a bit more on the BH, but that was purely down to user error. I just didn't close my racket angle enough. When I did, the ball landed.
-I felt like I could attack or open up against almost any serve with flicks or loops, even when the balls were low over the net or barely cleared the end of the table. I could just swing forward and trust the grippy topsheets to do the rest of the work.
Overall, I'm extremely happy with the switch, even if it requires me to stay mentally sharp and physically active on every single shot.
