First Bat Advice please

[thegr812k]

Hi All,

I have played TT on and off since i was younger but just for fun, recently we have got a table at work and my competitive nature has kicked in

Currently i am winning all my games but am fully aware im a definite beginner. We are using the awful default bats and im spending plenty of time learning shots and spins (Watching videos and reading advice) but have concluded that i will struggle to build the fundamentals with awful equipment.

Although im generating some spin , having used a colleagues bat (cant think of brand) i was able to see a huge difference in quality and spin even after 2 shots!

I have looked at the pre built bats on Amazon etc and found myself here and reading many posts suggesting a custom bat is the way to go.

I have reviewed stats on tabletennisdb etc and peoples opinions but thought i would ask for my situation.

I am a shake hands grip, i dont believe im experienced enough to put myself as an offensive or defensive player just yet. Although my BH has progressed significantly quicker than my FH and as such im working hard to improve my FH.


If anybody would take the time to suggest me a setup that would be greatly appreciated!

 

[PiZa]

Yasaka Mark V is good versitile rubber for someone who is just developing his game. I can advice you also few blades for start :
Butterfly Primorac
Stiga Allround Evolution
Donic Persson Powerplay
Donic Persson Powerallround

 

[OhWell]

Do you have a target budget?

 

[thegr812k]

Do you have a target budget?

Hi, No budget isnt an issue. I dont mind paying for quality if the general consensus is its worth the pennies

 

[thegr812k]

Yasaka Mark V is good versitile rubber for someone who is just developing his game. I can advice you also few blades for start :
Butterfly Primorac
Stiga Allround Evolution
Donic Persson Powerplay
Donic Persson Powerallround

I have read about the Mark V mentioned a few times . I think my game will be more targeted towards spin than power but again, thats not based on much envidence other than feel

 

[OhWell]

Here's a great list of recommendations as a general starting point.

Inexpensive Chinese blades that would be excellent for a beginner:

Yinhe/Galaxy 896 blade
Yinhe/Galaxy W6 blade

For a little more money you have loads of great blades that would be good for a beginner from all the major brands. Here are some, in no particular order:

1) Stiga Allround Evolution
2) Stiga Allround Classic
3) Stiga Offensive Classic
4) Yasaka Sweden Extra
5) Nexy Peter Pan
6) Tibhar Kim Jung Hoon
7) Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

There are loads more. Most of those are pretty reasonably priced. But I put a couple that are on the slightly more expensive side of things.

As for rubbers, inexpensive Chinese rubbers would be fine. 729 rubbers are fine. So would something like Dawei 2008XP.

Or your friend could go with classic Japanese rubbers like Butterly Sriver or Sriver FX; or Yasaka Mark V. Or you could go with an older generation ESN rubber like Xiom Vega Pro or Europe.

The rubbers on FH and BH should be the same or same but slightly softer on BH. But they shouldn't be very different for a beginner. Like you wouldn't want 729 on one side and Vega Pro on the other.

With that in mind the rubbers could be paired with any of the blades.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

Add Butterfly Primorac, Xiom Offensive S and OSP Virtuoso off - to that blade list. You might want to consider Nexy Lissom too. (If money is no object, you could go Nexy Lissom + 2x Karis M and call it a day.)

 

[jawien]

Gionis Carbon Allround

05 fh and 05 fx bh (if the money is not a problem).

My friend has it and it's a really nice setup - lots of control. Although tenergy's in general are fast.

 

[OhWell]

General advice: start with a flexy 5 ply wood blade like any of the ones listed above.

Here's a great summary of the reasons why:

The general principle, IF you are TRYING to IMPROVE your TECHNIQUE is that you start with a slower blade with good control, dwell time, flex and feeling, so that you can learn to hold the ball on the rubber for longer to develop the contact and touch for higher level spin.

As you improve, you increase the speed/spin of the RUBBER first. Then when you are comfortable and solid with top of the line rubbers like MXP or T05, you could upgrade the blade.

Starting with a blade like:

1) Stiga Allround Evolution
2) Yasaka Sweden Extra

Or even one class down:

1) Stiga Allround Classic
2) Donic Appelgren Allplay

Is actually something that WILL HELP your technique improve faster. Part of this is that:
1) the ball will go on the table much more consistently.
2) you will have to put more power into your stroke and have better technique for the power shots.
3) the flex, control, extra dwell time and added feeling help you learn how to make contact that gives you more spin.

I want to explain this concept. A faster carbon blade does a lot of the work for you. So you can do a lot wrong and make bad contact and it feels good and the ball goes fast as if you did everything RIGHT, even though YOU DIDN'T. This actually encourages your brain and your nervous system NOT TO CHANGE suboptimal technique.

A relatively slow (All, All+ or Off- at most), all wood, 5 ply, blade with decent flex, feel and dwell time, with a soft top ply like Limba, helps your technique improve in many ways:

1) you have to work harder to get good pace which forces you to use your legs and hips with your stroke more without you even realizing it.
2) when your contact is not quite what I ought to be, the shot will feel bad and your brain and nervous system will register this without you even realizing it.
3) when the contact is good, IT WILL FEEL GOOD. When what you do is technically sound, you will feel it. You will like it. And your brain and nervous system will register this and how you touch the ball on contact WILL IMPROVE without you even realizing it. THIS ADJUSTMENT AND IMPROVEMENT HAPPENS ON A SUBCONSCIOUS LEVEL. It will happen without you having to try to improve that subtle way in which you get the topsheet to grab the ball and the manner in which you let the ball sink into the topsheet and sponge without banging into the wood. With a fast carbon blade, this subtle precision can take months or even years longer. Because the carbon masks what you feel, makes everything feel good. And causes suboptimal technique to result in adequate shot production.

For someone who wants to play and have fun and let the equipment do the work and not learn to improve his/her technique faster, it doesn't matter. Go for the ZJK Super Duper ZLC and show your friends how you have the fastest, most expensive blade money can buy.

If you want your technique to improve, get something simple.

For a lot of beginners I would recommend a blade like the Stiga Allround Evolution paired with an older generation tensor type rubber like Vega Pro or Vega Europe. I think the Nexy Karis would probably be good here and so would Tibhar Aurus.

I feel like it is worth developing technique with the new style rubbers for many. But a classic rubber like Yasaka Mark V would also be a good rubber to start with. And for a player more control issues or, a player who is starting from a larger ground zero, like if hand-eye coordination starts off as a little more of an issue, then something like Mark V is a better rubber to start with. Butterfly Sriver is also decent. For some the Sriver rubber may have more control. But I love the spin of Mark V.

Anyway, whichever rubber is the starting point, the rubber can be progressed until you hit top of the line rubbers. And then, if the player wants to, they can upgrade blade.

However, I know this guy who uses a Stiga Allround Classic which is slow as a turtle. And he still is 2200-2300 and he has so much power he can blast the ball past 2500 players. If his handling of spin was as good as his strokes he would be 2500. Part of why he has so much power is that he is also a pro tennis player. So his stroke production is pretty amazing. But the point of the story is, with good technique, even a blade like an Allround Classic can produce rocket shots.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

 

[Loopadoop]

Blade: 729 Friendship C-5 all around
4H: 729 SUPER FX GOLD SEAL
BH: RITC 755 long pips OX no sponge

 

[OhWell]

Blade: 729 Friendship C-5 all around
4H: 729 SUPER FX GOLD SEAL
BH: RITC 755 long pips OX no sponge

The OP says that he isn't committed to a specific style yet. If I understand him right he wants an all-round setup that allows for flexibility as far as strategy and technique goes. IMO a long pip rubber on the backhand is the opposite of what you want for that.

 

[thegr812k]

Gionis Carbon Allround

05 fh and 05 fx bh (if the money is not a problem).

My friend has it and it's a really nice setup - lots of control. Although tenergy's in general are fast.

Wouldn't a tenergy be too powerful for a beginner like me?

 

[Shifu]

You could go for the Euro route or the China route

I would recommend Stiga Alround Classic or Donic Applegreen Alplay and all those 5 ply allround blades

for rubbers I'd go with H3 Neo on the FH and Xiom Vega Intro for the BH or just both sides Xiom Vega Intro. Vega Intro is a mild and very easy to play beginner's tensor.

 

[OhWell]

For rubbers, it is common for people to advice that beginners begin with a thinner sponge. However, if you are looking to develop good topspin technique as fast as possible, and you don't mind losing some consistency initially, you should seriously consider going for max sponge right away.

See the extensive discussion of the Werner Schlager approach (max sponge from the start) on the following thread: https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...178-Slow-down-a-blade-or-speed-up-the-rubbers

If money is no object, you a rubber that often gets recommended by knowledgeable folks here for players of any level (including beginner) is Nexy Karis M. See, e.g.:
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/showthread.php?15818-Rubber-for-a-beginner


For a thorough discussion of the advantages/disadvantages of thick/thin sponges:
https://thoughtsontabletennis.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/the-best-rubber-to-loop-backspin/

 

[thegr812k]

The OP says that he isn't committed to a specific style yet. If I understand him right he wants an all-round setup that allows for flexibility as far as strategy and technique goes. IMO a long pip rubber on the backhand is the opposite of what you want for that.

Yes i think it would probably be unwise to try and pin point what kind of player i will become at this point. I definitely feel i have some natural talent as i have beaten everybody at work (some of which played at a decent level years ago) . But i would certainly be humbled if i played anybody from a club im sure !

Is this the correct way to start? buying a custom bat as opposed to a premade bat such as a Palio / firebalde etc etc

I think i prefer the idea of buying something based on people like yourselves knowledge rather than some random Amazon reviers thoughts

 

[OhWell]

Is this the correct way to start? buying a custom bat as opposed to a premade bat such as a Palio / firebalde etc etc

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's *the correct way* to start: at the end of the day technique is what matters most, and you can develop that with a wide range of equipment. But you will certainly get more quality for the money out of a custom racket.

 

[ajtatosmano2]

No need for fancy rubbers. I learned to play with Friendship 729 Super FX and Skyline 2, you might want something softer and easier to play. Same rubber for both sides is recommended. Any blade from Carl's list will do the work.
Personally I didn't play with Vega Intro, but the whole Vega series is quite beginner friendly, the Intro might be a very good starter.

 

[Loopadoop]

The OP says that he isn't committed to a specific style yet. If I understand him right he wants an all-round setup that allows for flexibility as far as strategy and technique goes. IMO a long pip rubber on the backhand is the opposite of what you want for that.

Read the theory, Introduction of North Little Rock Table Tennis Group at Senior center timeline page on Facebook.
..

 

[jawien]

Wouldn't a tenergy be too powerful for a beginner like me?

Gush ... possibly ... : ) My friend is a beginner, but plays with us like 1-2 times a week and takes lessons I guess once a week.

Hah ... I don't like tenergy 05 (like on mine TB ALC it get bumpy), but somehow on the Gionis it was not too bad and the control was really nice. I played with 05fx on bh for a while for it's control.

I guess mine Tibhar EL-P rubbers would be something to consider, also Acuda S2 or Hexer+ (bit older ones). Don't know about the new Acudas ...

PS. Don't buy any pre-made stuff ... not worth the time.

J.

 

[OhWell]

Read the theory, Introduction of North Little Rock Table Tennis Group at Senior center timeline page on Facebook.
..

If you want to link the specific facebook post, I'll read it. But I'm not going to read through the dozens and dozens of posts on that page to find the one you have in mind.

 

[Der_Echte]

OP, if one needs a middle of the road setup, MANY players have several and can sell if one is around a tt center with Div1 or PL players. Just ask, you will get good deal and help.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk