I'm thinking about Vega intro, but should I choose max to FH and BH? Or 2.0mm?
Does not make much of a difference. I’d pick 2.0
I actually think this exchange encapsulates some of the real problem.
As this thread developed and started as a simple idea, yet 4 pages into it, the thread is still going on. dominus's coach said not to get H3 and here dominus is with H3.
I got dominus to post video because a lot of people were giving recommendations based on the idea of someone who was a decent level. But I knew that in the last few months, since the last time dominus had one of these mammoth threads about something so simple, his level probably had not changed too drastically.
And in the last thread, by the time the thread was this far into it, everyone was saying he should get a rubber like Mark V and a blade like an Allround Classic or a Appelgren Allplay and he went and got a Korbel with MXP, (or something like that), it became clear to me that something was going wrong in translation.
In fact, in one of those threads, that ultimately went for 9 pages, at one point he said he was listening to everyone's advice, and then he posted the photo of the Korbel he got. Funny.
But what I am realizing here is a couple of things:
1) The Limba-Limba-Ayous-Limba-Limba ply construction of the Appelgren Allplay is actually what dominus needs. That is the blade he should get. Appelgren Allplay: End of story.
2) Rubbers: Mark V or Vega Intro. One of those two. Let dominus choose the thickness himself because if someone says "get 2.0" he will get Max. So, just let him choose.
It won't matter too much either way. And either rubber would be fine.
3) dominus should do a lot of exercises like the ones in this video:
Also, sorry, but, I feel like the coaching dominus is getting may be good, but it may not be right for what dominus needs.
I know this coach named Matthew Khan. He is from Guyana. He coaches here in NYC. He is actually great, nothing short of amazing with adult learners who are having some sticking points on learning technique. He does not use the standard approach. He is creative in figuring out what will help the specific person he is working with.
I know a guy he taught who is in his mid 60s and more stubborn than you could imagine. And Matthew Khan got him from very low level (probably 400 USATT; It is hard to be that bad) to maybe 1500 which is a real accomplishment for a guy at his age. I know a woman in a similar age range whose eye hand coordination was as bad as I have seen, and he got her to be pretty darn good as well. Perhaps she was a bigger accomplishment because the guy was athletic even if he started off being terrible. The woman was not athletic and she had trouble just getting the racket to come in contact with the ball. And she is probably about 1400 level now.
He was not doing the kinds of drills dominus's coach is doing with him. He was having them do game simulation stuff. Multiball, in out drills. Things where they had to move to every single ball and adjust to every single ball and make the right shot. He just slowed the drills down so that the drills were a pace they could handle and slowly sped the drills up as the player progressed. He also did a decent amount of explaining game play strategy to get them to just keep the ball in play and put one more shot on the table than the opponent. At that level it is hard to understand to use 60% effort and be ready for the next shot rather than using 150% effort and if the ball comes back the player is in trouble.
I feel, the footage dominus has showed of him working with his coach, the drills are drills he could do on his own with a robot. I also feel like, when his coach gives feedback and makes a correction, the feedback is good. But if you look at the coaches demonstration, and then see how dominus applies it, or interprets it, often, the coach may as well have not given the feedback. This isn't anyone's fault. The information is good. dominus may just not be ready for it.
dominus may be better off practicing those kinds of drills on a robot to get more repetitions. And to practice shadow strokes in front of a mirror so he can see his mistakes as he makes them. Because, I think he would see them if he was looking in a mirror.
Also, the first exercise in this Marcos Freitas video, the one that gets called "Warm-Up":
dominus should practice that against a wall until he is really good at it.
The more I think about it, I think those things would really help dominus. And more discussion like what is going on here, will only confuse him.
Good luck dominus.
