Hi there. This is my first post on Table Tennis Daily. I have been playing for just under a year now, having learnt the basics as a teenager many years ago. I'm using Joola Zack on an allround blade and I've got to the stage where I'm hitting most things on the table. Top spin to top spin is fine, I am pretty consistent playing topspin against backspin, "open ups" as I've heard it called. The trouble is that there are plenty of players that I just can't seem to hit it past, I can't hit the ball hard enough without losing control. I've borrowed an Off carbon blade fitted with Tenergy 05 for a few minutes and it was quick, but I couldn't control it. For some reason I don't seem to play well with hard sponges either. I've tried a blade with Neo Hurricane 3 (standard) on one side and a soft sponge on the other and I can't seem to get consistency with the NH3 and I'm hopeless against backspin with it. Every time I borrow a hard sponge the ball flies all over the place. I think I'm looking for a set up that is half way between the Zack and the full on Tenergy option, with a mid to mid soft sponge. Has anyone got any suggestions? The options I've been looking at are things like, Tenergy 05FX, Rozena, Evolution FX-S, FX-P and EL-S, Andro Rasanter R37 and R42. I am concerned that they might end up being too advanced, but I guess I've got to start somewhere - right? Has anyone out there been through a similar thing? Is there something someone could recommend? Is there a blade someone could recommend that goes well with one of these options? Are there other options I'm missing? All help & experience much appreciated.
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Due to sponsorship we use Joola equipment for all our beginners. Zack is an OK rubber to learn the basics but it does not have a lot of dynamic. Usually We start with Mambo on forehand and backhand on an allround blade. This combination is sufficient to play successful even if you have left the ranks of a beginner long ago. If a player still wishes a rubber with a bit more spin and speed (for the fun and feeling) we switch to Rhyzm 375 and Rhyzm 475 after that. I have played with the Rhyzm rubbers myself a few years ago and basically you don't need anything else in your life IF fast and new blades and rubbers were not so much fun.
Speed alone is not important. The combination of speed, spin, placement and variation is and as long as you have a good amount of all of that you don't need more speed at all. If your technique for a smash is good you can easily smash with your Zack good enough to hit the ball past your opponent. I guess it is more a technique thing. It also depends against what kind of opponents you are playing. They should be equal to your level. You don't need MONSTER SMASHES against other beginners. On the other hand it does not make sense to play against better players and try to compensate the lack of skill by buying "better" equipment, this simply won't work. Just accept that the quality of your strokes is not yet good enough to get a ball behind them, there is nothing wrong with that. You only get better by practising, your equipment only helps to a very small percentage. I don't know but I think not more than 10 % of your success rate are dependent on equipment, maybe even much less. Take a great player's Tenergy away and give him your Zack instead, he will still be a great player.
Speed alone is not important. The combination of speed, spin, placement and variation is and as long as you have a good amount of all of that you don't need more speed at all. If your technique for a smash is good you can easily smash with your Zack good enough to hit the ball past your opponent. I guess it is more a technique thing. It also depends against what kind of opponents you are playing. They should be equal to your level. You don't need MONSTER SMASHES against other beginners. On the other hand it does not make sense to play against better players and try to compensate the lack of skill by buying "better" equipment, this simply won't work. Just accept that the quality of your strokes is not yet good enough to get a ball behind them, there is nothing wrong with that. You only get better by practising, your equipment only helps to a very small percentage. I don't know but I think not more than 10 % of your success rate are dependent on equipment, maybe even much less. Take a great player's Tenergy away and give him your Zack instead, he will still be a great player.
Thanks for the advice. I might try Rhyzm 375 or mambo. You're right my technique isn't great when I have to put speed on the ball and this is what I need to work on. At the level I'm at when I play someone who plays in my local league 3 or 4 I normally beat them but when I play someone who plays in league 1 or 2 I'm not in the game at all and it is frustrating. Having said that when I started playing again at the end of last year everyone was beating me easily so I should be thankful for the improvement I guess. Many thanks.
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If joola doesn't have to be the brand, the auris range by Tibhar (sound or soft) from Bribar is a good forgiving tensor rubber. I also like the Yinhe Venus 3 from ttequipment.co.uk and the best bit is I only have to pay £19 per sheet for it for a very similar play style rubber (well for someone my level anyway) which is bottom end div 1 local league
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Among joola rubbers, try the joola x-plode 2.0mm or maxxx 500 2.0 the spin will not leave you wanting. They are very spinny.
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I had the 325 proton neo as a BH rubber as it was safe. Nothing special mind and I had trouble getting a fierce topspin from a BH push (went back a bit too light in spin), but maybe that was just my technique ? To me it' very much like a lot of the older generation tensor style rubbers with soft sponge that I have tried, so I can use it and transition between that, Joola 325, Aurus sound and Yinhe Venus 3 without much change in action.
I've now gone to a tackier rubber though in Yinhe Jupiter 2 as its gives me more time on the ball and I am seeing an increase in spin I am producing. I have seen this termed "hybrid" as it has both tack and catapult which for me means I am not losing any speed from the tack compared to my Aurus
Actually, can anyone out there can confirm if the term "hybrid" would be right for this rubber?
I've now gone to a tackier rubber though in Yinhe Jupiter 2 as its gives me more time on the ball and I am seeing an increase in spin I am producing. I have seen this termed "hybrid" as it has both tack and catapult which for me means I am not losing any speed from the tack compared to my Aurus
Actually, can anyone out there can confirm if the term "hybrid" would be right for this rubber?
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I just re-read the OP's post and where he asks:
I bought this based on the review by Andy Smith....
https://www.ttequipment.co.uk/product/yinhe-venus-3-rubber/
I got the medium sponge as I too did not like rock hard sponge but I wanted something harder than the Aurus/Gewo I was using
I bought this based on the review by Andy Smith....
https://www.ttequipment.co.uk/product/yinhe-venus-3-rubber/
I got the medium sponge as I too did not like rock hard sponge but I wanted something harder than the Aurus/Gewo I was using
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