Timo Boll posts new photos of his rubbers and blades

Found the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceJFUxpjAr8


He wrote the weight on the packaging. 2019-01-16_011053.jpg



Okay, interesting point! But i thought that all rubbers of one kind like tenergy all weigth the same? Or Do they not? Can not imagine that he use thinner sponge on some rubbers and that is way they are lighter. And Do a heavier rubber need to be harder?
 
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There was a discussion not too long ago. Someone was explaining how sponge thickness might differ a little for the same type, say 2.1, thus the weight. Not sure if this is the case of course. But it wouldn't be too hard to imagine that Timo gets say 2.10 to 2.12 range of sponges purposefully ... or am I way off here? : )

When I was coaching in Vienna I spoke with a well-placed person at ESN in Bavaria. He indicated to me that, for various reasons, the thickness quality control of sponges is less than the top sheet control, particularly with subtle differences in thickness, thus the source of the variation in weight is sponge-based.

Thanks
 
Yes, the weight deviation is sponge based and it is linked to the hardness too. The harder the rubber the greater the hardness deviation. For example if the hardness deviation is +/-3% the total difference in hardmess will be 6%.The wieght difference will not be 6%, though, but maybe less. As there is a deviation in the thickness too the harder and heavyer is the sponge the weight it may add or loose if thicker/thinner. So I may asume that a total of 10 gr. difference per sheet is really possible, thoygh I've never had more than 2 grams with the harder Xioms.
 
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Okay that is interesting! I also find it interesting that a player at Timo bolls level need to change to a little more soft rubbers when he Do not have great hit for the day.
 
Well, I don't know, but I think it may be just for training, and some traing aspects may not refer to the level I asume. Just for example sometimes I like to train with different setups, depending what I intend - for a longer stamina with harder hits I use a veavyer and harder setups, for improvement of precision and placement I use lighter and softer setup. But in general training and matches I alway use my main setups. But it may be not the case with Timo of course, just an assumption.
 
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Okay that is interesting! I also find it interesting that a player at Timo bolls level need to change to a little more soft rubbers when he Do not have great hit for the day.

Feeling and conditions - some people adjust to size and type of hall, temperature ...

Still, six rackets? Hard, medium, soft and one substitute for each? ;)

What I heard or read about Timo is that he likes to play with all the blades so the ageing process is similar, and when the time comes to change he changes them all.

But yes, other players stick to their one and only for years ...
 
What I heard or read about Timo is that he likes to play with all the blades so the ageing process is similar, and when the time comes to change he changes them all.

Hah, its another aspect that I may have in common with Timo. I do the same with my two main setups. But I wish I had in common the level, not the habbits.
 
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Well, I don't know, but I think it may be just for training, and some traing aspects may not refer to the level I asume. Just for example sometimes I like to train with different setups, depending what I intend - for a longer stamina with harder hits I use a veavyer and harder setups, for improvement of precision and placement I use lighter and softer setup. But in general training and matches I alway use my main setups. But it may be not the case with Timo of course, just an assumption.

This sound strange i think. Feel that you almost makes it more difficult for you to become better. How can you possible become better when you change your setup maybe pretty much? how will you learn to play with placement with the heavier setup if you never practice it?

But maybe your are onto something, but in my opinion i do not think this is helping you so much.
 
This sound strange i think. Feel that you almost makes it more difficult for you to become better. How can you possible become better when you change your setup maybe pretty much? how will you learn to play with placement with the heavier setup if you never practice it?

But maybe your are onto something, but in my opinion i do not think this is helping you so much.

No, I don't do it most of the time, but once or twice montly. The excercise for stamina with the heavyer bat I really find very helpfull, though it may be not for others. For precision and placement I use sometimes, once or twice a month too, a lighter setup with the same closer and over the table AR touch feel as my main setups - my style is aggressive mid mid+ distance and the slower AR closer and over the table exhaust me more during longer AR training sessions, so the lighter setup helps me with this.
 
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No, I don't do it most of the time, but once or twice montly. The excercise for stamina with the heavyer bat I really find very helpfull, though it may be not for others. For precision and placement I use sometimes, once or twice a month too, a lighter setup with the same closer and over the table AR touch feel as my main setups - my style is aggressive mid mid+ distance and the slower AR closer and over the table exhaust me more during longer AR training sessions, so the lighter setup helps me with this.

Interesting. To be honest I never heard about a similar approach either. How often do you practice @langel? I mean I play in this regional league and for the last ten matches I had like 3 or 4 different blades and setups - EJ clinic case ;) but I'm an amateur, so I have the privilege to fool around and enjoy the game, but for more professional teens or younger guys in our club, they play with the same setup I'm quite sure.
Timo is a champion level, so it's hard to find an easy analogy ...
 
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Interesting. To be honest I never heard about a similar approach either. How often do you practice @langel? I mean I play in this regional league and for the last ten matches I had like 3 or 4 different blades and setups - EJ clinic case ;) but I'm an amateur, so I have the privilege to foul around and enjoy the game, but for more professional teens or younger guys in our club, they play with the same setup I'm quite sure.
Timo is a champion level, so it's hard to find an easy analogy ...

I play 2 times per week, 2 hrs sessions, once per 2 weeks I play matches on club or open tournaments, and once on 2 weeks some friendly or challenge matches. I'm an amateur too, 50+.
 
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I play 2 times per week, 2 hrs sessions, once per 2 weeks I play matches on club or open tournaments, and once on 2 weeks some friendly or challenge matches. I'm an amateur too, 50+.

Ok, so about my level of practice time, but you might have a more advanced/pro history?

One aspect I can understand this 6 blades case, is that from my experience if I have a new setup, then pretty much after one training session, I can play with it on my regular level - of course the setup can not be too far in terms of my "regular" characteristics. On the other hand there was a case when Timo broke his blade and (it was my friend referring it to me) for him to get fully used to a new one takes about a month. So this would show how different amateur and pro perspectives are.

Having said that ... I'm still pretty much sure the pro guys in our Super-league have 2 or 3 setups max ... : )
 
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Yes, most of our active pro players stick to 2 setups only. We have a coach qho uses 1 only, and we have a coach who uses some 4 or 5 blades depending on what and whom he is training. Sometimes when I play friendly with younger beginners I use the "walk in the park" Rossi Emotion as my main would push me to a humiliation mode. And we have an amateur, who train and play more than the pros and is EJing with some 10+ blades. But what exactly is the case with Timo, who knows - 6 may be strange, but he proves to have a very effective strategy.
 
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I think it hurt more than helps if you change to much equipment. Sometimes you also need to change the technique if you change equipment. Think it sound strange that i takes a month for Timo to get used to his racket. I think he would get used faster than us humans since he is so good, but maybe they feel the difference better but i do not know really.
 
I think it hurt more than helps if you change to much equipment. Sometimes you also need to change the technique if you change equipment. Think it sound strange that i takes a month for Timo to get used to his racket. I think he would get used faster than us humans since he is so good, but maybe they feel the difference better but i do not know really.

Yes, but people are different and with different feel and adaptaion margins, and it depends not always on the level.
And regarding euipment there much more factors that do matter. Wkem I switched to Xiom Vega Tour blade I got use of it almost immediately, it just happened to be my "dream" blade. But recently I had to think about two months should I really switch to O7Asia or to keep with the O5A, though it prooved better for what I need, it put may questions about the adaptation, but now its ok. So sometims changing equipment may be an immediat step up, sometimes take time, and for different people differently, I don't there is a formula for this, regardless the level.
 
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Thanks for defending my EJ @langel. Yes, in my "career" I had setups that were an immediate step up - sort of.

But overall @Lula is right, it is insane. It happens more often to me, when there is a league match pressure and I try to find an immediate solution, mainly because I do not have too much time for practice.

Little consolation for me, is that it looks like Timo is an EJ himself in a sense. I really doubt that 6 baldes setup is a common practice among the pros ... ;)
 
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For years I thought pros only carry two 2 identical setups and it would be crazy to have more than that...

...until I watched Ma Long's match in which he caught the table/damaged not ONE but TWO of his setups. After he damaged his 2nd, I thought to myself: sh*t, what is he gonna do now?... thinking he only had two. 30 seconds later someone from his coaching staff handed him his THIRD setup and he went onto winning that match.

So in addition to his training rackets, etc, Timo has "a backup of a backup"....
 
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