Upgrade Grubba to Xiom Off S vs. Andro Core Off vs. IF ALC (V-6)

iamsan · Feb 8, 2019

Hey guys.
Because this here started to be a nice discussion, I want to add some conditions.
First i define the end of the blade road as the TBAlc. The starting point would be smth like Allround Classic.

For me I always came back to a slower blade because of the passive game, esp returning spinny long services as well as blocking power loops.

With the Grubba I have the greatest margin for error attacking long served services while with faster blades u have to be very accurate with power and angle.

Blocking worked best with my 7 ply blade if i remember correctly. With Xiom Offensive S it was kinda the worst out of the three blades, don't know why.

While I played baracuda before I hope to get better in regard of blocking with a harder sponge (G1).

How would a TBAlc act in these two points ?

NextLevel · Feb 8, 2019

NDH said:
For what it’s worth, the Schlager Carbon is a beast for looping away from the table.

The issue I had with it was controlling the short game.

Yes and when playing a guy with medium pips it is not the blocking or the looping away from the table you care about. The guy keeps you close to the table and you have to play with enough spin to stay in the point. And as you pointed out, pushing short with the Schlager is not easy.

NextLevel · Feb 8, 2019

iamsan said:
Hey guys.
Because this here started to be a nice discussion, I want to add some conditions.
First i define the end of the blade road as the TBAlc. The starting point would be smth like Allround Classic.

For me I always came back to a slower blade because of the passive game, esp returning spinny long services as well as blocking power loops.

With the Grubba I have the greatest margin for error attacking long served services while with faster blades u have to be very accurate with power and angle.

Blocking worked best with my 7 ply blade if i remember correctly. With Xiom Offensive S it was kinda the worst out of the three blades, don't know why.

While I played baracuda before I hope to get better in regard of blocking with a harder sponge (G1).

How would a TBAlc act in these two points ?

It is more about how willing you are to make adjustments. You won't be able to do exactly the same stroke with blades of different speeds and get the same results. The Boll ALC may give you less of the kind of feedback you may be used to with the Grubba. Your arm may be too tight so more blocks may go long. Your contact point on the ball yo get the result may change. But it is work and needs patience and it might not get you much more than being able to do a few things you couldn't do before and some things also become harder. You may not even like how the Boll ALC feels. In the end, the only way to know is to test. But there is nothing wrong with staying with a Grubba. Boll ALC is significantly stiffer and faster.

NDH · Feb 8, 2019

NextLevel said:
Yes and when playing a guy with medium pips it is not the blocking or the looping away from the table you care about. The guy keeps you close to the table and you have to play with enough spin to stay in the point. And as you pointed out, pushing short with the Schlager is not easy.

Yep, 100%

I actually tried my Garaydia ZLC again recently (having not played with it for a year, and it being pretty similar to the SC), and boy, it's such a joy to do big expansive forehand to forehand loops (or backhand). Mid distance, throwing some absolute bombs with a ton of top spin and speed.

Then you remember that only 15/20% of points end up there, and the 5% you sacrifice by going down in speed, you make up 50% in touch and close to the table attacking.

FruitLoop · Feb 8, 2019

Hard to set aside the ego and realise most points in table tennis are won just by keeping it on the table one more time. It's so fun to crush loops though.

NextLevel · Feb 8, 2019

FruitLoop said:
Hard to set aside the ego and realise most points in table tennis are won just by keeping it on the table one more time. It's so fun to crush loops though.

Not just keeping it on the table. At the higher levels.you have to work harder to deny your opponent a good shot in the serve and return game and slower blades or blades with short game control shine here. But this is a balancing act and depends on the player.

iamsan · Feb 8, 2019

I disagree fruit as in my opening up mentioned.

NextLevel · Feb 8, 2019

iamsan said:
I disagree fruit as in my opening up mentioned.

Yes. Sometimes, I wish we could all post video of our play so we can see whether we are really practicing what we preach. You are not a beginner, you are at the level of play and experience where investigating equipment is actually useful. For me after someone has hit USATT 1600 or knows how to loop consistently or has played 3 years or more, it will be weird if they don't ask themselves whether they can handle faster or slower equipment to their advantage. Especially in this plastic ball era where little about the ball is what it used to be like. When you play more mobile players, moving them around without quality doesn't work as all they need is time to get into position for one good shot and the rally dynamics change.

Der_Echte · Feb 8, 2019

Der_Echte was certainly encouraging grrr ed by ttd member erm to gear down a small touch on blade and go the route of dynamic rubbers.

It sure didn't hurt me to explore that... to the tune of 1.5 levels or so of improvement.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

FruitLoop · Feb 9, 2019

NextLevel said:
Not just keeping it on the table. At the higher levels.you have to work harder to deny your opponent a good shot in the serve and return game and slower blades or blades with short game control shine here. But this is a balancing act and depends on the player.

Higher levels sure, but this thread is mainly about lower level and developing players and their equipment.

NextLevel · Feb 9, 2019

FruitLoop said:
Higher levels sure, but this thread is mainly about lower level and developing players and their equipment.

Yes, but this thread in that context doesn't apply to NDH. I was explaining what NDH meant so that people who were stuck thinking about lower level players could understand what he was referring to.

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Upgrade Grubba to Xiom Off S vs. Andro Core Off vs. IF ALC (V-6)

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