Supergrippy non-bouncy rubbers
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Yes, but objectively one can say that Rhyzer is spinnier than Mark V. Is Gold arc 5 as spinny as Rhyzer? Does the ball grip/stick to Gold arc 5 as much as it does to Rhyzer? That question can be answered without me being part of the answer.
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I actually don’t think it’s as simple as that. The way you contact the ball matters a lot, and a rubber that easily creates much spin on a light brush may have very different spin characteristics when making deeper contact.
Once upon a time when my world was young I used to play with Mark V max which might have been as thick as 2.5mm back then. Massive spin that I have not experienced again from any player ever since taking up the game again. And Surbek’s spins, mind, were levels above mine. Playing Sriver.
Different times. 38mm, celluloid, speedglue (Surbek, not me). Can’t compare.
Yet one thing remains: it’s a technique applied in harmony with a equipment’s capacities that produces spin. Not just the friction coefficient and elasticity of a rubber under specific conditions.
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I agree with you there completely. But if we want to compare rubbers we need to agree on a particular metric. Whether that metric is a good one or not can be subject to discussion, but the need for an objective metric is there nevertheless. We can come up with something close to an objective metric by gathering a bunch of subjective anecdotal evidence from different people and try to reach a consensus. While the individual characteristic scores quantified this way are not reliable (e.g. revspin), the ranking can be close to reality. Without proper lab equipment, I think this is closest we can get to objectivity. I take your point that the personal anecdotes need to be categorised based on skill level and circumstances (e.g. topspin vs backspin, fast or slow balls, service, etc. ) but that’s not easy to do in a forum. Most people just have a “feeling” how spinny a rubber is and how it compares with others.
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Yes, we can measure and obtain results that will no doubt get misinterpreted and/or overgeneraluzed. In time, we might even sophisticate things and have robot execute different actual strokes with sound consistency and near absolute reproducability. And measure velocity, exit angle, rpm.
We’re not there yet. Even then, variations in technique applied will produce varying results. A suitably wide array of strokes to cover might tell enough.
The thing is, once you start measuring you need to beware. Your tests implicitly assume a reality model, and that is often poorly understood by those interested in using test results as performance indicators.
We’re not there yet. Even then, variations in technique applied will produce varying results. A suitably wide array of strokes to cover might tell enough.
The thing is, once you start measuring you need to beware. Your tests implicitly assume a reality model, and that is often poorly understood by those interested in using test results as performance indicators.
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