NextLevel said:
Yeah and my forehand is not optimal for table tennis. The whole idea that a forehand is not optimal for this nor that is largely a bunch of nonsense, with all due respect. Moat people just prefer for their strokes to feel a certain way but most decent players can hit good forehands with anything once they practice enough with it. They just enjoy using certain things more depending on how much energy they likely to put into every shot.
Thomas Keinath has a forehand that would make most people who look at it have a superiority complex and he uses Hurricane rubber. Emmanuel Lebesson uses a softer non tacky rubber and has a more aggressive technique. For most people, that should be enough to get them to stop talking about technique being optimal for this or that rubber. And even if she supposedly can't use the rubber, would we then say that Ma Long doesn't have the stroke for Tenergy or that Timo Boll doesn't have the stroke for Hurricane?
I have used tacky and non-tacky rubber for years. For me it comes down to how healthy I am.and the effort I want to put in. I would be hard pressed if anyone said that my technique was visibly different with either though I would make subtle feeling and timing adjustments for sure.
You bring up good points. Your main point being that people's stroke does not have to be "Optimal" in order to use cetain equipment.
I will fully support such a statement and way of thinking.
MY point(s), which I stand by, is that...
1) The Japanese lady's FH is not a FH that would be able to utilize the top end properties of that rubber.
2) The Japanese lady CLEARLY has enough knowledge and ability to be able to articulate this or that about a H3 or any rubber. (Her lack of ability to bang impact the ball is irrelevant to her clear ability to articulate a rubber's proerties)
I have said it over and over about myself. My FH is nowhere near able to use the top end proterties of H3. People can cal me weak and chicken poop all they want, I do not have the FH for the top end, not many of the other aspects to use H3 well, so I do not use it. I tired, and on FH, it is not for me.
On the other hand, Next Level says his FH is not optimal for TT... let's grab some popcorn and have some fun.
Next Level can have a much more forceful and hard impact on contact on FH wing than Der_Echte. I personally think Next Level would make better use of the capabilities of a rubber like H3... and NL has extensive backgound history of using tacky and semi-tacky Chinese rubbers on FH in the pressure of tourneys. NL has demonstrated performance at and above his level. There is enough empirical evidence to say NL can use a rubber like H3 WAY better than Der_Echte.
Another pooint NL makes is that looks are not everything in performance in utilizing equipment to go along with what a player does. (Well, I perceive he prety much said that) That is an outstanding point and I support that. NL says he has used both tack and non-tacky rubbers. If you look at his toruney results, then look at what equipment he was using (and how often he changed it !!!) I bet you some serious quantities of cheeze-its that NL has high performance using either and that what he says about himself is true.
NL's point about freedom of choice, when he discussed that some players just like to use what they like... That is damn America right there, freedom of choice over what other others think. FULLY SUPPORT.
Yuor point about using a SOFTER rubber (about a pro going that way) is valid as well. Personally, I doscovered it is better for myself to go that direction right now and damn what mainstrean coaches think about it.
Going back to NL's first sentence... that his FH is not optimal for TT...
That makes me much on popcorn and laugh my azz off. NL's base FH is better in many ways than my FH. All things are about contect in objective and level where the player operates. NL has shown his FH works at every level he has competed at. Personally, I would believe he could use that same FH at 1-1.5 levels higher and still succeed.
Personally, even if I trained the rest of my life, I do not believe I would exceed 1.5 levels above NL's recent high play level.