Help with equipment next step

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Jul 2021
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Hello

I am a young player and have been playing a Japanese Penholder for a number of months. I play with an xiom 10mm one ply hinoki blade and tibhar aurus prime (a thin topsheet 47.5° bouncy rubber with a high throw). My whole game revolves around my footwork and somewhat consistent and quite powerful forehand loop.

My bat works fantastically for blocking and for mid distance looping (as I loop with an extremely closed bat angle, the high throw comes in handy) but I am being told by much better players that when I put maximum power into my forehand shots that the rubber is ‘bottoming out’, causing the ball to hit the net. It is also a bit bouncy for the short game.

Since my forehand attack is effectively my only weapon, I need it to be a reliable shot and I think the rubber may be limiting me in achieving that.

I am considering trying a harder rubber to solve these issues.

However:
1. I have been told that Chinese rubbers are too hard and ruin the great hinoki feeling. I have also heard that red chinese rubbers are a bit crap
2. I think hard tensors may have a speed to spin ratio that is too high, especially considering my fast blade (and the fact that I play in a division in which there are a lot of players with a good short game and awkward low speed shots, I would probably have even less forgiveness and consistency from the rubber). I reckon I would just overshoot everything if I tried Rasanter R53 for example
3. I am not sure if I hybrid rubber would have the same problems as the chinese ones. They may also be too slow and lack kill power.

I am considering Donic Bluegrip C2 or Yasaka Rakza Z Extra Hard.

I could potentially put them on a stiga clipper or allround classic chinese penhold blades either. Would a stiga clipper + hybrid/boosted chinese rubber work or a Stiga all round classic + hard tensor, for the purposes I need?

What direction should I take to solve these issues? Would a hybrid or hard tensor or chinese rubber work well on any of my three blades?

Thank you for any advice provided 😀
 
You have the kill power not the rubber. I would try not to change too much in one step. Try to find something just a little harder. Also what thickness are you using. Maybe increase the thickness could fix this. But the hitting through the rubber is a smaller problem than having trouble with the short game.

Cheers
L-zr
 
says Rozena! You complete me.
says Rozena! You complete me.
Well-Known Member
Mar 2021
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HelloI am a young player and have been playing a Japanese Penholder for a number of months. I play with an xiom 10mm one ply hinoki blade and tibhar aurus prime (a thin topsheet 47.5° bouncy rubber with a high throw). My whole game revolves around my footwork and somewhat consistent and quite powerful forehand loop.My bat works fantastically for blocking and for mid distance looping (as I loop with an extremely closed bat angle, the high throw comes in handy) but I am being told by much better players that when I put maximum power into my forehand shots that the rubber is ‘bottoming out’, causing the ball to hit the net. It is also a bit bouncy for the short game.Since my forehand attack is effectively my only weapon, I need it to be a reliable shot and I think the rubber may be limiting me in achieving that.I am considering trying a harder rubber to solve these issues.However:1. I have been told that Chinese rubbers are too hard and ruin the great hinoki feeling. I have also heard that red chinese rubbers are a bit crap2. I think hard tensors may have a speed to spin ratio that is too high, especially considering my fast blade (and the fact that I play in a division in which there are a lot of players with a good short game and awkward low speed shots, I would probably have even less forgiveness and consistency from the rubber). I reckon I would just overshoot everything if I tried Rasanter R53 for example3. I am not sure if I hybrid rubber would have the same problems as the chinese ones. They may also be too slow and lack kill power.I am considering Donic Bluegrip C2 or Yasaka Rakza Z Extra Hard.I could potentially put them on a stiga clipper or allround classic chinese penhold blades either. Would a stiga clipper + hybrid/boosted chinese rubber work or a Stiga all round classic + hard tensor, for the purposes I need?What direction should I take to solve these issues? Would a hybrid or hard tensor or chinese rubber work well on any of my three blades?Thank you for any advice provided 😀
I am also a user of One Ply Hinoki, 10.5mm to be specific. My coach highly recommended me Tenergy 05. I switched over to T05 a month ago, after ignoring his advice for one year because I was looking for a cheaper alternative, I tried various ESN rubber. Now that I have gone over to T05, I think I am never gonna look at anything else. My coach had the last laugh with a I told you so wry smile on his face during our last meet. How does one know the rubber is suitable for me or not? My coach uses the sound he hear from my loop and the ball impact when he returns my loop to know whether the rubber is compatible to me or not.

NB: He specifically said T05, not T19 nor T80 nor T64 nor T25 or the fx version. He also said no Dignics for me. Only T05 for both FH & BH.

 
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