Beating the plateau at low intermediate level

[Matteones]

fear not the man who plays with a thousand different rubbers but rather fear the man who played a thousand hours with one rubber.

Nah, I don't buy that BS!
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You will be the first one ever to try a tenergy 64 fx in the whole galaxy in the last 10 years, please let me know how bad it is 😁 😁

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

You will be the first one ever to try a tenergy 64 fx in the whole galaxy in the last 10 years, please let me know how bad it is 😁 😁

Don’t buy T64fx. It is so mushy, like when I try to peel off from my blade to put another rubber, that t64fx just tore into half like paper. I’ll never repeat the purchase of t64fx. My only one and only one time experience. I have never encountered another rubber so paper’ish.

 

[Tyce]

Something occurred to me this morning (I must be digesting the experiences and pieces of wisdom of late).

I have been gradually using faster equipment to beat my opponents. but those opponents have been on the same level for the past two years.
I have been introducing more speed, more risk, (more unforced errors) into my game in some sort of attempt to overpower my opponents.
I have been getting gradually worse results with said equipment against people in the club who are playing 1-2 levels above me. Also, I have played a tournament last year where I deliberately asked to be put in a higher category, and I just didn't have any chance.

BUT, those people playing 1-2 levels above me didn't overpower me. In fact, they weren't necessarily playing faster speeds, but better placement and more consistent, heavier, spin levels.

In conclusion, to be playing at that level, I need to slow down, and spin up. The majority of those players use a higher level of spin. The majority also doesn't use crazy fast equipment. In fact, overpowering by using speed is really basically a tactic used in my current playing level (and I'm guilty as charged).

I think I already knew most of this, but putting it out in concrete sentences just solidifies it.

 

[Tyce]

Changed the title to better reflect the contents of the thread. After all, the goal isn't necessarily to adapt to a certain rubber, but to get out of lower intermediate competition levels.

I recently made a realization about sanctioned tournaments that might be able to give me an edge in the future (read: when I have the opportunity to play more than 1-2 on a yearly basis).
Most sanctioned tournaments use a multiplier for rating points you can earn (1.5x mostly) but what I didn't realise is that the multiplier doesn't apply for points lost.
Meaning, if you play equal level players, you can lose 3, win 2 and still end up at the same rating. Whereas in league competition, there's no multiplier, so you need to win 3 to cover the loss of 3.
My last 2 tournaments I gained 40 (second place) and 15 (won the consolation bracket) playing around my level. Getting 20 points on a regular basis would be a great support in breaking up to the next level.

 

[ToH]

Good luck with your choice. And remember that in every setup there is always something that is better in another setup. Speed vs control, Spin / spin-sensitivity. I can reccomend the Stiga DNA Helix rubber. I use it in Medium on both side. Its very good in the short game, got a very good gip on the ball, semi fast and good durability. I use it on a Xiom Habuza ZL Pro wich gives me good control and very good short game, attacks with a lot of spin and fast enough.

 

[jonol]

If you want to break out of the low intermediate level in anything, it's important to play with the intent to improve, not just to win.

Practicing improving the quality of key skills and deliberately trying to apply those skills in matches can often lead to mistakes, but it's also the best way to start raising your overall level. I think it's good to set yourself small goals in matches, like practicing and then really trying to make good quality, deep pushes on the receive. The more you practice and then work on applying these specific small skills in a match, the more you will start to build a more complete and consistent game, and the wins naturally follow.

Starting by focussing on spin quality over raw power is a good one too, since most intermediate players often have trouble reading variations in pace and spin throughout rallies and you can likely force a lot of errors. It puts you in a position to build confidence with attacking consistently and add variety to your placement and timing later.

 

[Zezima]

There are players around 1750TTR with those outdated rubbers like sriver in 1,7mm!! Etc mostly played by oldies who play a lot with placement and medium paced active strokes etc. Very difficult to play since it's hard to judge the speed and spin and even the trajectory.

Def not a rubber problem.