Hi there! Lately been going back and forth with my cybershape carbon and FZD alc (viscaria). I do like FZD alc's more balanced feel opposed to the head heaviness of the cybershape ( i have 2x 09c stuck on them, so you can imagine how head heavy the cybershape feels). Nextlevel probably knows what i mean haha. However.. don't particularly like the feel, but i think it suits my game a lot (offensive game with 3rd and 5th ball attacks and violent brushing). I feel my shots have more penetration with it than with fzd especially when a bit far away from the table.
Anyway.. can someone share pros and cons of head heavy setups? What technique is better suited for head heavy blades,etc? Would snappy BH be better with it.. better whip effect?
Also.. has anyone had both cybershape carbon and it's CWP version with the weights? I wonder if those 6 or 9 grams magnets could balance it a bit, but then it could become very heavy.. Both setups now are about 185grams btw. Couldn't find information on the difference for example with the 9 gram magnet against the normal cybershape carbon..
Hi exotick, I understand what you mean, ultimately, in table tennis, we cannot avoid the fact that we are participating in athletic activity, and in any athletic activity, being stronger is a huge help, all other things being equal.
There is a guy (well a couple) I look at his game and wonder why he is a good table tennis player despite not being particularly athletic and I realize that just like me, it is because we are relatively strong and that makes our shots have more quality even when we don't seem to be doing a lot. So being stronger helps a lot. And being stronger in the small muscles (grip in the fingers, biceps, internal and external arm rotation etc.) helps. Many TT players should get a light weight of 2-5lbs and do their strokes slowly and quickly with it over time as a minimum. Doing this while working with a therapist would eliminate most/many of the complaints that people have about using blades of this or that weight or even tennis elbow.
I realized early in my use of the blade that the Cybershape is much faster than the reviews give it credit for, I got a Mizutani SZLC in a search for speed and couldn't quite tell what I was gaining vs the Cybershape.
So good luck with your search for technique, but ultimately, while in the short term, your touch and feel and ability to play will not be radically improved by strength, staying fit and healthy will build your body for the long term and doing drills that improve your strength in your arms over time will make table tennis healthier for you. You don't need hypertrophy in the arms per se since a lot of table tennis is tied to whipping the tendons, but strength is not only developed through hypertrophy. The bones and tendons play a role as well as stronger muscles and visibly larger muscles aren't everything for muscle density.
Long story short, the problem with using a heavier blade is ultimately a strength problem as well as an adaptation problem - as with all strength problems, you can either use something lighter or try to get stronger. Getting stronger takes time but regardless of the blade you use, it is worth it. The adaptation problem helps you get used to the blade, but if you don't solve the strength problem (or just use something lighter), you will be using something that will cause you pain.
For some people, the real issue is also balance (think about carrying a 10lb barbell with weight 5lbs on each end, vs carrying one with 10lbs on one end and nothing on the other). This is what head heaviness causes in some people and sometimes, putting more weight in the handle helps. But even in that case, strength improvement can help.
Just trying to expand how some see the problem.
