Do you play with equipment above your level?

[z0uLess]

I dont know. I have played for one year. You would have to rate my level by watching https://www.youtube.com/@z0uLess/videos

 

[jk1980]

I dont know. I have played for one year. You would have to rate my level by watching https://www.youtube.com/@z0uLess/videos

i think what you show it pretty much what you can expect after this amount of time. Of course seeing you in a match would be a totally different story because it always takes quite some time to show things you can do in training in a real match situation. Me being similarily playing for around a year now this is a decent result which shows that you actually had training with a proper coach.

 

[z0uLess]

i think what you show it pretty much what you can expect after this amount of time. Of course seeing you in a match would be a totally different story because it always takes quite some time to show things you can do in training in a real match situation. Me being similarily playing for around a year now this is a decent result which shows that you actually had training with a proper coach.

Thanks! I have some match play videos as well. You can clearly see how difficult it is to do good strokes in match situations for sure ;D ... anyway, my equipment is listed on the left here on my profile (Stiga Offensive Classic ST, Yasaka Rakza Z on forehand and Yasaka Mark V on backhand)

Btw, here is a great motivational video that show the multiball practice behind some of Xu Xin strokes and then showcase them in games

 

[Der_Echte]

Typical symptoms of using a too advanced setup are difficulties with blocking, short pushes and soft touches. And when these problems go away when switching back to a slower setup, then you know it's the bat, not the person.

HC,

I would be inclined to heavily agree with you, but the basic idea we both belive is not true all the time, often not much.

Why? A play misses blocking because he does not judge well where the ball will bounce when, so he is not there even close... and blocking way past the bounce requires a lot of touch most do not have.

This is only one example where it totally does not matter about the equipment.

 

[jk1980]

The question is really if you want a setup that helps you right now in matches out one that magnifies your strength when you finally got the Playstyle you imagine.

For me being a heavy EJ I took a deliberately step back on terms of speed to strengthen what I can do currently, but once I have the technique and ingrained Playstyle that I plan to, I will switch to blades i already got that will suit the future Playstyle more. One might be arguing that it is possibly better to stick with one setup (even if it is too fast at first), because you will get to know if better.

I don't know the answer. Imagine these two scenarios:
Player Mike starts off with a Viscaria and double T05s in Max and plays for two years.
Player David uses a YSE with Vega Europe for a year, then changed rubber to Vega Pro for 6 Month and then finally "graduates" to a Viscaria with T05s. Who do you think will have mastered the setup better? Mike for sure, but David had probably learned better strokes and won much more games along that way, even though it will take him a bit of time to get accustomed to the new setup.

With a proper trainer pretty much every setup is possible. Without one you will probably better stick to something slow and start with it for 20 years never learn a real topspin, but that may suffice for some.

 

[BobFL]

I personally don't believe in the concept of equipment being above the player. In every sport I played, I tried to have quality equipment, especially shoes. In tennis, it was the Nike Vapor (Federer's shoes of choice, obviously customized for him). My game is not and will never be at the highest level, but I play with Dignics rubbers because they have unmatched quality. I just love them and they last twice as long as anything I've tried.

 

[Der_Echte]

No one would believe well next to no one would believe that Der_Echte was 2000 plus rated for some years and any of the diginic rubbers are way above my level.

I have every stroke in the book, but my impact does not get the most out of diginikski.

My FH rubber has been on the market for well over a decade and I still hit like a monster at every speed. I slap anything on my bh that is not pips or anti and am good to go.

But yes, sure, players can get way too fast equipment and still grow like crazy if they are getting effective coaching.

 

[brokenball]

I can see how people can think that equipment is "above their level" but I don't think that is the best way to describe the situation. I know I would take advantage of young players that just bought the fastest and spinniest rubbers but something about equipment being above someone's level grates against my intuition. It just isn't the right way to express the problem.

 

[blahness]

Tbh, it's either you get control from the setup and then develop the skills to generate power, or you get power from the setup and then develop the skills to control the ball - almost everything is on this spectrum. That's from a speed point of view.

Also, the more spinny a rubber is, the more spin sensitive it is.

Picking a setup is all about balancing out various tradeoffs

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Tbh, it's either you get control from the setup and then develop the skills to generate power, or you get power from the setup and then develop the skills to control the ball - almost everything is on this spectrum. That's from a speed point of view.

Also, the more spinny a rubber is, the more spin sensitive it is.

Picking a setup is all about balancing out various tradeoffs

agree with the above and the bellow
"Technique is at least 10 times more important than the equipment. When have you seen people giving credit to the shoes when a runner wins?"

I think easy way is, if you can't control your equipment, then its either you can't control it, or your equipment is uncontrollable for you.

And we talking full strokes, not half strokes to try slow it down