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As I get older, I can't do some of the moves I used to do. For example, I can't move fast enough anymore to step around and loop an underspin ball with my forehand from my backhand corner. I have found that I need to adjust my playing style and strategies as the years weigh me down. One thing that seems to work is to slow the game down a bit: focus more on spin, less on speed, be patient, and place the ball more carefully. Play the angles. Practice more with serves and third ball attacks. Work on my backhand loops and flips.
To this end, I'm considering switching to Rakza Z on my forehand, instead of Rakza 7. I did try a friend's H3 and hated it - everything went into the net, and it would just take too much work to adjust my whole game to play with a new hard Chinese rubber. And I can't be bothered with boosting, either - too much of a hassle for an old guy set in his ways. Neither would I consider using long pips - that would require an entirely different skill set, and I don't have the patience or the time to learn a whole new style. I figure one of the new hybrid rubbers (Rakza Z, Sieger P50, K3, etc.) may not require so much adjustment of technique, and may give me more spin, control, and help slow down the game a little. I'm not looking for radical changes, just incremental adjustments.
So, my question for the group is: do any of the older players have actual experience switching from a Euro/Japanese non-tacky rubber to one of the new hybrids? I've read about some people who changed for a while, then went back to non-tacky. Why? Are there others who have made the change permanent? Does it take a lot of adjustment in technique? Is it an expensive change, because the durability of hybrid rubbers is less, and you have to buy new rubbers more frequently (my Rakza 7's last me 7-8 months)? Is it a hassle to have to treat the hybrid rubbers with cleaners (like REvolution No. 3 or similar) often to keep them tacky?
I'm not looking for a discussion of "rubber x is better than rubber y" kind of thing. I just want to hear from people who have real life experience making the switch to hybrids, and can talk about it in broad terms. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences!
To this end, I'm considering switching to Rakza Z on my forehand, instead of Rakza 7. I did try a friend's H3 and hated it - everything went into the net, and it would just take too much work to adjust my whole game to play with a new hard Chinese rubber. And I can't be bothered with boosting, either - too much of a hassle for an old guy set in his ways. Neither would I consider using long pips - that would require an entirely different skill set, and I don't have the patience or the time to learn a whole new style. I figure one of the new hybrid rubbers (Rakza Z, Sieger P50, K3, etc.) may not require so much adjustment of technique, and may give me more spin, control, and help slow down the game a little. I'm not looking for radical changes, just incremental adjustments.
So, my question for the group is: do any of the older players have actual experience switching from a Euro/Japanese non-tacky rubber to one of the new hybrids? I've read about some people who changed for a while, then went back to non-tacky. Why? Are there others who have made the change permanent? Does it take a lot of adjustment in technique? Is it an expensive change, because the durability of hybrid rubbers is less, and you have to buy new rubbers more frequently (my Rakza 7's last me 7-8 months)? Is it a hassle to have to treat the hybrid rubbers with cleaners (like REvolution No. 3 or similar) often to keep them tacky?
I'm not looking for a discussion of "rubber x is better than rubber y" kind of thing. I just want to hear from people who have real life experience making the switch to hybrids, and can talk about it in broad terms. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences!
