New Stiga Mantra Pro

[gordonluvsu]

Short questions to the more experienced with Mantra Pro on Forehand.

How do you go about counter loops on forehand from a bit further away?
Today was the first time I actually got to try that with a clubmate.
It was only about 5 minutes or so before he had to leave, but it was very strange.
On BH I could effortlessly produce counter loops and counter hits from mid-range distance.
But on FH to FH counter loops from that range I couldnt figure it out yet.
( that exercise everyone thinks of when they see pros training together on Social Media)
Like here at the beginning:

With chinese rubbers, I could do it more comfortably, but I was also more experienced with those.

Again it was only around 5 minutes or so, but still I was a bit clueless.
I also never played this loop to loop "exercise" with ESN rubbers or BTY rubbers for a significant amount if time, only chinese ones so far.

Before we try it next time, I wanna get some insights on this.

How should I go about technique and movement?

My setup is Yinhe Pro 05 ( inner KLC blade, similar to W968 and its type ) Mantra Pro XH on FH.

What are some tips and bits of knowledge that you can share about this?

No detailed in-depth explanation, just some easy info.

 

[Julzig]

Short questions to the more experienced with Mantra Pro on Forehand.

How do you go about counter loops on forehand from a bit further away?
Today was the first time I actually got to try that with a clubmate.
It was only about 5 minutes or so before he had to leave, but it was very strange.
On BH I could effortlessly produce counter loops and counter hits from mid-range distance.
But on FH to FH counter loops from that range I couldnt figure it out yet.
( that exercise everyone thinks of when they see pros training together on Social Media)
Like here at the beginning:

With chinese rubbers, I could do it more comfortably, but I was also more experienced with those.

Again it was only around 5 minutes or so, but still I was a bit clueless.
I also never played this loop to loop "exercise" with ESN rubbers or BTY rubbers for a significant amount if time, only chinese ones so far.

Before we try it next time, I wanna get some insights on this.

How should I go about technique and movement?

My setup is Yinhe Pro 05 ( inner KLC blade, similar to W968 and its type ) Mantra Pro XH on FH.

What are some tips and bits of knowledge that you can share about this?

No detailed in-depth explanation, just some easy info.

Will be a bit harder with the XH, but when I play far from the table I let the ball fall slightly and let it dig into the sponge to get it safely back on the table. Hitting it to flat or just brushing usually wont work or isnt precise at all.

Other than that i can tell you the obvious things seen in the clip: use ur whole body, stay low and maybe a stronger grip.

 

[Zwill]

What I do is let the opponents spin grap into the topsheet and the rubber will create an arc from it and I just hit more forward. It's like I try not to grip the ball just let the top sheet stretch as little as possible.

But it's also possible to do the classical upwards countering when you try to grab the ball but that usually just ends up in very high loops, but it's uncomfy for the opponent.

I think the first method is better and more deadly and you push the opponent away from the table even more.

 

[gordonluvsu]

How about racket angle?
And how much forward and how much upward motion?

The non-racket motions are already good enough.

In general, Mantra Pro works best when really hitting "through" the ball and producing a good clicking sound on contact.

Pure brushing the ball rarely works.


Another note:
3rd Ball attacks are very very deadly now.
Forehand and Backhand, but especially forehand loops on underspin.
The ball goes long near the white line, barely bounces and immediately arcs downward.
My opponents are looking clueless when the ball just goes right under their rackets.
In the first 10 minutes of training, my partner told me to go back to my other racket because he couldnt return any of my FH loops.😅

And again:
The Mantra Pros are sooo satisfying and fun to play.

 

[Zwill]

Almost completely open racket angle and maybe around 15 degree upward motion only, the rest is forward. The topsheet is very strong so it will use the incoming spin very well to make enough arc. It won't be a high arc but I find it very safe and it lands near the white line and it's fast too.

But of course, this also depends on how far away you are from the table and how much incoming spin is coming. Sometimes I feel like I almost need to hit downwards to choke the ball to achieve a similar shot.

Mantra Pro (especially the XH) lifts the ball even if you just smash it. It creates a lot of spin even from a smash.
It is addictively fun.