Launching Actium - a new weapon for the modern defender.
Nexy poured many years into the development of this new defensive blade.
Seven years ago I met Joo Sae Huyk, the number one defensive player in the world. He was seriously considering moving from Butterfly to Tibhar and wanted to test their rubbers and blades. After trying Grass DtecS long pips rubber on his backhand side, Joo was satisfied, but finding him the right blade was not as easy.
I carefully studied all the available defensive blades and concluded that we needed to design a new one for Joo. For more than a year I helped Tibhar produce special samples for Joo. In the end, he decided he was unable to make the switch to Tibhar, but not because he was dissatisfied with the Tibhar rubbers and blades. At that time, Butterfly sponsored his club, and he was under a lot of pressure from his head coach to remain a Butterfly sponsored player.
During that testing period, I designed many blades with Joo. I also contacted other defensive players and gathered data to help me determine exactly what properties were needed to create the ultimate defensive weapon.
Here is a summary of my findings:
Long Trajectory: Most European blade designers presume that defensive blades should focus more on the control than the power. They do not take into account that defensive players usually play away from the table and need to make long-distance chops and drives. Therefore, I chose to focus on the power of the blade.
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Powerful Attacking Ability: Overall, designers of defensive blades tend to focus more on the defending ability than attacking ability. Modern defenders need control for accurate placement when defending, but they also need to loop-drive and smash winners when attacking. It is easy to find a slow blade that has good control, but what a defender really needs is control for defending and power for attacking from a distance.
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Dual Speed System: I coined this phrase “Dual Speed System,” which players sometimes refer to as “gears.” I began developing this system with Nexy’s second wave. In general, it means that a blade has two speeds built into it — one for control in the short game and one for power when attacking away from the table. Nexy attained this dual speed feature by uniquely designing the blade’s composition. The surface works as a face, vibrating as a whole, and the second ply works as a powerful anchor to support the point of impact.
Nexy combined these factors to produce the Actium blade. It uses number (1) for the whole blade’s character, and uses a combination of number (2) and number (3) for each side. The forehand side has excellent power, and the backhand side has dual speed, so you can utilize these two distinct features as needed to win points. Actium has a different top ply for the forehand and backhand side, which makes it a “combination blade.” I use Akazie for the backhand, which is Joo Sae Huyk’s preferred blade surface wood, and White Ash for the forehand, which has a proven dual speed character found in Lissom, a Nexy second wave blade. After testing more than a dozen compositions, I concluded that a nine-ply combination delivers the most power and largest sweet spot for a defensive blade. Therefore, Actium has nine-plies; yet, it is thin and powerful.
The name Actium is symbolic.
In 31 BC, at the battle of Actium, Octavian defeated Antonius (Marc Anthony), who had abandoned the Roman Empire because of his obsessive, crazy love for Cleopatra. He sacrificed everything for her! In that same way, players are seduced to flirt with a defensive playing style. They find the beauty of the strokes irresistible. Many cannot help falling in love with the grace and elegance of chopping away from the table.
But as an experienced attacker begins to re-train as a defender, he/she quickly realize the negative effect is has on the offensive game. Little by little, the offensive skills that a player once worked so hard to achieve begin to fade away! Generating topspin requires forward motion, while chopping away-from-the-table often requires backward motion in order to keep the blade impact free of the body. Defenders need to have excellent footwork and quickly move side-to-side, forward, and backward. Attackers rarely move backward. So, the movement, as a defender, will often be the opposite of an attacker. A player who switches styles and becomes a defender often loses the ability to attack along the way. And, it is not so easy to switch back to being an attacker. I know this from personal experience after training as a defender for more than a year and a half.
Therefore, becoming a defender means that you risk losing or changing all that you had previously worked so hard to accomplish. Nevertheless, the defensive style is tempting, and many cannot resist the seductive beauty of their newfound passion, even at great cost!
Nexy poured many years into the development of this new defensive blade.
Seven years ago I met Joo Sae Huyk, the number one defensive player in the world. He was seriously considering moving from Butterfly to Tibhar and wanted to test their rubbers and blades. After trying Grass DtecS long pips rubber on his backhand side, Joo was satisfied, but finding him the right blade was not as easy.
I carefully studied all the available defensive blades and concluded that we needed to design a new one for Joo. For more than a year I helped Tibhar produce special samples for Joo. In the end, he decided he was unable to make the switch to Tibhar, but not because he was dissatisfied with the Tibhar rubbers and blades. At that time, Butterfly sponsored his club, and he was under a lot of pressure from his head coach to remain a Butterfly sponsored player.
During that testing period, I designed many blades with Joo. I also contacted other defensive players and gathered data to help me determine exactly what properties were needed to create the ultimate defensive weapon.
Here is a summary of my findings:
Long Trajectory: Most European blade designers presume that defensive blades should focus more on the control than the power. They do not take into account that defensive players usually play away from the table and need to make long-distance chops and drives. Therefore, I chose to focus on the power of the blade.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]-->
Powerful Attacking Ability: Overall, designers of defensive blades tend to focus more on the defending ability than attacking ability. Modern defenders need control for accurate placement when defending, but they also need to loop-drive and smash winners when attacking. It is easy to find a slow blade that has good control, but what a defender really needs is control for defending and power for attacking from a distance.
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->
<!--[endif]-->
Dual Speed System: I coined this phrase “Dual Speed System,” which players sometimes refer to as “gears.” I began developing this system with Nexy’s second wave. In general, it means that a blade has two speeds built into it — one for control in the short game and one for power when attacking away from the table. Nexy attained this dual speed feature by uniquely designing the blade’s composition. The surface works as a face, vibrating as a whole, and the second ply works as a powerful anchor to support the point of impact.
Nexy combined these factors to produce the Actium blade. It uses number (1) for the whole blade’s character, and uses a combination of number (2) and number (3) for each side. The forehand side has excellent power, and the backhand side has dual speed, so you can utilize these two distinct features as needed to win points. Actium has a different top ply for the forehand and backhand side, which makes it a “combination blade.” I use Akazie for the backhand, which is Joo Sae Huyk’s preferred blade surface wood, and White Ash for the forehand, which has a proven dual speed character found in Lissom, a Nexy second wave blade. After testing more than a dozen compositions, I concluded that a nine-ply combination delivers the most power and largest sweet spot for a defensive blade. Therefore, Actium has nine-plies; yet, it is thin and powerful.
The name Actium is symbolic.
In 31 BC, at the battle of Actium, Octavian defeated Antonius (Marc Anthony), who had abandoned the Roman Empire because of his obsessive, crazy love for Cleopatra. He sacrificed everything for her! In that same way, players are seduced to flirt with a defensive playing style. They find the beauty of the strokes irresistible. Many cannot help falling in love with the grace and elegance of chopping away from the table.
But as an experienced attacker begins to re-train as a defender, he/she quickly realize the negative effect is has on the offensive game. Little by little, the offensive skills that a player once worked so hard to achieve begin to fade away! Generating topspin requires forward motion, while chopping away-from-the-table often requires backward motion in order to keep the blade impact free of the body. Defenders need to have excellent footwork and quickly move side-to-side, forward, and backward. Attackers rarely move backward. So, the movement, as a defender, will often be the opposite of an attacker. A player who switches styles and becomes a defender often loses the ability to attack along the way. And, it is not so easy to switch back to being an attacker. I know this from personal experience after training as a defender for more than a year and a half.
Therefore, becoming a defender means that you risk losing or changing all that you had previously worked so hard to accomplish. Nevertheless, the defensive style is tempting, and many cannot resist the seductive beauty of their newfound passion, even at great cost!
Sometimes this happens to us when we fall in love with someone we can never have in the end. We risk being hurt, gaining nothing, and losing everything just as Antonius did. Still, the love we feel is so strong that we gladly throw it all away for the small chance of being with that special someone. Many people fantasize of such a love, and maybe it’s our nature to be tempted by the danger and beauty that is so difficult to obtain!
To be a defensive player you acknowledge that you are falling into the crazy kind of love that Antonius had for Cleopatra, but at least you will have a good companion to walk with you — that companion is ACTIUM.
Maybe we can be a little crazy in love and still win in life and in table tennis! ACTIUM is an attractive blade that invites players to taste this bitter, but sweet love. Do you dare to taste it?
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