Tips for when you hate your new rubber?

[Hotdog]

It is a story as old as time. Hubris has led me to buy outside of my skill level.

I just had the first session with brand new rubbers and it wasn’t very much fun. Seems like every ball went into the net. My shots that actually landed were flat and unsafe. It’s hard for me to come up with anything positive in my initial impressions.

The arc just feels different and wrong. I feel like the rubber is probably too quick for me. Yet on the blade the rubber feels dull. When bouncing the ball flat on the racket, the bounce is lower than my old and supposedly slower rubber. Yet it feels so difficult to control. The hardness on both sides should be in the same range as the previous, I wasn’t expecting such a different feeling.

I know that it takes time to adjust, and of course I am going to stick with it. But I could use a pep talk from anyone that’s been in this spot before.

How do you regain confidence in your strokes when they stop landing? How do you adapt to fast rubber? How long do you wait before cutting your losses and reverting? How do you make the most of an impulsive purchase? Have you ever fallen in love with a rubber after a rocky start? Will I ever feel joy again or is buyer’s remorse permanent?

 

[Brs]

Get a different one.

 

[Airoc]

What would help in assessing the problem from the outside: which was your previous rubber and what is the new one?

What could be tried to solve the problem: Take off the rubbers and glue them again, sometimes a bad glue job ruins it all.

 

[Tyce]

Not enough information, but:

Some rubber needs to break in
Some rubber is very sensitive to spin
Some rubber just feels different from others

There's so much that could be the case that advice is impossible

 

[Brozi]

Mate, let me tell you. Ive been there before. Sometimes you actually end up buying something that requires more skill than you have (yeah, ive done it too). But most of the time, its just an adaptation peroid, which is natural. Some people adapt faster, some slower. You just need to play with the rubbers for a bit. Generally speaking, the more experienced players adapt faster, as they have a greater understanding of the strokes, as well as they recognize different feedback from the rubber better.

Then there's also a break in period. It looks different based on which generation of rubbers you use. For example (per my experience of course) ESN rubbers from 2010s (baracuda, G1, Rakza 7) have a weirdly slick topsheet when you start playing with them, and the ball sometimes just slips from the rubber. After a couple of sessions they suddenly become grippy as hell. Others might be a bit too hard out of the box, which makes them hard to hit through (especially the newer gen hybrids).

So assuming you actually bought the right rubbers for you, just give them some time. At least a month of two. Even if you didnt get the correct ones, give them the time. They might just grow on you.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

accidentally catch it on the edge of the table

 

[Lazer]

I think it sounds like your rubber is sliow. It sounds like a tacky hard Chinese rubber… is it so?.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Hotdog]

It would be unfair to name the new rubber. I don’t want someone finding this thread after a search and being swayed by my totally unfounded impressions after a few hours. My racket gained a bunch of weight during the change as well (old rubber was cut for a smaller head size), so that probably accounts for a lot of my first impressions.

I’m mostly just being silly here and looking to commiserate with other EJs. I knew I was gambling with sight unseen rubber.

All that said, this is my first try with an ESN rubber. It’s a modern top of the line offering selected in 47.5° for BH and 52.5° on my FH. My previous rubber on this blade was Glayzer BH and Glayzer 09C FH. That’s why I was expecting more of a lively and bouncy feeling. I wanted to see what tensor and catapult were all about.

 

[NetProphet]

It would be unfair to name the new rubber. I don’t want someone finding this thread after a search and being swayed by my totally unfounded impressions after a few hours. My racket gained a bunch of weight during the change as well (old rubber was cut for a smaller head size), so that probably accounts for a lot of my first impressions.

I’m mostly just being silly here and looking to commiserate with other EJs. I knew I was gambling with sight unseen rubber.

All that said, this is my first try with an ESN rubber. It’s a modern top of the line offering selected in 47.5° for BH and 52.5° on my FH. My previous rubber on this blade was Glayzer BH and Glayzer 09C FH. That’s why I was expecting more of a lively and bouncy feeling. I wanted to see what tensor and catapult were all about.

Dude. Just tell us what rubbers you got, please 🙏
We can't short sell the companies stock unless your story tanks it! 🤑

 

[JJ Ng]

I assume you got one of the Stiga rubbers?

In general, ESN and Butterfly rubbers are similar. The softer version (like Barracuda or Rakza 7 soft for ESN, and T05fx for Butterfly), at lower speed, the ball actually springs out more so than the harder version. I think you got the harder version so the catapult at lower bat speed is not very impressive.

Do you have a spare blade? I think life is too short. You should enjoy the sport while you can. I would personally rip off the new set of rubbers and put the old set of rubbers on it. You can always use this new set of rubbers later when you are ready.

If you want to try ESN rubber and softer version, and last a long time, you cannot go wrong with Rakza 7 on the forehand and Rakza 7 soft on the backhand. Rakza 7 is like a middle of the road rubber. Good at everything but does not excel in one particular area so it is quite easy to play with. The top sheet also lasts a long long time!

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

You say these new rubbers made your racket a whole lot heavier, its a possibility you just aren't used to how to handle the extra weight which is affecting your racket handling ability. If you play with a racket that is too light or too heavy in relativity to your preferences and experiences then you will not be able to perform the same as you would with a racket in your preferred weight range. Have you ever played with a setup this heavy before?

 

[Hotdog]

Definitely the heaviest racket I’ve played at just over 196g. It was closer to 185g with the old rubber. I’m sure the weight is playing a huge role here. I think the change in sound and vibration makes it feel more dull than it really is. Same with the handling, I think my timing was affected quite a bit and the catapult amplified that.

If I haven’t warmed up to them at all after a few weeks then I’ll consider the experiment conclusive. Maybe back to Glayzer to see if I can salvage my form, or try the next new thing until I’ve completely forgotten how to land a shot. Fingers crossed that after a few more sessions I’ll be singing praises instead.

Another quirk with this new rubber is that my fingers sweat immediately when touching it. Like my index finger and thumb are getting slick and I leave a little damp spot when I use a service grip. Never had that before, very weird.

 

[hallohallowhatuwant]

It is a story as old as time. Hubris has led me to buy outside of my skill level.

I just had the first session with brand new rubbers and it wasn’t very much fun. Seems like every ball went into the net. My shots that actually landed were flat and unsafe. It’s hard for me to come up with anything positive in my initial impressions.

The arc just feels different and wrong. I feel like the rubber is probably too quick for me. Yet on the blade the rubber feels dull. When bouncing the ball flat on the racket, the bounce is lower than my old and supposedly slower rubber. Yet it feels so difficult to control. The hardness on both sides should be in the same range as the previous, I wasn’t expecting such a different feeling.

I know that it takes time to adjust, and of course I am going to stick with it. But I could use a pep talk from anyone that’s been in this spot before.

How do you regain confidence in your strokes when they stop landing? How do you adapt to fast rubber? How long do you wait before cutting your losses and reverting? How do you make the most of an impulsive purchase? Have you ever fallen in love with a rubber after a rocky start? Will I ever feel joy again or is buyer’s remorse permanent?

What rubber is this? If you could tell us that it would be a lot easier to spot the issue and advise you.

 

[jammmail]

My guess DNA Hybrid 😂

 

[Amayzde]

Whats the reason you got these new rubbers? Did you try these rubbers from someone else before you bought them? And is everything bad about them? Or is there some aspects that you feel that improved?

Sometimes you can have a rough start with new equipment. When I first got my Boll ZLF my forehand was horrific compared to my old blade. Even though I didnt like that my forehand felt worse in the beginning which was my best weapon, I stuck with it. Because the upside was that my backhand was usually my worse side, now it was my better side. And I knew that in the long run, my forehand would eventually adjust and my backhand could benefit from the new 'lane-assist'. Now its 2 months later and my forehand is about 90% it used to be. The last 10% I need to focus on some specific shots I dont practice enough at the moment.

So looking at your situation you should ask yourself if you will benefit from your new rubbers in the long run. And as a trade-off you might play slightly worse now.

 

[joshmak10]

Stick with it. Get a coach who can help you train your technique that’s needed for the rubber

 

[lodro]

sounds to me like a whole lot of tra-ra for nothing. As a devoted chinese hard and sticky rubber -man I decided one day to try Rozena.
I bought a pair fitted them to at least 4 different blades and while i can play with them the feel is just a bit too different .
So what is the deal ???
Sell them -- give them away -- trade them --store them or throw them away.
If you can not make a decision toss a coin 😂😂😂

 

[Hotdog]

Finally had another session with the new rubbers. I like them now. I think I was cranky during the last session because the guy on the table next to me also had new rubber and was raving about how wonderful it was while I was dumping every shot into the net.

To my credit however, I do think there is a weird break in period with these. They do show wear readily. I think the rubber has a super fine texture to it and it basically just rubs off. I think the sponge also needs some initial squishing or something.

I will take the blame for not having fun on the first outing but I think ESN should also put a disclaimer on the package that the first 500 shots will go wild.

Otherwise they do feel faster and spinnier than Glayzer/G09C. Not by a crazy amount though. Feels like a manageable upgrade. Short game felt nice. I think the 52.5° on the FH might be too ambitious, but otherwise I think I can take advantage of them.

The extra weight bugs me a little bit, but I’m getting used to it. I’m hoping it will make me stronk. Then I can switch to a light setup and hit the ball into outer space.

 

[Julzig]

Otherwise they do feel faster and spinnier than Glayzer/G09C. Not by a crazy amount though. Feels like a manageable upgrade. Short game felt nice. I think the 52.5° on the FH might be too ambitious, but otherwise I think I can take advantage of them.

The extra weight bugs me a little bit, but I’m getting used to it. I’m hoping it will make me stronk. Then I can switch to a light setup and hit the ball into outer space.

Although 52.5° might be a bit hard to play, try to stick with it for just a while. I think this can develop your technique even more. Just don't try to hold back. And if you think this is a bit too much, downgrade and you will barely miss after this.

Also be careful, the extra weight can lead to some injuries in your elbow and other joints. (Unless you aren't a complete stick as I am)

 

[lodro]

Also be careful, the extra weight can lead to some injuries in your elbow and other joints.

BOLLOCKS !!!! 😂