What is the technical reason Ma Long and top pros love W968?

[TensorBackhand]

968 is kinda slow, at times can feel mushy. For such offensive powerhouses like Ma Long and Wang Chuqin, I would think that they would want something faster and with more pop. What is the technical reason that so many still use W968?

Is it because they feel like their game is actually won/lost on the short game and setup soft touch game?

Is it because they feel they loop with more spin and consistency?

 

[Robin0910]

Long 5 can feel mushy, W968 does not feel mushy at all and has far more gear than any other blade

 

[TensorBackhand]

Long 5 can feel mushy, W968 does not feel mushy at all and has far more gear than any other blade

I tried my friend's provincial 968. And it felt really slow and mushy.

 

[dingyibvs]

It's not mushy if you activate the blade, then it has a nice cracking sound and makes a beautiful arc with great catapult.

 

[Tyce]

The "mush" allows for a buttload of spin generation and placement, if you have the power to hit hard anyway. And when you make proper hard contact, it helps to combine that spin with speed.

 

[AutomaticBackhand]

The Forehand is the biggest factor.

The dwell and hold on the ball, ability to almost "ignore" the incoming ball combined with the outgoing shot quality is really different to any other blade.

 

[TensorBackhand]

The Forehand is the biggest factor.

The dwell and hold on the ball, ability to almost "ignore" the incoming ball combined with the outgoing shot quality is really different to any other blade.

You mean it makes it easier to counter-spin and counterloop? Because of the high dwell time?

 

[Peter93]

I tried my friend's provincial 968. And it felt really slow and mushy.

Crazy thought, you might not be as good as Ma Long and can't use the blade as well as he can.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Crazy thought, you might not be as good as Ma Long and can't use the blade as well as he can.

I wish you would be a bit more thoughtful with your response. Yes, obviously Ma Long is better than me. Why would you assume that I don't know this?

My question is, what is the technical reason why he prefers this style of blade? Specifically, in what way does he use the blade to play better and what advantage does the blade offer than a snappier blade wouldn't?

 

[AutomaticBackhand]

You mean it makes it easier to counter-spin and counterloop? Because of the high dwell time?

Idk why exactly it is like that in, but it requires much less adjustment in terms of blade angle etc. .
You can basically swing with decent/good technique and you will hit the table with good quality.

 

[AutomaticBackhand]

I wish you would be a bit more thoughtful with your response. Yes, obviously Ma Long is better than me. Why would you assume that I don't know this?

My question is, what is the technical reason why he prefers this style of blade? Specifically, in what way does he use the blade to play better and what advantage does the blade offer than a snappier blade wouldn't?

Wdym by snappier blade?
Inner ZLC?

The one player that comes to my mind is Franziska, and although it isn't a big sample size, nor does he use H3 on forehand, but in his technique you can see how he "holds back" in close/medium distance to the table with his movements.
He rarely goes for full-arm big swings.

 

[Peter93]

I wish you would be a bit more thoughtful with your response. Yes, obviously Ma Long is better than me. Why would you assume that I don't know this?

My question is, what is the technical reason why he prefers this style of blade? Specifically, in what way does he use the blade to play better and what advantage does the blade offer than a snappier blade wouldn't?

The reason *you* don't understand why he uses it is because *you* think it isn't a great blade. That's literally what you wrote!

 

[TensorBackhand]

Wdym by snappier blade?
Inner ZLC?

The one player that comes to my mind is Franziska, and although it isn't a big sample size, nor does he use H3 on forehand, but in his technique you can see how he "holds back" in close/medium distance to the table with his movements.
He rarely goes for full-arm big swings.

Yes, inner zlc, or just stiffer or faster blade. Even viscaria.

It makes sense to me that they feel they can swing full force with 968. I guess they want the extra dwell time to give them that confidence to swing full force?

 

[Conehead]

My 2 cents ...

For those players on such a high world class level, it would be wrong to assume that they need
- the fastest blade on the planet
- the fastest rubbers on the planet

If that really was the case they would play 100 % carbon blades with hard sponges in max thicknesses - well, obviously they don't.
So what is it then?

Such players need a blade that in the first instance give them the best ratio/balance of speed and control. I think, control is the key word here.
Speed they can get via the rubbers.

So that is why in my humble opinion W968 provides the best of those two worlds: speed and control

 

[TensorBackhand]

The reason *you* don't understand why he uses it is because *you* think it isn't a great blade. That's literally what you wrote!

This will be my final reply to you, because I just can't deal with this type of intellectually deficient interaction. For your sake, this is literally word for word what I wrote:
"
968 is kinda slow, at times can feel mushy. For such offensive powerhouses like Ma Long and Wang Chuqin, I would think that they would want something faster and with more pop. What is the technical reason that so many still use W968?

Is it because they feel like their game is actually won/lost on the short game and setup soft touch game?

Is it because they feel they loop with more spin and consistency?"

I didn't say it is not a great blade. That is NOT literally what I wrote. I wrote that it is kinda slow, and at times can feel mushy. This is a physical description of its properties, not a judgement of whether it is good or not.

Based on these physical properties, why do Pros feel this style of blade maximizes their ability?

 

[TensorBackhand]

My 2 cents ...

For those players on such a high world class level, it would be wrong to assume that they need
- the fastest blade on the planet
- the fastest rubbers on the planet

If that really was the case they would play 100 % carbon blades with hard sponges in max thicknesses - well, obviously they don't.
So what is it then?

Such players need a blade that in the first instance give them the best ratio/balance of speed and control. I think, control is the key word here.
Speed they can get via the rubbers.

So that is why in my humble opinion W968 provides the best of those two worlds: speed and control

Yes, I also use exclusively flexier inner-fibre blades.

I started with DHS B2, but over time I have gradually moved towards inner-fibre blades with slightly snappier responsivity. I feel like I'm not losing much dwell time or control, but gaining quite a bit of extra pop.

As you said, there is always a tradeoff between speed and dwell/control.

I feel like with my 75 inner, I am losing 1 point of dwell time and gaining 2 points of power.

But I guess Ma Long feels he doesn't need the extra 2 points of power.

 

[Tyce]

Yes, I also use exclusively flexier inner-fibre blades.

I started with DHS B2, but over time I have gradually moved towards inner-fibre blades with slightly snappier responsivity. I feel like I'm not losing much dwell time or control, but gaining quite a bit of extra pop.

As you said, there is always a tradeoff between speed and dwell/control.

I feel like with my 75 inner, I am losing 1 point of dwell time and gaining 2 points of power.

But I guess Ma Long feels he doesn't need the extra 2 points of power.

A perfect full force swing combines max power with max spin. Having a blade that's *slightly* more focused on spin whilst retaining excellent elasticity at full impact, means you can put a little more focus on the power of the impact rather than the spin. I'd say it makes for more safety that way.

These guys honestly don't need the extra pop. With a 40mm plastic ball, there's only so much pop you can give with it still having an effect by the time it reaches the opponent. Yes, the ball will arrive a fraction faster, but at the expense of spin and placement.
As for away from the table, the more you can put into your own swing, the easier it is to take over the attack because you can practically ignore the other person's spin when you get a full force swing in. And in the same way, that helps you dictate placement, spin and power on that counter.

Poppy blades are great, but they don't make sense for this kind of play when the pop is too much to be able to make a full overpowering swing with.

I think a combination blade would be awesome here, inner/limba on FH and outer/koto on BH.

 

[Doum]

I think blade flexibility give them extra safety for 3rd ball attacks. They compensate a somewhat slower blade with better footwork and technique.

 

[Robin0910]

I tried my friend's provincial 968. And it felt really slow and mushy.

there‘s a big difference between national w968 and provincial 968, not to mention the player‘s version national W968. Quality and properties get better exponentially here and so does the price (in some cases you can’t even buy some of the best stuff legally) and so does the difficulty to activate the carbon.
obviously Ma Long with his insane footwork and forehand will be able to hit through his specially made blade and make use of all its gears

 

[Dominikk85]

This will be my final reply to you, because I just can't deal with this type of intellectually deficient interaction. For your sake, this is literally word for word what I wrote:
"
968 is kinda slow, at times can feel mushy. For such offensive powerhouses like Ma Long and Wang Chuqin, I would think that they would want something faster and with more pop. What is the technical reason that so many still use W968?

Is it because they feel like their game is actually won/lost on the short game and setup soft touch game?

Is it because they feel they loop with more spin and consistency?"

I didn't say it is not a great blade. That is NOT literally what I wrote. I wrote that it is kinda slow, and at times can feel mushy. This is a physical description of its properties, not a judgement of whether it is good or not.

Based on these physical properties, why do Pros feel this style of blade maximizes their ability?

Not saying you are a bad player but obviously WCQ and ML have insane racket head speed so they might unlock gears in the blade that you (and most other amateurs too) can't unlock.