Which setup should I invest more time in?

[pedro.dantas]

I have these two setups that I believe are good for me overall: viscaria + H3 39º FH + dignics 05 BH, xiom 36.5 ALXi + H3 39º FH + fastarc g1 BH. I really like both, but honestly, I still can't control the viscaria even in the FH with the Hurricane 3. I've been training for a little over a year, so I think this is normal given the short time.
With the 36.5 ALXi, I feel like the ball stays on the racket longer, and with that, I have more control, more confidence, and even more speed and spin than with the viscaria. But since my main goal isn't winning yet, but rather improving, I'm not sure if investing more time in the viscaria would be a good type of training. In this video, I'm warming up (and still waking up, lol) with the viscaria.
I feel like i have 2 major problems with viscaria, first, when i send the ball fast to the opponent and he blocks i don't have time to react, second, if i try full power strokes it will often miss the table. I don't think short game is a problem.

 

[Julzig]

Choose the slower and safer option, strengthen your foundations and technique until your bat is the limiting factor.
A "downgrade" can be an upgrade, especially when learning.
I suggest you to play with the Xiom.

 

[lodro]

Stick to the Xiom with more control
unless you want to become a EJ then you would have to buy another setup that is somehow in between the two setups. Actually these 2 setups are so drastically different and neither is doing you a favor so Yes, get yourself a 3rd setup

 

[pedro.dantas]

Stick to the Xiom with more control
unless you want to become a EJ then you would have to buy another setup that is somehow in between the two setups. Actually these 2 setups are so drastically different and neither is doing you a favor so Yes, get yourself a 3rd setup

no more setups!

 

[Yurifi]

the Xiom setup ... maybe go also one step back with rubber ... back to Rakza Z ... more forgiving, less demanding.

 

[pedro.dantas]

Choose the slower and safer option, strengthen your foundations and technique until your bat is the limiting factor.
A "downgrade" can be an upgrade, especially when learning.
I suggest you to play with the Xiom.

How do i know if the bat is a limiting factor?

the Xiom setup ... maybe go also one step back with rubber ... back to Rakza Z ... more forgiving, less demanding.

But i enjoy both rubbers

 

[jk1980]

If these are the only blades you have, of course the innerlayer one would be the better, but at your stage i would tell you that you can not handle the speed of any of these and should go 5ply wood to learn the basics.

 

[NetProphet]

I have these two setups that I believe are good for me overall: viscaria + H3 39º FH + dignics 05 BH, xiom 36.5 ALXi + H3 39º FH + fastarc g1 BH. I really like both, but honestly, I still can't control the viscaria even in the FH with the Hurricane 3. I've been training for a little over a year, so I think this is normal given the short time.
With the 36.5 ALXi, I feel like the ball stays on the racket longer, and with that, I have more control, more confidence, and even more speed and spin than with the viscaria. But since my main goal isn't winning yet, but rather improving, I'm not sure if investing more time in the viscaria would be a good type of training. In this video, I'm warming up (and still waking up, lol) with the viscaria.
I feel like i have 2 major problems with viscaria, first, when i send the ball fast to the opponent and he blocks i don't have time to react, second, if i try full power strokes it will often miss the table. I don't think short game is a problem.

Not reacting quickly enough to blocks is nothing to do with the blade you use.
Sending the ball long when attempting 'full power strokes' possibly does. Although I would assume you miss many full power strokes with the Xiom als
One blade you can't control and one you can.
And you say that you want to improve....
There is no question here.
Forget about Viscaria and Dignics 05 on BH.

 

[Dr Evil]

I have these two setups that I believe are good for me overall: viscaria + H3 39º FH + dignics 05 BH, xiom 36.5 ALXi + H3 39º FH + fastarc g1 BH. ... But since my main goal isn't winning yet, but rather improving...

If your main goal is improving, then neither set-up is ideal. D05 is a bad choice at this stage. The blades are okay, though you'll probably improve faster with all wood. Just choose one blade and stick with it. G1 on bh is also okay; C1 might be better. H3 is fine.

 

[coolchap]

If you are looking for a setup that is well balanced and still have the power then I can suggest the same setup as mine. I have been playing for few years this setup has all the power and control, you can generate. I play so so with it not because the setup is bad because I am not that advanced yet to utilize its power. My friend who is around 1700-1800 USATT rating loves this setup and plays the ball at will. He finds my setup better than his own viscaria setup.

Yasaka Sweden Extra
FH Razka 7 2.0mm
BH Vega Europe 2.0mm

 

[pedro.dantas]

Not reacting quickly enough to blocks is nothing to do with the blade you use.
Sending the ball long when attempting 'full power strokes' possibly does. Although I would assume you miss many full power strokes with the Xiom als
One blade you can't control and one you can.
And you say that you want to improve....
There is no question here.
Forget about Viscaria and Dignics 05 on BH.

I think i don't really miss that often with the xiom blade. I'll probably stick with the 36.5 ALXi

 

[lodro]

I think i don't really miss that often with the xiom blade.

That is because the balls you give are so slow and your coach is not making much of an effort , the balls therefore come back to you also slow and you got more time to "activate your noodle" .

 

[NetProphet]

I think i don't really miss that often with the xiom blade. I'll probably stick with the 36.5 ALXi

Wl, we all miss, even with our tried and trusted setups, because our technique falls apart outside of the environment such as that in the videos you posted, the training environment. In matches every ball is different and footwork, movement, bodyweight momentum is always something difficult to control etc.
So what I'm getting at is that there's already so much to work on that adding something that makes it more difficult (like a Viscaria for example) makes no sense.
Choose equipment that make your goals for technique and consistency easier to achieve.

 

[Tyce]

Use the one that is the most fun to use. It doesn't matter if that's a Viscaria or a slow allwood 5ply, the bat that gives you the most joy is the one you want to master.
If it's too difficult to play, you don't really get much joy out of it. But if it doesn't feel good to hit with, then that will limit the joy, too.

First and foremost, for most players this is a hobby, and enjoying a hobby is paramount.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

Visc is quite a strange blade, it's hard to control mostly because how it changes throw angle drastically on different levels of power. I hate blades with inconsistent throw angle and find them hard to control even when they are slow. I played with a lot of blades much faster than Visc but still control them better. Nittaku Acoustic has the same problem for me.

But a lot of people would find Visc more controllable than N301, which is a lot faster, but in my hands it's the opposite because N301 has extremely consistent throw angle. So it's deeply subjective matter. Take the setup which has more control in YOUR hands. More control gives you room to improve technique. With blade that you find hard to control it's hard to distinguish exact reasons why this shot was bad and other was good.

 

[BlotOnPaper]

Use the one that is the most fun to use. It doesn't matter if that's a Viscaria or a slow allwood 5ply, the bat that gives you the most joy is the one you want to master.
If it's too difficult to play, you don't really get much joy out of it. But if it doesn't feel good to hit with, then that will limit the joy, too.

First and foremost, for most players this is a hobby, and enjoying a hobby is paramount.

But at the end of the day Tyce is on point here. Take the setup which gives you more fun and enjoyment. Because you would train more with equipment that you like and therefore improve much faster. Also when you have fun it's much easier to relax, and it's extremely important for good technique. If you are always stiff and on edge you can't really generate racket speed and coordinate your body well. Fluidity is key, fun and enjoyment is direct path to it.

 

[impluse101]

Use the one that is the most fun to use. It doesn't matter if that's a Viscaria or a slow allwood 5ply, the bat that gives you the most joy is the one you want to master.
If it's too difficult to play, you don't really get much joy out of it. But if it doesn't feel good to hit with, then that will limit the joy, too.

First and foremost, for most players this is a hobby, and enjoying a hobby is paramount.

+1 on this.
Easy plain answer

 

[pedro.dantas]

Use the one that is the most fun to use. It doesn't matter if that's a Viscaria or a slow allwood 5ply, the bat that gives you the most joy is the one you want to master.
If it's too difficult to play, you don't really get much joy out of it. But if it doesn't feel good to hit with, then that will limit the joy, too.

First and foremost, for most players this is a hobby, and enjoying a hobby is paramount.

Yes, i try to use 5 ply wood a while ago and i found it so slow, really hated it(ended up smashing on floor lol), i can't go back to 5 ply

 

[pedro.dantas]

If these are the only blades you have, of course the innerlayer one would be the better, but at your stage i would tell you that you can not handle the speed of any of these and should go 5ply wood to learn the basics.

Is it really that bad to play with an inner carbon blade?

 

[Yurifi]

Is it really that bad to play with an inner carbon blade?

if it is too fast, then yes. I mean, beginners always start with ALL+ blades usually. I started with Butterfly Gruba ALL+ blade. so you learn to create your own power and spin ... but I doubt ALXi is too fast, it is quite a controlled blade.

do you have a feeling that the ball is running away from you when you are playing? like you haven't even finished a stroke and the ball is already gone? it's hard to explain in my native language, much less in English ...