Rubbers
Jack Bouchaud
Submitted on 19-Aug-2010 09:21:48 PM
Last updated on 24-Aug-2010 07:57:26 PM
You Asked
Hey Alois, this is Jack your former student from School :). I stumbled upon this website purely by chance, when I was browsing videos of Olympic table tennis footage on YouTube. Just wondering if you could shed some light on a few issues that I am pondering over.
1) What is the average lifespan of a table tennis rubber? (I am currently using Hurricane II and III which I purchased just over a year ago roughly.)
2) When would you consider it an adequate time to replace a rubber? As of late, I am experiencing a few obvious signs that my rubber is becoming defective, that is, there are parts of my rubbers that show no friction whatsoever. I can still generate sufficient spin, but there are notable inconsistencies at varying times.
3) In your personal opinion, what would be a suitable upgrade of rubbers? As you might know already, I am a player based around consistency and if given enough opportunity, will smash the ball. I am thinking of possibly getting clean sheets of Mark V or perhaps even XS...but generally something that can impart great spin, whilst being able to maintain control over the ball.
P.S: I think your website is awesome, I have been looking at many of the videos and have certainly gained vast amounts of assistance on my own game. Its great to see that it has been immensely successful for you! Take care.
and Alois Rosario said...
Hi Jack,
Glad that you found the site and find it useful.
Table Tennis rubber if used 2 or 3 times a week should last a year or so.
If you are finding that there is no friction on the rubber then it is definitely time to change. Sometimes patches wear out because they are used more, hopefully in the middle of the racket.
I think you are on the right track with Mark V or Mark V XS. The other rubber that might suit you is Xiom Vega. This has a harder sponge and more friction on the surface.
Thanks for the really kind words about the website. They are much very appreciated.
