FH Stroke w/ Faster Rubber
Table Tennis Equipment
Last updated 7 years ago
Geoff Mr. Asked 7 years ago
I'm an all-round player with a close-to-table aggressive game. I've played for some time with an all+ blade and Mark 5 (2.0) on my FH. I recently switched my FH rubber to Donic Acuda S3 (also in 2.0). Though I'm really liking the feel of the S3 for serves and against back-spin, I'm having trouble generating much top-spin against incoming top-spin (or block). I'm missing the feel of that soft Mark 5 top-sheet digging into the ball.
I like this Aduda rubber in many ways and would like to stick with it if I can fix this problem. I'm assuming that I need to alter my stroke in some way to adjust for the increased speed and higher through angle of the new rubber - but not sure how.
Any thoughts?
Alois Rosario Answered 7 years ago
Hi Geoff,
It is probably only a very small alteration to make the stroke work.
Experiment with opening and closing your bat slightly and find the angle that works for you. It may be pushing a little more forward or brushing a little more. It will depend on your own feel for the ball on that shot.
Thoughts on this question
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Geoff Mr. Posted 7 years ago
I asked an advanced player in our club (2100 ranked) for his input on this. After hitting a few balls with my racket he also said that the Acuda S3 (with my All+ blade) felt odd - and he too couldn't feel the rubber gripping well on FH top-spin shots. He thought that the very soft sponge of the S3 rubber simply wasn't going to play well with my slow blade. He suggested I try a rubber with medium (rather than very soft) sponge - but to still try to stay with my All+ blade.
From your experience, have you seen times where a slow/medium "all-round" blade simply didn't play well with an advanced rubber with very soft sponge?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 7 years ago
It is all about how it feels for you. I think if there isn't enough substance to the rubber then it does feel like the rubber isn't gripping. I haven't played with S3 but have played with rubber where the sponge is too soft and can't lift backspin effectively.
Ji-Soo Woo Posted 7 years ago
I think there is more art than science to equipment preference. I've played with some rubbers that are rated (and reviewed) as super spinny but yet have not been able to generate spin with it. On the other hand, I use Acuda S3 (max) with a slow defensive blade and still generate more spin with it than with anything else. So just go with whatever equipment suits your style.
Jeff Plumb from PingSkills Posted 7 years ago
I agree Ji-Soo
Geoff Mr. Posted 7 years ago
Yes I think I'm finding the same thing - more art than science. I've been playing with Mark 5 (on FH) with an All+ blade and really liking the feel - but just looking for something a little faster/spinnier. But so far nothing (but Mark 5) has felt right on my FH top-spin shots. It's like I'm not feeling the friction. I'm going to try the S3 on some other blades - but I'm also going to try going back to Mark 5 but with a faster blade. Has anyone used the Mark 5 HPS? I'm wondering if it might have that same Mark 5 feel but with more speed and spin?
Jean Balthazar Posted 7 years ago
I've read that the Donic Acuda S3 had a rather hard top sheet and a soft sponge, which is the opposite of the Yasaka Mark V's caracteristics. So it's not too surprizing that they behave differently. One must relatively hard when played slowly and getting softer when played fast, the other must feel the opposite. Is it really that the MarK V is better suited to your playing style, or is it just that you're more used to that rubber, I don't know. If you're looking for a rubber with a rather soft top sheet and a rather hard sponge, the Xiom Vega Pro or Vega Japan could be candidates, although they are quite faster than the Mark V.
Geoff Mr. Posted 7 years ago
Jean, your comments make a lot of sense. So it seems that the Mark V (having the soft top-sheet and medium hardness sponge) reacts with more feeling to a soft to medium hit (FOR ME ANYWAY) and the Acuda S3 (with the harder top-sheet and softer sponge) may well react better to medium to harder hits. Though I like it for BH, I've ditched the acuda for my FH because it just doesn't work for me. I'm back to the Mark V but with a faster (7 ply) blade. I'm currently using the Donic Persson Power-Play Senso V1 blade. I'm liking it (with the Mark V) quite well. I may also try the "Donic Seven" blade as it's supposedly got a little softer touch due to having Limba wood (rather than Koto) on the outer layer. At some point I may also try some of those other rubber options you've mentioned but for now I'm close to settling on something that isn't going to require much of a change in my stroke. Thanks for the comments.
Jean Balthazar Posted 7 years ago
I'm glad you found a solution to your problem. When you're used to allround rubbers like Mark V, it's really difficult to find something that is just a little bit faster. There are a few allround rubbers, tons of offensive rubbers that are much faster with much less control, but close to nothing in between. So keeping your Mark V but switching to a faster blade is a good move. If you're not using the maximum sponge thickness already, a thicker sponge could also give you a tiny bit more speed and spin.
It's funny that you mention wanting to try baldes with limba outer plies, since I'm on the same track currently (now testing the Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon and just recieved a Xiom Vega Pro). Limba is said to give you a longer "dwell time", which is better for topspinning.