Technique rather than rubber
Table Tennis Equipment
Last updated 5 years ago
YuQin Shi Asked 6 years ago
Hi Coach,
I would like to ask a a question regarding my developments as a table tennis player. I've been experimenting with a lot of rubbers I got to borrow for the past few months, hoping to search for the best rubber for me. Throughout these times, I always get to ask myself if it is really worth finding "the best" rubber for me or it's just a matter of me focusing on my technique instead. Before this constant switching, I was using Donic Baracuda on a Donic OTC blade. Ball feel was good but I was having a hard time looping deep and heavy backspin balls. I also tend to miss high balls because of me fearing that the rubber might not "bite" through the ball properly. I just wanna ask if this is because of the rubber or just because of my technique.
I really want to know the right path towards developing as a table tennis player. I've mentioned some of my difficulties with the Donic Baracuda rubber, but would fixing my strokes and training more often remedy that problem? Or is it also a matter of choosing a better rubber?
Donic Baracuda is overall a good rubber for me, I get to land majority of my attacks on the table, it's just those previously mentioned problems that keep bugging me.
Alois Rosario Answered 6 years ago
Hi Wayne,
I would stay with the Baracuda rubber. You are right that the most important thing is the training and the technique.
Take a look at our tutorial on Choosing a Table Tennis Bat where you will see we agree with what you are saying about the choosing.
Work hard on your technique and strategy.
Thoughts on this question
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Qasim Adenwalla Posted 5 years ago
The best thing in order to not miss high ball loops is to where you cut down all your chances for error. So the most important thing is to close your racket angle a lot if the ball is high meaning I literally close it to the point to where its almost a flat close angle so I can do a loop kill to where I don't even have to worry about the ball going out because of the angle and the maximum power I put also ensures it doesn't go into net. And for backspin balls you want a more vertical stroke maybe the contact point more on the bottom or middle of the ball depending on your feel and also this is important you can also drop your wrist down a little bit before you hit the ball to lift the ball more and if you still cant lift the ball explode your stroke from more under the table which will automatically add more upward movement to lift the ball.
Nigel C Posted 5 years ago
There should be a club just for all of us who are convinced the 'better' rubber is just around the corner(Rubbers Anonymous - RA?). The other day I tried a softer rubber for my forehand. Wow nice spin I thought, but my smashes seem a little slower as my opponent was managing to get them back, maybe though I was playing someone who was good at fishing and maybe I wasn't placing the shots right. We have as part of our yearly tournament a hard bat competition. The top players in our league seem to play just as fast, just as accurately, drives smashes, flicks all hitting corners, short shots just dropping over the net (the only shots missing are true top spin loops as without rubber even they can't generate enough spin) It is their technique that makes them the players they are not the rubbers, not the blades. I am just beginning to realize this!
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 5 years ago
It would need a big clubrooms for that club Nigel... ?