ML's New Look BH

After watching ML in the KU open I think that ML Just finished a complete overhaul of his BH. 

Edited by V-Griper - 02/17/2015 at 8:53am

V-Griper wrote: After watching ML in the KU open I think that ML Just finished a complete overhaul with his BH.  Since I am a TJ (technique junkie) I wanted to post in concert with the speculation about his BH rubber.  His BH looks a ton more like ZJK's, and the main technical change that I think I see is more BH bias in the grip. All of his BH strokes are way more solid especially his punch/active block. His flip has more spin as well as his off the table BH loop. I think it has given him a new level of confidence on that side as well which may be the essential ingredient needed boost his mental game in the tough matches.  In short this is a whole new animal and it will be very interesting to watch him in the next few years.  Thoughts?

People on the chinese forums thinks he went double H3 with diff sponge….

ML always has a good back hand, so I don't think new BH rubber has anything to do with it.  What I see in the Kuwait Tour is that he stays at the table for all the rally (similar to FZD).  If you watch the game he play against FZD, they very similar, but with ML switching side quicker, and more consistent on the FH.  On the final, XX was unable to push him back like in their past meeting, any loose quite easily.

His BH looked a little better to me. But to write 6 points about it is seriously overblowing it.

I thought all of his game looked better, including his FH. He missed NOTHING all tournament. Remember those superspiny fhs that XX digs from under the table? I will be lucky if I touch that ball, but ML completely crushed them. He crushed everything with his FH.

He was just in top shape, i didn't see a single new BH technique, no special superiority coming from a chinese rubber.

I remember when XX changed his BH to chinese rubber, and he won some pro tour event after that, and we got the EXACT same thread after that, and everybody bowed down to his 'new BH'. But they gave up quickly after that. I think its too late for significant change for those guys. All they can do is be in top shape.

ZJK & XX might use those games to test their new equipment/tactics. Especially ZJK, he is known to do that before serious tournaments like wttc and olympics. In the trails and Kuwait open, he tried a lot to use his FH flicks & push return. 

Edited by chroot - 02/17/2015 at 10:39am

Ma Long also showed exceptional BH strength when he won against ZJK at the China Trials recently. However he needs to maintain that. He needs to stop serving pendulum sidespin serves to players like ZJK and FZD. Backspin/no spin or reverse serves to the FH accompanied by long serves to the BH is the way to go, these are a lot more awkward to them to receive. Ma Long has the advantage when the % backspin play is higher, his flicks, FH third ball, his speed can be better utilized in this environment compared to topspin BH-BH where he is still at a significant disadvantage.

Xu Xin was really dangerous too, his FH quality was so good that it is about as close to unblockable close to the table. Ma Long going through FZD and Xu Xin in such a convincing way is a good sign for WTTC. He should be ramping up his gears now, just like ZJK.

The CNT during Ma Long's development tended to emphasize opening with the FH into opponent weak side, but the new reality is that BH reactive/defensive play has reached a point where shuffling out of position to use FH can become a major liability instead of advantage even with ML's abilities.

It's really refreshing to see his coaches take the time/effort to significantly rework a player in face of a changing gaming instead of adhering to some ideology. The strength of something like H3 is easier attacks against backspin which apparently helped with this transition.

Hurricane on BH? Hmm... that is certainly innovative. Well, if he is happy with it, who am I to argue. But it is rather strange - basically nobody at his level or in top-200 is using a seriously tacky rubber on BH. Or am I wrong there?

chroot wrote: JimT wrote: Hurricane on BH? Hmm... that is certainly innovative. Well, if he is happy with it, who am I to argue. But it is rather strange - basically nobody at his level or in top-200 is using a seriously tacky rubber on BH. Or am I wrong there? Some top Chinese players did use Hurricane on BH before, for example, Wang Liqin & Wang Nan.

Xu Xin ?

aroonkl wrote: JimT wrote: Hurricane on BH? Hmm... that is certainly innovative. Well, if he is happy with it, who am I to argue. But it is rather strange - basically nobody at his level or in top-200 is using a seriously tacky rubber on BH. Or am I wrong there? If the red is H3, why he still flipped the red to smash the balls? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqQw9PXCVLY&list=PLIl_mJ3zK7B_8OhDiC19A50o3ofgEtIVx&index=14 min=1.26 In the match against XX, Ma did not flip the red for smashing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErflsYHIK0&list=PLIl_mJ3zK7B_8OhDiC19A50o3ofgEtIVx&index=3 min= 0.43 But obviously his BH loops were slower and spinnier for sure.

That could be a developed habit of using BH to smash after years of Tenergy. But still the H3 on BH is not the same as FH because of different sponge. It is said the yellow sponge is #60 which is also used by XX. Don't know how much better it is comparing to the market version of #60 sponge used on rubbers like TG3-60 but it is true that the new sponge is more bouncy and Euro/Jap like. So using BH to smash is still understandable.

chroot wrote: Timo Boll appears to adjust to the new ball better than anyone else. TB vs ML in this year's WTTC final would be awesome.

Are you sure? He lost to Wang Jian Jun and Marcos Freitas in the first leg round of Champions League. I mean, he did beat both of them in the second leg but does not seem to corroborate  the "appears to adjust to the new ball better than anyone else". Plus he lost to Dima in the Energis Master or whatever you call it, and Dima has not exactly been on a winning streak since the plastic ball.

I lean to the opinion that any change to his BH rubber is for commercial reasons. It must really p-off DHS that their star player has used Tenergy for such a long time ensuring Butterfly gets all that free promotion.
I bet that his BH H3 has a sponge very close to Tenergy-like performance.

> He's switched from Tenergy to cope with the ball change and his backhand has improved as a result.

LOL. Ma Long doesn't have to read ad copy to justify equipment changes. And how exactly does a slower rubber cope with a slower ball?

Ma Long just like Xu Xin before him is trading off top end speed for better control, because you know, control over the shot is important.

Why should it bother anyone?