Use FAST equipment to improve

so youre saying a thick sponge has more potential for speed/spin but less control?

pandasashi wrote: so youre saying a thick sponge has more potential for speed/spin but less control?

Baal wrote: I used to think that messing around with your grip was the ninth circle of table tennis hell. But making major equipment changes in response to deficiencies in your game may be the real hell.  Sometimes you have to do it.  The thing is, though, don't throw out baby with the bathwater.  PPP is suggesting some very very very slow rubber and then suggesting it in 1.5 mm.  There has to be a Middle Way. I'm not concerned with bottoming out or anything like that, but this is a drastic change where a more subtle change may be called for.  And people are making a recommendation like this without ever seeing someone play, knowing how he wins or loses points on the basis of one bad tournament.

yeah, in all honesty, anybody has to be able to handle at least a butterfly korbel or stiga offensive classic or donic waldner dicon + 2 bluefire m3 or acuda s3 2.1mm.
if you can't, then practice more , don't change equipment


Edited by puppy412 - 12/04/2013 at 1:17pm

pandasashi wrote: wow.. really?! they can break just by hitting a ping pong ball? i can understand if it breaks when you bang it or sit on it but just by playing too? thats wild

No
Read more carefully

Baal wrote: I used to think that messing around with your grip was the ninth circle of table tennis hell. But making major equipment changes in response to deficiencies in your game may be the real hell.  Sometimes you have to do it.  The thing is, though, don't throw out baby with the bathwater.  PPP is suggesting some very very very slow rubber and then suggesting it in 1.5 mm.  There has to be a Middle Way. I'm not concerned with bottoming out or anything like that, but this is a drastic change where a more subtle change may be called for.  And people are making a recommendation like this without ever seeing someone play, knowing how he wins or loses points on the basis of one bad tournament.

I am not really stuck on Andy actually going that far. Just using it as a way of illustrating what kind of things there are to be learned and how one could do it...
Just trying out a clubmates slow rubber would be quite educational. But really what's so wrong having a bit of an adventure in the slow lane?
restricting yourself to a slow rubber requires you to rely on your table skills, and that was he seemed to be looking to enhance.
Its up to him really

Well one value of trying something that slow, even if it just for a few minutes, is that it reveals immediately kind of the "boundary conditions" which help to solve a problem.  Frogger is right, it takes a long time to adjust brain.  That is why severe EJing leads to no fixed pattern which is bad.  PPP is right too, it pays to mess around a little with stuff just for fun.

Hey
seems like you have all the info you need.
make a decision and go for it!!

Krantz wrote: It occurred to me that just like some players chose especially fast equipment to patch the lack of their own power (which may be good or bad depending on particular case) others may take the equipment which is just very slow as a method to artificially increase the control of their shots. If you want to seriously develop your game then I would say that something in the middle of road is the safest bet.

Very good point...

I have also seen players with flimsy backhands and badminton style forehands using slow equipment. The ball goes doesn't always go on the table either as they chuck the ball about.

This thread has been a cathartic excercise for some, questioning their set-ups and looking to clock it all down. Try changing one side at a time first to fine tune it. Or change the blade with the same rubbers so you maintain a reference or you will be learning your touch all over again with a different set-up, even if it supposed to be slower. You could end up with a spin sensitive set-up that supposed to be slow and find yourself with a completely different game in your hands.

But sometimes "fast" rubbers or "fast" set-ups let players down if they are too passive. GOOD active strokes can make the set-up behave. Usually the GOOD requires some coaching or a reliable third eye. ...



Edited by CraneStyle - 12/04/2013 at 5:07pm

NextLevel wrote: Problem: People do not like their setups for playing the loopers game as they are either too fast or too slow.   Solution: Everyone should just get a Joola Rossi Emotion with Juic Nanospin II rubbers.   Pros: Very controllable setup (between OFF- and OFF) with touch in the short game and power when away from the table. Rubber once broken in lasts forever and get spinnier. Blade has great dwell.   Cons: None.

Krantz wrote: It occurred to me that just like some players chose especially fast equipment to patch the lack of their own power (which may be good or bad depending on particular case) others may take the equipment which is just very slow as a method to artificially increase the control of their shots. If you want to seriously develop your game then I would say that something in the middle of road is the safest bet.

Exactly.  Like I said way back towards the beginning of this thread, with very slow equipment, the shoe is on the other foot.