Question about Chinese players

Why do most players on the Chinese national team use Chinese rubber on their forehand side but non-Chinese rubber on their backhand side?  For example, a common setup is DHS Hurricane 3 on forehand and some variety of Butterfly's Sriver on their backhand side?  Thanks.

Jap/Euro rubber tends to have softer sponges which cause the ball to come off the paddle faster and with more momentum.  In order to compensate for their perceived lack of backhand strength, Chinese players use Jap/Euro rubbers.

I disagree with the previous post which insinuates that Jap/Euro rubbers are more forgiving.  Because they are usually not as tacky as say, H3, there is actually a lesser ability to control the ball (like spin, placement, etc...) with Jap/Euro rubbers. 

calvinding wrote: Jap/Euro rubber tends to have softer sponges which cause the ball to come off the paddle faster and with more momentum.  In order to compensate for their perceived lack of backhand strength, Chinese players use Jap/Euro rubbers. I disagree with the previous post which insinuates that Jap/Euro rubbers are more forgiving.  Because they are usually not as tacky as say, H3, there is actually a lesser ability to control the ball (like spin, placement, etc...) with Jap/Euro rubbers.

Very nice pictures wawaicetea123, thanks for clarifying that ;)

MB

I do not see any proof in made up pictures, it could very well be the second picture showing the ball jumping in some other direction and the first going straight. And sounds also like claiming that a person jumping on a matress controls better his direction than a person jumping on solid floor, which I cannot also believe without solid arguments. Any theory to support such claims except easily controlled drawings? Have you ever considered the possibility for example of the euro/japanese rubbers, being more expensive and maybe having better quality control, to have less inconsistency in the density of their material? For absolutely homogeneous rubber and sponge I do not see any reason for any rubber to alter the bouncing angle in unpredictable ways without spin...

yes

i was just about to say myself

one thing about euro/jap rubbers as more forgiving.. i think sticky rubbers have a tendency to react more on incoming spin than euro jap non tacky rubbers.. i also think that the level of the player affects on how he uses both chinese and euro rubbers so its kinda broad

Chinese rubbers tend to produce very heavy balls, since the intense spin gives a "kick" to the ball when it hits the table. Bryce when glued up is similar, but thats because it "skips" on the table.

Also, rubbers like Hurricane 3 don't bottom or top out, the harder you hit the faster and spinnier the ball is. That makes it a wonderful rubber for the horde of fast attackers in China. Though players like Kong Linghui and Ma Lin who still want variation have different topsheets that gets rid of that H3 spin+speed feel.

im pretty sure every one iwll agree that hard rubber is good to block with

I'm not sure it's a matter of hardness or softness. These two items belong to the speed range. Tackiness and gripness are more relevant. Since BH usual game is based on blocks, mostly in the learning years, euro/japs rubbers that are less tacky and therefore do not "eat" oponent's spin as much as chineses. That's what some mean about forgiveness. I know a lot of you won't agree, but blocking with sriver is easier than with H3 (I've had both). Then, when years go by, habits are taken and it's hard to change.

Yogi and bbkon nailed the main two reasons on the head:

1) Most players have a perceived or calculated ideal weight for their setup. Most Chinese fast attack rubbers are very heavy. Therefore, adding a Euro style rubber on the bh addresses the weight issues.

2) Tackier rubber IS more sensitive to incoming spin, much in the same way that it is more appropriate for graze looping then non-tacky rubbers. A slightly misjudged racket angle is more likely to be an acceptable shot off a non-tacky rubber then a tacky one. Due to the limitations of the human hand / wrist / arm, the fine motor control of the backhand is slightly less then the forehand (hence most pros being forehand-dominant). There has to be a reason, no? These are the best players in the world, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just put Sriver on the bh for the hell of it.

 - Jack -

PS. The Solcion pics are.... sort of right. A very soft sponged rubber will have more dwell on loops. Therefore lower level players (with considerably less handspeed) will be able to impart more topspin then they could with harder sponged rubbers. I realize this is partly preference, but it is entirely logical that it would be easier to control high-spin, low-speed loops with a softer sponge, from a purely physical standpoint.