Importance of equipment

[Thorsten]

(the same question has been asked in the German forum and I found it quite interesting)

Did different blades or rubbers affect your game ? Is the difference really as big as the producers of table tennis equipment would have us believe ?

[sVeNd]

as i had been the one to start the topic in the german forum, i want to re-post my opinion again to improve my english . i think that for example too thin rubbers can decrease players´ abilities at least one class dealing with a very aggressive player.
on the other hand i regard psychology as very important in the choice of equipment. if you believe to play better with certain kind of equipment you can finally play better, but not by choosing the right equipment but simply believing in your decision and the equipment´s possibilities.
Many greetings
svend

[yoshi]

I believe that most brands (certainly the big names) cover the entire range of equipment (soft, hard, etc) and chosing the the type that fits your game can be a decisive factor. But I am a firm believer that no brand is better than the next. Sure enough there are differences in weight and size, but that is not a matter of better or worse.It is all about personal preference which can be a very important factor (see what sVeNd ( I hope I got the capitales right said about psychology).

That said, I still cannot decide on a certain bat (see my post on 'your paddle').

[Nosti49]

Hi all,

today I played with a special blade, which -as far as I know- is only produced in Germany or Switzerland.
it is called "Re-Impakt".

The philosophy is totally different to the philosophy of the usual brand names.

They have special manufactured different wood sheets (beech, Annege and Limba), which give a different speed and control on backhand and forehand, depending on your special requests.

The prices I do not know, but they are as high as perhaps two or three usual paddle-woods.

I had a much better "feeling" with the defender wood and stokes were easy easy easy I can tell you. But therefore the chop and underslice was much less then with the usual wood.

May be it is worth to say that these woods are very thick and therefore you have to use a thin rubber.

Amazing, but no easy to get... and for sure a total other feeling.....
Better or worse.... I cannot state.


Ciao
Norbert

[Whip McCord]

Zitat von sVeNd

.. i think that for example too thin rubbers can decrease players abilities at least one class dealing with a very aggressive player...

In higher classes surely.
But up to let's say Verbandsliga, I'm considering the thickness of the sponge not as so important.

In my two years in Germany 2003/04 for example, I changed from backhand 1,8 to 1,5, and from VH 2,2 to 1,8. Results: the topspins were nearly as powerful as before, but the handling in total was much better.

The choice of the perfect wood has in my eyes a greater influence than the rubbers.

[Ludwig]

If I play too fast equipment, I make more errors and loose more games. But rubbers that are to slow cut down on my ability to generate good attacking strokes. The same goes for spin: too spinny a rubber will lead to unforced errors against somebody able to put spin on the ball. A not spinny rubber can't generate spin to make life difficult for the opponent. It is much easier to play with an attacking no spin rubber like short pips against the long pips and anti players, too. If you don't put spin on the ball, they can't use that spin against you.
Every player has to find the right balance regarding spin and speed of his equipment compared to his ability.
Since I am not a very good player (Kreisklasse), I don't glue my rubbers before games, use only 1.8mm sponge but have a spinny chinese rubber, that can give me trouble playing somebody able to put changing spins on the ball.
My rubber of choice would be a hardbat (pips out without sponge) rubber for everybody. That would generate a more level playing field: nobody is able to force points using spin or speed, placement and variation are necessary and lead to longer rallies, giving more workout. The current rubbers used in tabletennis are too fast and too spinny, points are mostly short, the game has more breaks then playing time.

[Tony_Iommi]

Zitat von Ludwig

My rubber of choice would be a hardbat (pips out without sponge) rubber for everybody. That would generate a more level playing field: nobody is able to force points using spin or speed, placement and variation are necessary and lead to longer rallies, giving more workout.

Tentative agreement here, but you gotta be more precise. First of all, hardbat is very different from "regular" ping pong. There are pro's and con's as always. But to proclaim it as the ultima ratio for everybody, I don't know, nahhh. I do love the variety coming along with all different kinda gear. But I do agree that hardbat is a great alternative, and could be a great addition. Here in the States, almost each tournament runs a hardbat-competition, along with the regular categories. I didn't participate in any, yet, but I surely will in future.
After a long chat and a few drinks with Marty in the city, two "Reisman" sheets are on their way now...

[Ludwig]

To clarify: I love playing hardbat against players using that kind of rubber too or an other rubber not very fast or spinny. If I have to play with hardbat against somebody using modern fast and spinny rubbers, I feel I am too disadvantaged. That is the reason I play a allround chinese rubber in competition instead of hardbat.
A high tension oe fast freshglued rubber used by me or by my opponent puts me at a disadvantage, too. I am not good enough to get the ball back on the table consistently using that kind of rubber and not good enough returning balls coming at me that fast and rotating.
But I can understand, that someone able to handle high speed and spin would prefer the modern rubbers and would feel handicap using old fashioned tools.

[Whip McCord]

Zitat von Ludwig

Every player has to find the right balance regarding spin and speed of his equipment...

...and the perfect weight in total: I prefer for example 6.5 ounces (around 185 g) at all. - That's the main reason, I'm not playing any thicker rubbers...