I would like to share how I have, up till now, done with the Re-Impact Preference blade. As I would like to present a complete picture, which should relate the whole process, I have divided this article into sections: - My level of play. - Equipment (before the Re-Impact Preference blade). - My type of play. - Reasons for the search for new equipment. - The search for new equipment. - Current results. - The future.
My level of play: I play in the Flemish competition (VTTL), 2nd provincial league. Rating: C4; about 1400 ELO points (range 1300-1500). For those who are not from Belgium: this level amounts to being around position 1000 of the 8000 players in the VTTL. I am in my mid thirties, now.
Equipment (before the Re-Impact Preference blade): In recent years, until March 2017: I played with Butterfly Michael Maze OFF (since 2009), Butterfly Tenergy 05 2.1mm FH (since 2016; before that Butterfly Sriver, Tibhar Nimbus Soft, Tibhar Optimum+ Sound, and others), Butterfly Bryce FX 1.9mm BH (since 2009). From March 2017 to July 2017: Butterfly Michael Maze OFF, Butterfly Tenergy 05 2.1 mm FH, Spinlord Keiler 1.8 mm BH.
My type of play (before testing the Re-Impact Preference blade): In recent years until March 2017 (with the inverted rubber on the BH) I used the forehand primarily for controlled topspin, both close to the table and at mid distance. Sometimes I played a drive, never a smash or a push. I rarely blocked. My BH I primarily used, at service return, for lifting or mild topspin, sometimes for a push, and for controlled (lifting) drives during rallies; I rarely pushed or used heavy topspin. From March to July 2017 (with medium pips on BH): with the forehand primarily controlled topspin, both close to the table and at mid distance. Sometimes I played a drive, never a smash or a push. With the BH I played drives, rolls, or blocks. Sometimes I pushed, but rarely.
Reasons for the search for new equipment: I have been playing table tennis for 23 years now, until March 2017 always with inverted rubbers on both sides. So why did I change, using pips on my BH? I cannot explain that fully. It was a process, I increasingly became aware of the fact that I often got under pressure on my BH side. I think it had to do with the introduction of the plastic ball, which our club has been using since last season. It made it more difficult for me to produce sufficient topspin for lifting. Until then I had been rather successful with lifting against serves, putting pressure on the opponent, but with the plastic ball I could that much less well, and as a result I could not control the game on that side anymore, and suffered from being under pressure there myself.
The search for new equipment: The transition to Spinlord Keiler: advantages and unexpected side-effects: To deal with the pressure on my BH side, I wanted to find a different rubber. After research on the internet I eventually came to the Spinlord Keiler, a medium pip. I liked the description of this rubber and decided to test it in 1.8mm. A week’s holiday, fortunately, was used for testing. I thought it couldn’t hurt anyway. Right from the first stroke this medium pip seemed to suit me. I had 3 training sessions with it and the week after I played in competition with it. I beat two higher-ranked players, then I lost from a third one with a very small difference (3-2). Winning was mainly due to the disrupting (sink) effect of the pips. All in all, this rubber performed well for me on the BH of the Michael Maze OFF. But even as my BH had improved, I had to deal with an unexpected new problem: my BH returns were returned by my opponents in a different way than I had become used to when playing with inverted rubbers. It caused problems for my FH topspin. Incoming balls now were much less favourably “set up” for my FH topspin, which had until then been my best weapon; it seemed it would be better to block them. So the advantage for my BH was more or less neutralized by the disadvantage for my FH. Self-doubt kicked in. I wondered if I had to change even more about my equipment.
Search for an answer: I went on. On the one hand there was the good feeling I had on the BH due to the Keiler, on the other hand I doubted my FH set-up. My doubt led me to search on the internet again for solutions. I finally found the Re-Impact site. They seemed to be good blades, so I emailed Achim Rendler. He suggested a Rapier 44 with FH Donic Acuda Blue P2 1.8mm, BH Spinlord Keiler OX (on the Rapier it should not be played over 1.2mm thickness, according to Achim). I had never played with an OX rubber before, which I thought to primarily be for defence, and felt uncomfortable with the suggestion. Then Achim suggested I’d play the blade with inverted rubbers, TSP Agrit Speed 1.5mm on the BH. After a series of emails I decided I would try this set-up and ordered the Rapier 44 with Donic Acuda Blue P2 and TSP Agrit Speed. Even so I had doubts about the speed of the Rapier (ALL- to OFF, whereas I had only played with OFF blades). Excited about Re-Impact nonetheless, I wanted to find out more about these blades and stumbled upon this forum, of which I until then had not known it existed. I read the article by Kees on the Re-Impact Preference (a blade which makes table tennis easy). I liked what he wrote about that blade and asked Achim if it would be suitable for me. It could be, Achim said, but the Rapier 44 would be better, being a conventional blade – the Preference was an active blade and therefore harder to master coming from a conventional blade like the Michael Maze. I deliberated with both Achim and Kees, and in the end decided to change the order for the Rapier (which hadn’t been built yet) into an order for the Preference.
Arrival of the Preference: Ordered early June, with a delivery time of 4 weeks, the actual arrival of the blade was towards the end of July. Just in time before the start of the new season. The first thing that caught my attention was the superb quality of the handle – it is 11.5cm long (the M.Maze was 10.2cm) en 3.2cm in diameter (2.6cm with the M.Maze); ideal for my large hands. Apart from that it was about 12 to 13 mm thick, weighed 164 grams including the TSP Agrit Speed 1.5 and Donic Acuda Blue P2 1.8 mm. The outer plies were Koto 0.5mm; intermediate plies were 2 mm balsa and 1.5mm corck; the core plie was 4 mm balsa.
Current results: First test with the Preference: The first test I did against an old robot which could only produce drives. My first impression of the FH: I had a lot of control over my topspin, could keep them low over the net, and I could loop well from mid distance. First impression of the BH: the first dozen balls went wide, a meter high, over the table. Probably due to the change from medium pips to inverted. After that it went better; still, I frequently hit balls long or into the net. Then I tested the set-up during a training session. I disliked it profoundly: I had no control with the BH (which was much too fast) and because of that no control with the FH either, as I got under severe pressure and as my loops from mid distance too often went into the net. Lifting heavy backspin was another problem: my balls went into the net because I could not impart enough forward speed. Obviously, I needed to adapt my strokes. I had the feeling I lacked any kind of “own game” and had to rely mostly on errors of opponents, instead of being able to control the game.
Action after the first tests with the Preference: As both FH and BH of the Preference posed problems, I wondered if this blade was, after all, for me. At such a time you feel bad, being aware both of the tact that the blade is expensive and of the limited amount of time you have left for further experiments as in a month the new season will start… At such a moment you need support. A had it from forum-member Kees. I discussed things with him and decided to test the Spinlord Keiler on the BH in 1.5mm anyway (despite Achim’s advice to play it in OX, or in 1.2mm max – which I could have done, I had one around). Boy, did this work!!! Now my returns had lots of control, ideal speed, and lots of disruption! Furthermore, with the Keiler on the blade my FH started to work beautifully! With the Butterfly M.Maze OFF I had run into problems with it, but the Preference with the Spinlord Keiler on its BH brought the FH really to life, because blocking is so easy with it! Now I can choose if I want to block an incoming ball or if it is just right for looping it. With the Butterfly blade looping was the only option, as it didn’t work for blocks.
The future: I’m still in the early phase of testing and it is too soon to cheer, but considering my experiences, with the Spinlord Keiler on the BH and the Donic Acuda Blue P2 on the FH, I feel it is safe to say that I have finally found the set-up with which I will start next season in competition!
Last edited by Keiler on 10 Aug 2017, 17:17, edited 1 time in total.
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