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What makes a great blocking rubber?
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Author:  Shoebox9 [ 11 Oct 2009, 17:33 ]
Post subject:  What makes a great blocking rubber?
I've been thinking about inverted blocking today (something I'm not overly good at). What makes a great blocking rubber?

What sponge thinkness? How hard? How fast? How un-spinny?

Also, what's the best-for-blocking rubber you've used so far?
Author:  Niemalsaufsteiger [ 11 Oct 2009, 17:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
The best blocking rubber I've ever used was the normal Nimbus. It's not so spinny and fast.
I could actually smash incoming TS, block them short, and counterlooping was good, too.

But what makes a good blocking rubber? Imo you need a low throw, fast and thin rubber. Thin because of sensitivity to spin.
I used my Nimbus in 2.0 due to my offensive game. A disadvantage was it's lack of control in short game.

But if you've used pimples for blocking until now, I'd say take any classic rubber (Sriver, Mark V,...) to practize with. Tensor rubbers are quite hard to control if you aren't used to it.
Author:  Brahms [ 11 Oct 2009, 19:24 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Hi Ej's,

Please find hereunder my OOAK paper for blocking play characteristic for BH.

IMO, the best BH blocking rubber are chinese.
One of the best is DHS PF4.
Slow rubber, hard sponge, but huge control for this old school popular and cheap rubber.
Good for BH. (I'm consider only the block part of the game :mrgreen: )

Image

Other reference I tried and I consider nice for blocking play :

1- Globe 999 (versatile)
2- Globe Taiphoon Gold (more speed than 999, less feeling but good rubber)
3- 729 Super Fx Classic ( quite heavy and slow)
4- 729 Geospin Tacky (good for blocking despite very sensitive for service return, dead feeling)

If you want block/push only on your BH and turn on your FH, you can go for very straight sponge...however for the BH topspin... forget it if the sponge is higher 40°.

Brahms

:arrow: Ps: I'm currently testing the japanese Avalox Pronte and on a stiff blade, the block is quite nice and the throw is higher. I wouldn't consider the Avalox as hall of fame for block, but with some technical enhancement nothing is impossible like defend with Tenergy eheh !!!

BTW, I'm not a huge fan of Friendship but the last reference like 729-02 or 729-08 should do the job I presume. (not tested by myself, some review may let you choose something appropriate)
Author:  Shoebox9 [ 11 Oct 2009, 20:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Hi,

Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant for blocking on my f/h. A disadvantage of blocking on the b/h with low friction l/pips close to the table, is you don't get much reaction time on your f/h.

I have an overly long f/h loop motion/back swing, and just don't get the time to play my normal f/h strokes with this close-to-the-table style. So what do I do with my f/h? To start with I could learn to block a whole lot better.

In the past I've always used soft, thin, very grippy tensor rubbers that: catapult, bottom out on the blade, and have high sensitivity to the incoming spin. :?

Perhaps instead of mindlessly picking the spinniest rubber I can possibly find (ie Tengery 05 1.7) to start off my new game style, I should be thinking about something that is less grippy- so it's easier to attack short/high underspin pushes, and easier to block hard top spin drives/loops..? I can see why some long pip players use short pips on their f/h, but I'm not sure I want to go that far.
Author:  sunflex [ 11 Oct 2009, 21:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
I'm a blocker. My favorite rubbers are Gambler Outlaw and Boost TP.
Author:  Niemalsaufsteiger [ 11 Oct 2009, 22:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
If you want a short topspin movement, pick a tensor. Anything with harder sponge, like the Platin, Omega III, Express One or my favourite, the Nimbus.
Omega III should be the grippiest of these, Nimbus the least grippy, but still enough to generate good spin.
Author:  Shoebox9 [ 12 Oct 2009, 07:13 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
sunflex wrote:
I'm a blocker. My favorite rubbers are Gambler Outlaw and Boost TP.

How do the Gambler and the Boost TP compare?
Author:  Skippy [ 12 Oct 2009, 11:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
What makes a great blocking rubber is the question. Two fold in my opinion. Keep it on the table all the time, and ability to guide blocks all over the table, so as to keep your opponent moving alot. What rubber does that you say? No Idea. :lol:
Author:  nathanso [ 12 Oct 2009, 12:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
I'm a longtime close to the table blocker though I do most of my blocking with my BH. First, I'll say that, for me, the blade is as important as the rubber for a good blocking setup. I prefer thick cypress-cored blades or even single ply cypress in 8-9mm total thickness.

As for rubber, I've found that too slow a rubber ends up blocking back sitting ducks that your opponent has too much time to slam back again and again. So a fast rubber with good control that's not too sensitive to spin is what you want. Here are some of the best I've used:

Tenergy 05 1.9mm. Incredible spin reversal (in the inverted sense, not LP/anti) and energy return. Passive blocks executed just off the bounce on incoming topspin arc right back just as if I had counter-hit the ball with my own topspin. I stopped using T05 because for offense I found its throw angle to be too high for close to the table play.

Gambler Outlaw max. Not quite the speed and spin reversal of Tenergy but still a great blocking rubber. Gobs of control and plenty of speed to keep your opponent rushed. Easy to direct the ball during blocks. I stopped using Outlaw only due to its durability issues.

Palio Macro Era 42.5* max. Everything Outlaw is and more, yet considerably more durable.
Author:  Shoebox9 [ 12 Oct 2009, 15:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Nathan,

You're the first person to say that a grippy topsheet can actually be an advantage during blocking (ie creates the top spin for you, enabling closer to the bounce blocking).

I've always admired the way V. Samsonov can just stick out his bat (at the right angle) in front of screeming balls, and block them for a clean winner. 8)
Author:  Niemalsaufsteiger [ 12 Oct 2009, 22:20 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
T05 isn't really made for blocking, but it's nice, too. I had a few days I was too lazy to play topspins and so I decided to block and push.

I could take the balls right after bouncing on the table and they came back fast. Sometimes too fast for the opponent. Maybe that's the advantage of a high throw rubber?

On my backhand with the Mambo H, which is quite low throw, I wasn't able to do so.
Author:  sunflex [ 13 Oct 2009, 01:22 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Shoebox9 wrote:
sunflex wrote:
I'm a blocker. My favorite rubbers are Gambler Outlaw and Boost TP.

How do the Gambler and the Boost TP compare?


Boost TP is slightly harder and faster. Both are excellent blocking rubbers.

I like a fast and thick carbon blade for blocking.
Author:  fattchoi [ 13 Oct 2009, 06:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
I am a Jpen holder and done a lot of blocking. One thing I do find is that a thinner rubber, 1.7-1.8mm, is better for blocking. In addition, a firmer rubber is also better than a soft rubber. I have so far done very well with the 1.8mm Hurricane 3 and 1.7mm Tenergy 05. I would recommend the Hurricane 3 for better control and it is so much cheaper too. By the way, my blades are all between 9mm to 10.5mm one ply hinoki.

Cheers.
Author:  chop-king [ 15 Oct 2009, 00:40 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Gambler Reflectoid is a great blocking rubber
Author:  Kleshavik [ 27 Jun 2016, 16:21 ]
Post subject:  Re: What makes a great blocking rubber?
Depends on a type of rubber and what kind of block u need. I would devide them into 2 large groups sticky like chinese or gripy like tenergy? So for grippy rubbers you want softer sponge and softer topsheet. Tenergy 64fx makes the best blocking rubber. The ball goes into the topsheet and sponge easier thus making the exit angle more straight. Fx tenergy 64 is also good for opening loops for underspin. Though ot has lower throa than regular 64 the softer sponge makes it easier to loop the backspin maybe because of the extra dwell time. So tenergy 64fx is the best blocking rubber. Where it realy sucks is when u go backhand to backhand topsin drives. Softer sponge is not only generating less spin but it is making looping more difficult because whenever the ball goes too deep into the rubber forget about looping. It will go inside and come out straight and u will have a feeling like u are throwing the ball to the other side by grabing it instead of skimming it. Also boosting your regular 64 will make ot feel exactly like 64 fx but faster. So there is no need to go for fx version. For grippy rubbers they are not sensitive to incoming spin so any hard rubber will do the job but the result of your block will be very shity because chinese rubbers are slow compared to tenergies. And slow block is like slow death. So from grippy rubbers evolution series will do better job. To sum it up of you want that rubber only and only for blocking than tenergy 64fx. I am talking about pure block close to the table with no topspin drive . if you are planning to drive kt back 64 if you can even loop it back then 05. 05 is not going to be as good for opdning loop or banana flick because of oits hard topsheet .
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