OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I have been playing table tennis for a few years. I played tennis for 12 years, so my mentality for table tennis comes from tennis. I'm an offensive player who loves placing the ball from side to side, hitting the ball at the angles that are hard to reach for opponents. Currently, my main serve is a forehand topspin/sidespin. If executed with precision, it is a beastly serve to return because of the angle and spin, causing my opponents to either pop it up for a smash or hit it off the table. I'm in need of a new blade. Which of the following combination of paddle and rubber would be best for a player of my skillset?


Paddles:
Stiga CC7
Stiga Hybrid NCT
Stiga Tube Aluminum WRB
Hunter Black Widow
Tibhar Black Carbon
Tibhar Samsonov Carbon
Tibhar sigma sensitec
Tibhar H-1-9
Tibhar Triple Carbon
Nittaku Titanbeat
Nittaku KCZ
Nittaku high power
Nittaku Fillmea
Nittaku Lialox
JUIC Titanium Turbo
Yasaka Max Carbon 3D
Donic black thunder V1
Donic Epox Powercarbon

Rubbers:
Nittaku Renanos Hold
Nittaku Narucross GS Soft
Nittaku Hammond Pro Beta
Tibhar Genuis+ Optimum
Tibhar Sinus Sound
JUIC Air Condle Sound
Joola Energy
Stiga Calibra LT Sound
Stiga Coppa X1 Turbo [Platinum]
Donic Acuda S1
Donic Baracuda



If you feel that any of the listed choice would not be suitable for me, based from your experiences, which combination of paddle and rubber would be ideal for my game? Which rubber is best for forehand/backhand? Does it matter?? Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I do not have a budget, so cheap and expensive paddles/rubbers are fair game.

The paddle that I'm using now is a Andro Super Core Cell Off+ with black and red killerspin 4z rubbers, 2.3 mm.

Been using it for a while now, I just feel like its time for a change. I do not expect any of the members of this forum to have used all of the choices that I had in mind. I hope that whichever products have been used, that the people that have used them would not mind sharing their experience with it.

yay, a reccomendation that doesnt need to have a price limit! that means i can go butterfly!

your explanation of your style seems like a tricky hitter. but that may not be true. HOW do you like to hit the ball? do you like to brush the ball, or hit it straight on? do you like to take it late, or early? what kind of feel do you want in a blade? what hardness of sponge do you prefer? hard or soft? what kind of weight do you like?

just fill out this questionnaire.

blade:
speed: slow-medium slow-medium-fast-really fast
feel: soft-medium-hard
flex: flexy-medium-stiff
balance: handle-neck-head
weight: light-medium-heavy
composite: no-yes (arylate, carbon, kevlar, aramid, vectran, titanium, zylon, uniaxial light carbon, carbon fleece, TAMCA 5000 carbon, aluminum, glass fiber, texalium and many other combinations)
handle: flared (master-small, legend-large), straight, anatomic, conic

rubber:
speed: slow-medium-fast-really fast
spin: low-medium-high-super spinny
throw: low-medium-high
hardness: soft-medium-hard
tension: no-yes (includes butterfly high tension, STIGA mega-tension, TIBHAR DtecS, DONIC formula, GiantDragon trampoline tension, Galaxy MAX TENSE, and all variations of the TENSOR technology. and others.)
tackyness: slightly-some-a lot-very tacky

the immediate combo i have in my head would be this:

Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit
Yasaka Mark V max
JOOLA express two max

but what do I know? i just get my info off the internet, and we all know how reliable that is.

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SPW/Solo

What standard are you Galbert? Reading between the lines I am going to guess that you are somewhere between beginner and intermediate. Most of the equipment you have listed that I know of is very fast. It is a very common occurrence that players starting out are dazzled by things like "Speed Rating" and will end up buying ultra-fast equipment thinking that this will make their shots faster or more powerful. However this is simply not the case. Without good technique and timing all fast equipment does is ruin your control make it harder to develop your shots. A good thing to remember in regards to TT equipment is that 'fast' does not necessarily equal 'good'.

My recommendation is to buy a Stiga All-round, slap a couple of pieces of Mark V on it, work hard on your game, and not worry about equipment until you reach at least USTTA 2000 level. Good luck.

I like to hit the ball fairly hard, with spin and placement. I like to vary my shots because as I learned in tennis, you don't want to give your opponent the same kind of shot.

Oh okay. I consider myself slightly above intermediate

Are you in the US ? if so, do you have a rating? Do you train, work on your game/technique, get coached etc? Concepts like 'intermediate' are a very blurry of course but I tend to regard an intermediate player as someone who: has fairly sound basic technique; can easily hit back 40 or 50 pushes and counterhits in a row in practice; can competently smash; a good understanding of spin; can move reasonably well; and is perhaps on the way to being able to loop consistently. I'm not sure how this translates into a USTTA rating - maybe 1500ish?

I guessed you were sub-intermediate from the description of your game and tactics but obviously I could be way out. Regardless, I will stick with my initial advice. Btw - if you haven't had any coaching give it a go. A coach will be able to give you a good idea where your game is at and also be in a better position to advise you on equipment. I will bet my last dollar he will advise against a fast carbon blade!

By intermediate you're referring to competition level, right? The reason I ask is that many people that only play socially think they may be of quite high level, but when they start playing competition they realise they're not quite that high.

We're not trying to say anything negative about your level, but the more accurate you can be, the better advice you'll get.

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That was my thinking as well haggis.

I don't have a rating. I recently played in a tournament where I reached the finals. My blade was a fh Andro Super Core Cell Off+. The rubbers were a black and red killerspin 4z, 2.3mm

I do play competitively and know about the logistics of how to win points in tt from my tennis days. I know that the serve is a key component, as is a strong forehand. Based on my experience in the tournament, blocking, pushing, and placing the ball are also paramount.

Galaxy Sun for FH hit and loop, not great for serves but ok, also works well for Bh blocking/agressive blocking and placing.. the speed is above average, catapult effect is good but dwell time exists. when blocking its faster than or just as fast as t05 an around the same as t64( very close, ive only limited experience with the Tenergy rubbers). easy to control

the above applies to a Stiga tube allround ( not so much tube anymore since ive shortened it to suit C-pen grip and shorter thus more head heavy)

you could also go with either DHS hurricane 3provincial , Tg skyline 3 or 2 neo for BH chopping blocking, looping and hitting for looping ( id recomend either Hurricane 2 neo or TG Skyline 2 neo)

ive recently started using the H3provincial as a Bh rubber and i find that it works really well( for reverse pehold anyway).

for shakehand TG Skyline 2 or 3 work really well too

_________________
my youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/decoyla?feature=mhum

Main: / secondary / LP
Blade: DHS Hurricane hao/ Blade- Hurricane Hao 2
FH: Skyline 3(Blue Sponge)/ FH- Nittaku H3 pro
BH: Omega Asia/ BH- Calibra Tour H

Thanks Decoy

I'm guessing you are in the US. If you are, and play competitively in mainstream events, you should have a rating or at least have an idea of what you would be rated based on the ratings of opponents you have played. If you are not playing in mainstream events then your results there may be a misleading guide to your current level. As haggis said, the more accurate you can be regarding your standard the better the advice you will get.

I would have to agree with changing your rubbers and keeping the blade unless your reason for changing is the setup is currently too fast for your control and placement. You don't seem to indicate you are having problems by what you have said though. So the real question is "why do you feel its time for a change?".

Change for change's sake can be a disaster if you have become pretty comfortable with your equipment. Keeping one thing constant can allow you to know with each change if you've gone off direction, what thing took you in that wrong direction. If you try 3 or 4 different rubbers and still find the setup doesn't feel better, then try changing the blade. By that stage you will have more experience with some rubbers to know if you may like them with a different blade.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
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I know this is getting off-topic a bit but, from the perspective of a reasonable standard club, I agree with you Speedplay that 2000 would be an intermediate level. I guess from the perspective of a beginner or someone fairly new to the game 2000 would appear very strong indeed and so for them 1500ish may be intermediate.