Hi all, I'm a casual player with no proper coaching looking for some guidance, I came out of hiatus after my workplace got a table in the office.

I have a 729 Bomb blade with RITC 2000 Tack-speed 2.0mm on both sides that I purchased here at the OOAK shop now almost 12 years ago. The bat is still in great condition and the rubbers are still tacky although they're showing shiny patches on them. How do I tell if the rubbers need replacing?

I understand the mechanics of spin and it's been a lot of fun creating spins and fancy shots, but at my level sometimes I feel that my equipment may have always been too much for me to handle. How would I scale this back if I weren't to persevere?

I'm thinking that I can keep my blade but switch to less tacky rubbers to reduce sensitivity to spin. I do worry of not being able to create as much spin as before. I'm a shakehand player with currently a stronger backhand aspiring to be an all around player.

Rubbers I have short listed but open to suggestions:
- Yasaka Mark V - may be the top limit of what I'd spend
- Butterfly Sriver - a bit dear for me
- 729 Focus III Snipe

ooh ... you have a 729 Bomb - It's a blade, I've been looking for, but can't find, since it's been discontinued ..

+1 For the Focus III Snipe ... I've been playing with it, on one of my setups ..

Another recommendation would be the Palio AK-47 Yellow.. I'm using this one too, on another setup ..

In terms of speed, I feel, both a around the same .. The AK-47 Yellow may be a hair faster, and a slightly higher lift.. On the other hand, the Focus III Snipe, I feel has better control, and durability ..

If you want something faster, than both the above, then you could opt for the AK-47 Blue variant.

I thought OOAK shop still sells the Bomb blade?

Oh, keep the blade, for sure (though there are other, fairly inexpensive blades worth exploring - have a look around the forum to see which ones people recommend these days). I don't know if switching rubbers is going to help you when it comes to handing incoming spin, though - trying to find a standard inverted rubber that does this, is, in my opinion, a fool's errand. Different inverted sheets do have slight differences in friction (and thus, reactivity to spin as well as the ability to create spin) but these differences don't really amount to much in practical terms. Better to formally practice, say, serve returns and learn how to better handle spin. Most people who look for rubbers with "less friction to handle spin" end up gravitating towards pips-out (usually long) or anti-spin rubbers, but those introduce their own learning curves and necessitate changes in style of play.

In any case, your old rubbers will need changing... unless you want to be THAT guy at the club with old, dead rubbers (there's another active thread about this, too.. I think it's a viable style.. ). As for what rubber to buy - there are a lot of excellent Chinese sheets that can be had for under USD10 - there are, in fact, a lot of USD5 sheets. Focus III Snipe is one, you could also try Yinhe 9000, Yinhe Mercury II, Reactor Corbor (this is a little too tacky out of the packet but becomes OK with a little use), Kokutaku 868, 729 Super FX, Palio AK47 (blue has the softest sponge) - any of these would work fine.

Iskandar

By the way.. if you're looking for another blade, try a Sanwei M8 (there, I've said it.. )...

Iskandar