Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27 Posts: 10686 Has thanked:3 times Been thanked:1385 times
Came across this video earlier today.
Looks like Herr Boll has started a series of coaching videos, and this is the latest one. In this one he talks about a subject very near and dear to our collective hearts - equipment. Namely, he's tackling slow vs. fast bats. Is the Innerforce ZLF really that slow? Doesn't Butterfly make an all-wood 5 ply equivalent of the Stiga Allround Classic any more? I do understand that he's under contract with Butterfly and the Innerforce ZLF makes Butterfly a lot more money than a cheap all-wood 5 ply would.. In any case, it's an interesting watch (check out his other videos too), although the conclusions he comes to aren't all that much of a surprise, though useful for rank beginners, who might not have heard this stuff many times before...
I do wish more of the huge number of "review" videos out there would make use of the techniques he uses for this video. Easier said than done, of course, but it shouldn't be too difficult to trace ball paths and overlay frames given the video editing software available these days. Better than watching a couple of guys counter looping - every video starts to look the same and you can't really make any comparisons.
Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27 Posts: 10686 Has thanked:3 times Been thanked:1385 times
There was someone in China making "Timo Boll" (they didn't even bother to mis-spell his name) rubbers for a while (haven't seen them for sale recently). I even have a few sheets of "Warheads". Turned out to be similar to a lot of other Chinese rubbers, definitely not junk but I imagine you'd raise hackles if you tried to play with them in an actual sanctioned tournament. Luckily they were $5 a sheet (there were others that cost more). I used them to re-rubber rec bats for use in the lobby.
I always wondered if Herr Boll was aware of these, and what he thought about them.
My thought on these and other "fake" and "non-ITTF approved" rubbers - if I were making these I'd make them thicker than the rules allow. Maybe 4.5mm total thickness, 2.6mm sponge or so. Why? You'd get more spin out of them. And the word would spread around China. There are tons of rec players in China who would buy rubbers like this. Heck, I'd buy a few sheets myself!
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 103 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum