Can rubber affect the shots
Equipment
Ken Cominsky Asked 11 years ago
Hi Alois,
I had an interesting thing happen yesterday: my estimated level is 1400. I'm trying to improve my loop but still hit the ball fairly flat. I use a Stiga classic allround blade with Yasaka Mark V rubber (2.0 sponge). Yesterday, I tried my friend's bat (Hunter Techno Power blade with Palio macro pro rubber (2.2 sponge). It could be my imagination but it definitely felt like the quality of the brushing loop stroke was softer and much, much more spinny. My friend comented on the additional spin. It seems that when I try to lightly brush the ball with my Stiga, I either miss the ball completely or hit it thick and the ball flies.
Is this my imagination only? If not, then how on earth do you try out all the blade/rubber combos out there to see what works best for you without spending thousands of dollars?
Thanks in advance for any advice that you can offer.
Best regards.
Ken
Alois Rosario Answered 11 years ago
Hi Ken,
The quality of the rubber will effect the amount of spin on the ball. It won't effect whether you make contact with it or the type of brushing action you get.
It is almost impossible to understand all the rubbers out there. Just understand that a lot of them are exactly the same and branded differently. The manufacturers like to give you lot of options and make you think that there is something magical in their new rubber.
It just isn't true. The think that is much more important is that you train more and develop the game.
That is why we have picked out 3 rubbers that we know will work. Mark V for control, Pryde for a bit more spin and speed and then Vega Pro for even more spin and speed. These are certainly not the only options out there but they are options that we can recommend.
Thoughts on this question
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Ken Cominsky Posted 11 years ago
Hi Alois,
Makes sense. Thanks so much for the quick reply.
Wondering out loud, could the weight and balance of my friend's bat (it was a little heavier and the center of gravity was farther away from the handle) play a role in swing timing? I've not seen dscussions on the impact of blade weighting and balance before. Do you typically pick a blade and work with it until you get it right?
Love to know your thoughts.
Ken
Arnon Thaicharoen Posted 11 years ago
Mark V is not a tensor, Palio Macro is.
The main difference between classic and tensor rubbers is catapult effect which is available to tensor rubbers. In short, with classic rubber, you have more control but less speed. With tensor, you have increased speed but less control.
I would advise you to stick to Mark V until your stroke is correct. Tensors are spoilers: they make nearly every shot much easier. You can even loop without correct stroke. That way, you will be addicted to them and your stroke may never be developed.
I think the reason you cannot loop with Mark V is your stroke not correct. Try to loop with Mark V until you get the hang of it. In fact, you should stick with classic rubbers until you're comfortable with all strokes before chaning to tensors to get more speed.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
Thanks Arnon. Ken, I don't think the weight makes a notable difference in making sure the technique is correct. As you say, just find a blade that feels reasonable and keep going till you get technique right.
Ken Cominsky Posted 11 years ago
Thanks so much for the inputs, they're very much appreciated. I'm not sure what I'd do without without the help of PingSkills and its members.
Take care.
Ken
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 11 years ago
It is great that we are able to help.