How to become an equipment expert
Equipment
D K Asked 8 years ago
Hello PingSkills Team,
As I am very interested in equipment and also because I am more and more frequently asked by younger players about equipment,I would like to ask,what abilities and knowledge do I need to become and equipment expert and how to gain them?
Thanks
DK
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi DK,
I think playing with a lot of different rubbers and seeing what their properties are...
However, this can become an expensive exercise.
Maybe an equipment expert is one that realises this... To really become better you need to get more interested in training and spend less time worrying if you have the 'right' equipment.
Thoughts on this question
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D K Posted 8 years ago
So it is quite similar to what I thought.
Then the cheapest way is getting older equipment and trying to play with it?
Johan B Posted 8 years ago
Read a lot and find varied training partners?
Tushar Verma Posted 8 years ago
I also review equipment but I most of time I review the rubbers used by my friend, I can play with them and know their properties.
Arjan van Luttikhuizen Posted 8 years ago
From my personal experience, I have a huge interest in the inner workings of anything I play. Back when I played online games competitively I was the kind of person that used to spend up to hours every day on wiki's, forums and other website with data about the game I played.
With TT I noticed I'm not much different. Out of sheer interest in the game I spend a good amount of time going through various TT forums, scouring the equipment database to compare other people's experiences, ratings and reviews etc...
I haven't invested a great amount of money myself, since I am learning and very happy with my current setup. But second hand knowledge is better than no knowledge! Also, I do ask just about every club member and opponent what they use! It really puts the stuff I read online into perspective to see players utilising that equipment.
It wasn't before long that I started to notice, when talking to other players, that my view on equipment was much broader and more informed than theirs. Once you read the same thing in 5 different places, and observe how it works in practice you too can start to apply that knowledge when advising people!
martinand bernard Posted 8 years ago
to spend money
You certainly need to update your rubbers when they start to wear out but as long as you have decent rubbers it's the training that will make the difference.
Nicolas Matthew Posted 8 years ago
Being an equipment master is one quite tough job if you do not have the budget. You must read people's opinion on the product you are looking for and actually trying it out yourself. You need to have a lot of experience to really understand yourself the build-in characteristic for each brand and really understand the rating number given by people in terms of speed, spin, control, throw angle, sponge hardness, etc. This applies to rubber, blade, table, robot, and other notable table tennis equipment. Hope this helps :)