Sponge thickness and control on a carbon blade

Equipment

Mark Jung
Mark Jung Asked 9 years ago

I have a carbon blade, and have opted for 1.5mm sponge rubbers to slow the setup down. However, while I have good control of some shots, I think I might be missing control on others (like flicks) due to a lack of dwell time. Should I be thinking about increasing the sponge thickness next time I replace the rubbers or do I just need to improve my technique?


Alois Rosario
Alois Rosario Answered 9 years ago

Hi Mark,

I think it is more to do with the technique.  A thicker rubber will mean less control on shots, even flicks.


Thoughts on this question


Mark Jung

Mark Jung Posted 9 years ago

It feels like a lot of the time when I try to flick a serve, the ball is leaving the racket before I can lift it sufficiently to get over the net. I was thinking that maybe a thicker sponge would give me a fraction of a second longer to lift the ball, making it easier.

D K

D K Posted 9 years ago

Considering the rubber properties,it is better when the rubber is grippy.

This is not so much caused by the sponge thickness.

Correct,Alois?


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Mark,

Maybe a softer rubber or a grippier top would help with this.


Mark Jung

Mark Jung Posted 9 years ago

Practiced a bit more, and I think I've found that I really have to dial back on the speed and make the stroke as clean as possible. I'm having to really brush a lot of strokes to keep the spin up while keeping the down. Pretty unforgiving but I suppose that's good for my technique.


Alois Rosario

Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 9 years ago

Good to hear you are finding some answers.


Mark Jung

Mark Jung Posted 9 years ago

Switched to Hurricane 3 (2.0), and it's actually way more controllable than the 1.5mm Focus 3 Snipe I had. The tackiness makes the ball dwell a bit longer, which gives me enough time to overcome a bad initial contact with a good stroke.


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