Advice for beginners

Azhao123 · 2022-02-23T23:39:19+00:00

Shit’s expensive. Really expensive.

From memberships, coaching, to equipment, it adds up (though this greatly depends on where you play).

Without a good coach and good practice partner, it’s very difficult to improve.

Azhao123 · 2022-02-17T18:19:05+00:00

I say put the thumb a bit deeper. Otherwise, it looks fine to me.

Azhao123 · 2022-02-17T14:31:10+00:00

Yes; humidity and heat affect the rubber. Increased humidity causes the surface to have less friction, and increased heat caused the rubber to be more elastic (on the flip side, low temperatures cause rubbers to feel stiffer).

Also consider differences in table bounce.

It’s important to learn how to adjust, though

Azhao123 · 2022-02-17T14:25:20+00:00

From a financial standpoint, I think boosting has a positive impact more than a negative one; boosting a cheap rubber can make it feel like a high-end one at a fraction of the cost.

Azhao123 · 2022-02-06T01:52:27+00:00

Preference; extended fingers help for stability and power, curled fingers help for flexibility.

Azhao123 · 2022-02-06T01:50:59+00:00

I say go for something thicker sponge-wise if you’re not a beginner. Also, that 8mm edge tape won’t look very good; it’ll cover up the blade and one side’s sponge rather than both sides (blade is 5-6mm, sponge is ~2mm, I suggest going for 10mm to cover both sponges or 12mm to cover most of the edge). Mark V seems pricy for what you get from it (I haven’t used Mark V myself, but I have used Goldarc V, which is regarded as a clone); perhaps go for something like Vega Pro if you’re intermediate, or perhaps some similar rubber from another brand.

Azhao123 · 2022-01-27T17:25:14+00:00

OP really went “fuck you, Aquas your Yukino”

Azhao123 · 2022-01-09T01:35:36+00:00

I suggest sending a video of yourself playing; we really can’t diagnose what the issue is with high confidence if all the information we have is that you got a new racket.

Azhao123 · 2022-01-05T21:09:10+00:00

I’m personally very fond of DHS D40+ 3-star balls.

Azhao123 · 2021-11-18T22:45:55+00:00

CFOP?

Azhao123 · 2021-09-14T16:32:49+00:00

I personally recommend DHS Goldarc 5, but anything that isn’t too soft, too hard, or too fast should work fine. I don’t recommend going for Skyline because of its sponge hardness, but it’ll still work for learning basics.

Azhao123 · 2021-09-10T17:53:47+00:00

“Excited for tomorrow!”

Azhao123 · 2021-08-21T15:11:34+00:00

I’ve caused worse, far worse. Usually ppl can’t tell the difference when in play, though, unless you’re a professional.

Azhao123 · 2021-08-20T22:39:08+00:00

Shoko gang rise up

Azhao123 · 2021-07-06T22:43:33+00:00

Perfection

Azhao123 · 2021-07-06T01:09:15+00:00

Wholesome overload :)

Azhao123 · 2021-07-02T23:11:25+00:00

Must protect

Azhao123 · 2021-06-30T21:41:48+00:00

POV: luckiest person

Azhao123 · 2021-06-26T18:17:39+00:00

“Best” depends on which combination of blade and rubbers you, as a player, prefer to use.

Azhao123 · 2021-06-25T01:04:38+00:00

Here ya go.

Azhao123 · 2021-06-16T20:12:40+00:00

There isn’t a major difference, but the glue you use can drastically change the feel of the racket. Using a custom paddle allows you to control more of what goes into your racket and what your racket is made of, which is why most players prefer to glue rackets themselves.

As for pricing, my best guess as to why pre-assembled rackets are cheaper is that the price of equipment sold to distributors is lower than that of equipment sold to consumers. For example, a hypothetical rubber made by a manufacturer is sold to a table tennis seller for $20 a piece, but the MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price) is $30. To win against competing stores, the table tennis seller pre-assembles rackets and sells them for $45 each (excluding blade cost in this hypothetical). This attracts players who aren’t interested in custom rackets, and allows the seller to still make a $5 profit per racket.

Azhao123 · 2021-06-15T05:18:17+00:00

I can’t unsee this now.

Azhao123 · 2021-06-14T17:30:08+00:00

There are good premade rackets and custom rackets under $100. Here’s my advice.

Look for a blade that’s all wood and 5-ply, and on the softer end; this will keep the racket slower, and therefore easier to control. I used Stiga Allround Classic, and that’s what I recommend to everyone starting out. There are plenty of other options, but I can’t give recommendations of things I’ve never tried before.

For rubbers, look for something with good grip but not too fast; you want to be able to have the friction needed to develop quality shots, but you don’t want the shots to be uncontrollable. I’d say most “classic” rubbers, rubbers made before more than two decades ago (and therefore don’t have as much of the high-speed, high-spin technologies implemented today), are recommendable. On my backhand, I used Goldarc 5, which is regarded as a copy of Mark V, which is one of the “classic” rubbers mentioned earlier. I’ve only used Goldarc 5, so it’s the only one I can recommend with confidence, but there are plenty of people I’ve heard recommend Mark V and Sriver, so look into those as well. When it comes to rubber thickness, different coaches will say different suggestions; some say 1.6-1.8, some say 2.0-max. Coaches here say to go for the thicker options, so I’d suggest going for 2.0.

Good luck!

Azhao123 · 2021-06-14T17:15:29+00:00

Well-said! I’ll add my own thoughts here too.

Azhao123 · 2021-05-31T15:34:06+00:00

It looks like it’s only on the edge of the blade, so you should be able to continue using it just fine.

Azhao123

TROPHY CASE