Liu Guoliang comment on CNT's equipment adjustment

tazdevil wrote: I don't think it is news that Ma Long has switched, seems that others are making some adjustments during the internal tryout back in February as well (according to March edition of Ping Pong magazine from China): - Ma Long switching to National Hurricane on BH - Liu Shiwen switching to Chinese rubber on BH - Zhu Yuling enlarging racket area(?) - No adjustments from Zhang Jike yet

Victor_the_cleaner wrote: I think XX and ML both had great results after the switch. Fact. Now, for whatever personal opinion is worth, i find their backhands in particular a little stronger as well. I think chinese rubber BH encourages confidence strokes. It doesn't work as well as tenergy with half-ass shot.

I saw a XX picture at ITTF Asian Cup, sponge was looking like Tenergy again.. However the picture is not that clear...

I had a discussion with Stellan Bengtsson over in San Diego about equipment adjustments for the new ball, and he told me he believes that harder sponged rubbers will be favored because the plastic ball does not depress as much on impact as the celluloid ball did, meaning softer sponges will bottom out more easily than before as the plastic ball is more rigid.  This theory seems to be true with the amount of overhitting that seems to be happening with a lot of players since the switch.

Edited by schen - 03/18/2015 at 5:55pm

AgentHEX wrote: AndySmith wrote: Victor_the_cleaner wrote: I think XX and ML both had great results after the switch. Fact. Now, for whatever personal opinion is worth, i find their backhands in particular a little stronger as well. I think chinese rubber BH encourages confidence strokes. It doesn't work as well as tenergy with half-ass shot. It's early days, but it looks positive.  I guess their BH rubbers are heavily boosted, so it's not quite like an amateur slapping a sheet of commercial H3 on their BH, but I can see the merits of a tacky/hard rubber to deal with the new ball. Even those boosted H3s aren't as fast as boosted tenergy, and also tends to make them softer anyway (not that hardness is particularly relevant here). What you replied to is pretty much correct; better control from a rubber promotes confidence. That's why most amateurs with pro setups they can't really swing with are substantially crippling themselves, and apparently it evidently extends all the way up.

So....why are the CNT members changing now? Surely the extra confidence would have been useful prior to the arrival of the plastic ball? Or is the extra confidence a crutch to help while adjusting?

It's possible I suppose. I doubt it was raw coincidence, but the ball change could have used as an excuse to deal with long standing issues. Impossible to know for sure, but the early results are impressive. I'm really looking forward to seeing ML and XX under pressure at the German Open.

I don't think it's as simple as raw speed, but I know better to get a conversation going with you on any subject. Nice chat.

AndySmith wrote: I don't think it's as simple as raw speed, but I know better to get a conversation going with you on any subject. Nice chat.

National H3's are more similar to Tenergy than commercial counterparts (less tacky, etc).

If anything Tenergy's soft gummy topsheet is a departure from traditional butterfly rubber and almost an attempt to capture some of special H3's characteristics.

Now I heard that XX's BH is actually Tenergy sponge and Hurricane topsheet. That would explain the picture somebody here posted. 

Even the Provincial H3 that I'm sure many here are familiar with are a distinct level up from regular commercial, w/ similar less tack. National is IMO like a highly polished Provincial.

Serious players in first world countries using H3 definitely worth springing for Prov.


Edited by AgentHEX - 03/19/2015 at 12:31am

My provincial H3 is also just the same, just a bit less tack than the commercial. The sponge is 1 degree or so softer.
I would say that there is nothing special about provincial which you cannot get by adding a very thin additional layer of boost on commercial.

AndySmith wrote: I don't think it's as simple as raw speed, but I know better to get a conversation going with you on any subject. Nice chat.

Confirm xx surely play with tenergy in Kuwait open and last tournament, I captured pic too

Yeah, it's true that XX used a lot more TPB than before in the past months. So it was a trial ?
It seems that Ma Long is back to T05 too ?


Edited by john18 - 04/16/2015 at 12:54pm

Tenergy has the last laugh...