My problem with m1 and m2

Hi guys, here is my experience with M1 and M2 so far.

I usually play with aurus (medium-hard sponge) on clipper wood, and I have been testing M1 and M2.

I am puzzled because I think m1 is too hard for my forehand, while m2 is too soft. in particular:

• M2 is soft enough that, in conterloop, it has a "slingshot" effect which makes counterloop very difficult to control. (But it is very good in looping against slowish balls.) (Update: it was a matter of changing stroke technique, see later posts).
  
  
• M1, on the other hand, is very good in counterloops, but it is so hard that I don't seem to have enough power to compress the sponge completely against slow balls. So my loops don't spin very much and are not fast either, when I am the first to loop.

Increasing the blade flex does not seem to work either: it becomes even harder to compress the sponge, because the blade bends before the sponge! So I guess those players who use flexible blades with hard rubbers (like wang liqin) don't do so because they want to compensate for a hard rubber, but because their hard rubber still feels too soft for them, and they want to make it even harder to compress! Do you agree?

You can see my level in the video linked in my signature (there I am playing with aurus, and I brushed a lot of opening loops, more than I usually do, but still you can get an idea). As you can see, I don't have a lot of power on fh, but I use a full-arm swing against slowish balls. Even so, I can't seem to hit hard enough to compress the m1 sponge fully.

So my question is: what do you guys think should I do? Keep using m1, hoping to develop a more powerful swing, or get back to Aurus which is just right for my level?

Edit: maybe I should add that the M1 I tried was 6 months old and all booster had expired. It was very hard and very slow. This new M1 I just stuck on the blade seems faster. But with the robot, I seem to still have problems against slow balls. I'll try it tomorrow.

Edited by seguso - 03/08/2013 at 8:45am

maybe I should add that the M1 I tried was 6 months old and all booster had expired. It was very hard and very slow. This new M1 I just stuck on the blade seems faster. I'll try it tomorrow.

it was 6 months old, but had been used only about 2 months. the red topsheet had marks but vas still very grippy.

anyway, I've already glued the new one (black). strangely, is seems less grippy than that worn red topsheet....

chopchopslam wrote: There's no way flexible blades are significantly impacting the sponge penetration. If your blade is flexing, then you have already compressed the sponge.

Ok, if you are right, it is still pointless for me to try a more flexible blade in the hope to compress the sponge more easily.

I tried a new sheet of M1 black today. Strangely, it is much less grippy than the worn red M1 I had tried. I don't understand. The red one I have is incredibly grippy, like sigma 1. The black one is much less grippy, it is indistinguishable from say rakza 9. Is it normal that red M1 grips more than the black one? Or did they change the formula?

As for the speed problem, it's gone. It is even faster than I need. but since it has less grip, counterlooping is not better than with aurus...

I thought M1 could force me to develop my forehand. Aurus is a rubber for medium level players, M1 is for real players...

slevin wrote: seguso wrote: Aurus is a rubber for medium level players, M1 is for real players... Seguso: could you please explain your above statement in a bit more detail? By the way, your 'video of me playing' link is misdirecting back to this thread.

Sorry, I fixed the link to the video.

I mean that M1 does not allow soft loops. You have to power loop every ball, otherwise you get poor spin. Also, I found I have to increase the swing and always brush a little, which I didn't need to with aurus.

sorry, it does not work for me. Even with an old m1, as I said, I can't generate enough power to finish the point. opponents suddenly block everything, and the ball does not spin and has no arc. Also I become slower, as I have to use full swing everytime, and I miss a lot more. A disaster.

what you say is plausible, but in practice I have all the control I need with fast tensors; the only problem is I can't use the six-months-old M1. (whereas with a new M1 i have much more power than I need).

I do need a finishing shot against pips...

That was because in that match I often misjudged the amount of spin in my opponent's pushes. So I brushed too much or lifted too much. but in general, with fh I can do powerloops against backspin...

Edited by seguso - 02/27/2013 at 3:30am

Thanks. They must have changed the topsheet formula then.

figgie wrote: Power is not a function of the rubber. It is a function of proper body mechanics. Body rotation Stepping into balls Lifting with the legs All three of those combined in correct timing produces all the power needed even on non-boosted rubber. Remember, the rubber is a tool which is part of the overall tool whicgntbe foundation is in the body

Yes, you are right. I found that a more compact stroke with all the muscles relaxed helps me use all the body, legs and hips, and it works better with m1.

In general, I am starting to understand m1; it is a difficult rubber. Very similar to rakza 9 btw. In rally, the ball does not penetrate the sponge completely, so the throw is medium-low. In power loops, or in counterloops, when the sponge is compressed, the throw is high. Like rakza 9. So I have to pay a lot of attention to the speed of the incoming shot; not only to the spin.

slevin wrote: seguso wrote: slevin wrote: seguso wrote: Aurus is a rubber for medium level players, M1 is for real players... Seguso: could you please explain your above statement in a bit more detail? By the way, your 'video of me playing' link is misdirecting back to this thread. Sorry, I fixed the link to the video. I mean that M1 does not allow soft loops. You have to power loop every ball, otherwise you get poor spin. Also, I found I have to increase the swing and always brush a little, which I didn't need to with aurus. So, for you M1 is worse than Aurus in both opening loops and counter loops? How is Mx-P as compared to Aurus - very similar?

no, M1 is better than Aurus in counterloops. That is the point of switching.

But Aurus does have more spin and speed in opening loops than M1, at least for my stroke --- which is built around aurus! OTOH I am now slowly changing stroke, no more straight arm, normal european with all muscles relaxed and more forward motion.

The key point is: m1 is very hard, so in quick rally, when the ball does not penetrate the sponge fully, you get poor spin, flat arc, and low throw, i.e. the ball tends to go to net. So you have to lift a lot. But in counterloops, when the ball penetrates the sponge, it throws very high and the ball is more deadly than with aurus.

i didn't try mx-p. from the reviews it is probably a harder aurus, with a bit less grip than m1.


Edited by seguso - 03/01/2013 at 4:04pm

Update: M1: total failure. I do everything worse with M1, after 4 sessions.

I will give another try at M2, otherwise I'll just keep Aurus, with which I can counterloop and open.

 ? M3 for fh is too soft ? Tks.