Equipment - Chinese Rubbers - Different Strokes?

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Chinese Rubbers - Different Strokes?

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Topic: Chinese Rubbers - Different Strokes?

Posted By: doraemon
Subject: Chinese Rubbers - Different Strokes?
Date Posted: 07/17/2007 at 9:12pm

Hi guys, I have been using jap/euro rubbers all my life and I am curious about Chinese rubbers. I guess quite a lot of people use H2/H3 and TG2/TG3, etc. I heard that if you are used to jap/euro rubbers, then using chinese rubbers are:

1. slower than jap/euro rubbers.

2. requires different strokes.

Are the above notions true? Especially #2, what is the difference in strokes, can someone explain in more details? Let's say when doing a loop.

Thanks.

Replies:

Posted By: ppgear
Date Posted: 07/17/2007 at 9:52pm

Yes this is true. When you loop, especially with the harder sponged tacky rubbers, your loop angle must be a lot more closed. This actually makes it more likely that the ball will hit the edge of the racket as well, so watch out.

But you'll get more spin on your serves and have an easier time keeping them short.

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Arthur Lui
Revspin.net - Table Tennis Equipment Reviews
Top USATT Rating: 2131

Posted By: donar
Date Posted: 07/17/2007 at 11:47pm

When looping, the stroke isn't really different. The bat angle is more closed and therefore your arm moves a bit more forward, to compensate for the higher throw angle. However there are some tacky chinese rubbers with medium-lowish throw angles.

I don't think it's more likely that you'll hit the edge of the bat. This is because with a high throw and a closed bat angle, you can come from behind the ball a bit more than with euro rubbers. But it depends on individual technique.

The timing is also a little different. Usually chinese rubbers will have less dwell in high speed rallies, so you contact the ball a little bit earlier in its flight path than with euro rubbers. However, you can have fast euro rubbers with little dwell, and you can have chinese rubbers with soft sponges and soft tacky topsheets giving great dwell. So it's not really a hard and fast rule.

The thing with euro / jap rubber is, you don't have to have a textbook technique to use them. You can easily develop a unique stroke that may not work well or at all with chinese rubbers. I find that going from chinese to euro rubbers to be easier, as long as the euro rubber isn't too soft and has a medium or low throw angle.

Chinese rubbers overall behave differently from euro though. You'll see when / if you try them. It has to do with the throw angle: Euro rubbers have a more dynamic throw angle because of the softer sponge.

Chinese rubbers are generally slower from mid distance and longer. You get out of them what you put in.

I find that they don't last too long either. Only 3 - 5 months before I have to replace them, after which they're still tacky when I remove the plastic film on the night, but they seem to lose their ability to maintain that tack throughout a game or a night of playing. I have to clean them between games, which is a nuisance. No tack = no control, with hard sponged chinese rubbers.

Posted By: mece
Date Posted: 07/18/2007 at 12:00am

I believe chiense rubbers last longer than euro/jap rubbers.
I have played with both, I think with chinese rubbers is easier to produce spin on loops.

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Posted By: doraemon
Date Posted: 07/18/2007 at 12:16am

Thanks for the comments. One thing that I always hear is that with jap/euro rubbers your stroke utilizes mechanical spin, while with chinese rubbers (being tacky in general) your stroke is more brush/graze/surface dependant spin. Is this the norm?

Posted By: donar
Date Posted: 07/18/2007 at 1:16am

Yes.