Ask The Experts No. 329: Brian Pace
Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:

Hi experts, i just purchased t05 hard & dignics09c. But i don’t know which imma use on fh or bh? And put them on my ZJszlc. I also have diff. blades of which u think u suggest to use? I have tm alc, viscaria, tm zlc & tm zlf? But im used to my zj szlc. My style is attack most of the time. Whats your opinion pls .?

Answer:

Your Ask the Experts question was answered by Brian Pace. Coach Pace is National Level Table Tennis Coach with Dynamic Table Tennis and his response is as follows:

Hello Ivan,  Thanks for your question, I appreciate you taking the time. You have a pretty impressive list of Butterfly blades to choose from with the two rubbers that you have recently purchased.  Backhand/Forehand Rubber Choices You have the Tenergy 05 Hard and the Dignics 09C, and deciding which one goes on the forehand is really going to depend more on how hard you are able to swing. Both of these rubber require high velocity speed strokes to open up the full potential of the flight travel path. If you are more prone to medium velocity speed strokes, then the Dignics 09C is going to be more forgiving. To open up the full potential of the Tenergy 05 Hard it will require you swing at a high speed. Medium effort strokes won’t open up the full effect of this rubber.  So, if the effort for your particular stroke is always high velocity, then I would put Tenergy 05 Hard on that side of the racket. If you vary your stroke speed between medium and hard, then the Dignics 09C is ideal as you will get more affect out of your stroke from the heavier top sheet.  Blade Recommendations You have a lot of blades, but for these two rubbers to give you the most impact I would choose to try it on the Viscaria. This is one of Butterfly’s most popular blades over the years, because it is the most balanced between attack and control. With both of these rubbers being new to you, you want to have a blade that has been proven to have great balance so that you get the most out of your shots.  If you feel like you want more, then I would upgrade to the Zhang Jike Super ZLC. This blade is a full notch higher will regards to Vibration and Reaction. Using the blade would means you have more natural touch, or you have developed more touch through training, and you want more power added to your shots without a sacrifice of control or feel.  If you felt like you wanted to downgrade the overall speed of the blade because the speed of both of these rubbers were getting away from you, then I would choose the Timo Boll ZLC. This would be allow you to swing more aggressively and have confidence in the control and range of your shots.  Acclimation Period Your acclimation period to fully adapted to this new racket/rubber combination will be anywhere from 4-6 weeks if you are playing 2-3 times per week. In my opinion, you should start out playing as many competitive matches as possible with the new set-up. When training a particular shot, you won’t see the full range of how the equipment is affecting how the ball plays. The shots you hit in match play are already dialed in, so you will get a better indication of the travel path of your shots. Over time you will start to see how the rubber or the blade is affecting your play. In most cases, it takes the full 6 weeks to feel comfortable with playing your shots effortlessly. Don’t be so quick to change if you have a bad day.  Rubber Adjustments You have chosen rubbers that are really dense in nature in the Butterfly line of rubbers. If you feel like you are lacking in the touch over the table on soft returns, then I would suggest Tenergy 80 FX. The FX stands for more flexible sponge, and this will allow you to have more touch on your delicate shots from the serve, push, block, and flip. Plus, the Tenergy 80 FX has the safest travel path landing in the middle of the table. This gives you the most leverage to still land your shot if you add too little or too much power. I hope this answer allow you to make the best educated choice for your set-up. Good Luck with your training and improvement Brian Pace