REVIEWING MY EQUIPMENT! Butterfly Dignics 09c and Xiom Jekyll & Hyde Z52.5

Alright folks, this time I’m gonna make a review about the setup I’m currently using. That is, Butterfly Dignics 09c on forehand, and Xiom Jekyll & Hyde Z52.5 on backhand. For this review, I’ll be using the DHS Hurricane Long 5 (HL5) blade.

Why this setup?

In short, the components of this setup are actually the ones I’ve been really wanting to try, either due to the hype or just my personal desire.

09c is considered to be the pinnacle of current rubber technologys. Many reviews praise how it performs as a high-end rubber, and I want to experience it personally. Xiom has been my favorite table tennis brand for quite a long time, since they produce high quality equipment with fairly reasonable price. Xiom J&H series are their latest addition and incorporate their latest technological advancement, and I’m also very curious about how their rubber performs. Not many reviews I can find about J&H rubbers, more reason to try them first hand. To be honest, I think J&H series deserve more recognition from table tennis community than what they’re having right now, I’ve tried the V47.5 variant and I think it’s a good rubber. Now I’m interested to try the Z52.5, the one they said to be reserved for national level players.

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My Problem With Tenergy

A friend of mine, who is also my coach, once asked why I don’t use Tenergy rubber. It’s a very valid question, because despite the fact that Tenergy is the most popular rubber world wide at all level, never once I lay my finger on it, mount it on my favorite blade, and play matches with it.

I’ve read many reviews about Tenergy, and most of them are very positive. And on top of that, I do know how it plays. My coach lend me his bat with Tenergies on it and let me do some hitting with it. I don’t think it’s a bad rubber at all, it’s really good. Very easy and intuitive to use. In fact, I will also recommend Tenergy to any player who has sufficient basic skill to wield it. Just slap the ball with it, and the ball will go in with quality, that’s how I’d conclude my findings.

So why don’t I use Tenergy myself?

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Leveling Up My Forehand Topspin

Just tonight I had a practice with my friend

One time I decided to focus on my legs and stance to be a little bit lower, a little bit wider, and trying to get to the ball better

In this video I was trying to get lower and wider than my usual stance. And with this focus, I felt I got more quality and consistency from my shots.

So my point is, if you want to level up your forehand topspin, or even your technique overall, focusing on your stance is a great start.

Sidespin on my Forehand Topspin, What’s the Problem?

I want to address my forehand topspin sidespin issue by analyzing how Ma Long practices his forehand topspin.

So a while ago I happen to record myself practicing my forehand topspin, and I managed to figure out what might be the culprit. I hypothize that my topspin having some sidespin is due to my hitting point is too close to my body.

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Muscle Memory to Develop Whole Body Technique

For many, table tennis seems to be mostly about arm. I mean it’s obvious, we see 2 players on the court hitting table tennis ball back and forth to score points. And because those players hit the ball with their — guess what — arms, it’s very easy for people unfamiliar with this sport to draw such conclusion.

For beginners who never had proper table tennis practice, they will mostly use their arms to hit the ball. It’s the most convenient way. We use our arms to do daily tasks: opening the doors, eating, writing, cleaning things, everything. Our arms have developed such muscle memory that we can do those things unconciously and without thinking. In short, beginners use arms because they’re very accustomed to use their arms to do other things, and that’s completely normal.

In table tennis, however, there are ways that will yield greater result than by using mere arm to hit the ball.

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Multiball Drill, Only for 1v1 Coaching?

Short answer: of course not!

In my table tennis journey, I’ve experienced numerous learning curves of table tennis practice, ranging from practicing alone, one-one-one, to group training. One-on-one and group training is probably the most common form of practicing. Very rarely — at least for me — I see one coach train 2 students at the same time, at the same table.

Luckily we now live in era which information is only one click away. And now we know that 1v2 multiball drill can be practiced.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6OxL0eNjIo

I really like the idea of having 2 students doing different technique in very same multiball drill. From the coach’s perspective it’s like hitting 2 birds with 1 stone (but in this case it’s training 2 students in one sesion, and no bird is hurt!).

In this drill the coach feed one student with long backspin ball. The student then loop the ball, and then another student on the other side of the table countertopspin. This is pretty much quite a common scenario in table tennis and can be very useful.

Waiting fot the Ball to Come…

Just the other day I had a practice with other clubmate at a local table tennis club I recently joined. Most club members there are experienced and advanced players, while I’m just a below average player by their standard. So he was kind enough to ask me to spar with him after he saw me playing with other member. He easily defeated me 4 sets straight. Most of his points were from his attack and my unforced error against his spin, certainly my level still isn’t high enough to deal with his serve and spin. After that he admitted that actually I had a good basics, my problem was too much rushing my shots. He said that if I deliberately waited a little bit more before executing my shot, the ball will lost some more of its spin, and should be easier for me to control.

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Basics in Table Tennis: The Invisible Aspect of the Sport

In this post, I will mention 3 invisible basics that should be learned and mastered even before start learning the basic strokes. If I were a table tennis coach and about to coach complete beginner, I will put plenty of emphasis on these basics before actually start teaching the strokes.

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