It's New Year's Day, 2025! And I've made it a habit to change my rubber out every year at the start of the year, so this time I thought I would post my blade and rubber combination and write a bit about it and why I'm playing with it. I started playing with this combo in mid-2021 and don't see myself moving away from it any time soon.
Blade: Stiga Dynasty Carbon, Xu Xin edition, 85g. Xu Xin has probably been my favorite Chinese national team player from this century actually, and I'm a Stiga guy, so why not try his signature blade out? That was the thinking. And it ends up that this blade fits his style of play: creative topspin game, dynamic shot making, super stable at the table, excellent touch. And this blade has helped a (much lower level) player like me achieve some of the same… easy topspin, easy block, easy table game, and not so much power that I fall behind in my footwork. It has just enough speed to play offense, but is slow enough for a big guy like me to move around in rhythm with the ball. This blade has amazing ball feel; crisp due to the thin koto outer ply, not unlike a Butterfly Timo Boll ALC or Viscaria in feel and shot making accuracy, but with cushy dynamics due to the thick ayous core. It plays very accurately and consistently, but has a bit of throw when you get down into the wood on a bigger shot. It has the Stiga feeling!
Forehand rubber: Butterfly Dignics 80, 2.1mm. While I don't love Butterfly blades all that much, I believe they produce top quality rubber, as good or better than anything out there perhaps. Dignics seems to be the default rubber selection for intermediate to advanced level players these days, but the question arises as to which one to choose between: 09C, 05, 80, or 64? I chose 80 for my forehand. Though, it seems it is not a usual choice, as most players intermediate through pro levels are using 09C or 05 on their forehands. However I do have unique reasonings for my choice: 1) 80 is the Dignics with the most allround characteristics; I can spin the ball, hit the ball, block the ball, chop the ball, lob the ball, etc, all with relative ease and without too much fuss, and there's nothing really getting in my way from the rubber to impede any of those shots. I don’t have to overthink it; 2) easy speed: 80 is pretty fast and I can generate power on most balls with relative ease with seemingly little effort; 3) yes, it's spinny: while not as spinny as 09C or 05 in "mechanical spin", it certainly generates quite a bit of spin from a variety of stroke productions, and I would estimate it is spinnier than Tenergy 05 on most shots; 4) dynamic range: I get the sense with 09C and 05 that I HAVE to spin the ball with pretty good technique on most balls to get a decent result, but with 80 I have freedom to choose spin level and trajectory with or without a perfect stroke. In that sense it plays a bit like a nicely speed-glued rubber from the 90's... I can spin cleanly or mush the ball with a "glue shot" for a winner. Not so easy with 09C or 05. 5) physicality: I’m not using my body as efficiently or powerfully enough to be able to get close to bottoming out 09C or 05 on hard shots, which means I would be underutilizing those rubbers a lot of the time. So it’s my opinion that most players under a certain level MAY be better off choosing something other than 09C or 05, and potentially something other than Dignics entirely... That level could be 2000, or could be as high as 2400 as a barrier to entry, depending on the individual player’s strength and body mechanics. 09C and 05 are certainly not for everyone just because they might like to loop the ball! To finalize, Dignics 80 is easy to play, with pretty good power, pretty good spin, and flexible… easy peasy!
Backhand rubber: Stiga DNA Platinum S, 2.0mm. I've always been into Stiga gear as I primarily used it when I first started playing, so I always try to use something on my racket Stiga-based; there's something about Stiga gear that feels "right" when using it. When I started training with a national level coach in 2016, she recommended a soft-sponged Stiga rubber for my backhand, and it was the perfect recommendation. Back in the 90's I used a lot of soft sponge rubbers on my backhand, one specifically most of the time: Skitt Coppa Tenero. So her recommendation sat well. In terms of the DNA Platinum Soft that I'm currently using, it is quite fast for a soft rubber, and definitely fast enough throughout its life span. There’s improved spin generation in topspin compared to the previous DNA Pro, and it is excellent in block and counter. All in all, a perfect backhand rubber for a control player like me. And that is an important point, the soft sponge is likely geared towards control players seeking control and flexibility across a wide variety of strokes, both offensive and defensive. Aggressive players would find more utility in a harder sponge.
Whew… that was a lot to write, but I wanted to outline things clearly if I was going to do it at all. ‘Til next time…
