Table Tennis Basics: Material Talk with Taisei Imamura, Part 1
December 9, 2009

Taisei Imamura

Courtesy of Butterfly-World (December 2009 Newsletter) Material Talk with Taisei Imamura Part 1: At the moment TENERGY 05 is the fastest rubber

Butterfly employee Taisei Imamura (52) is not only one of the best material experts in table tennis sport he also looks after all the prominent Butterfly players and thus receives a lot of feedback about Butterfly material. This is passed on by the Japanese, who is working at the Butterfly European office in Moers, to the Butterfly research department in Tokyo to improve Butterfly products – particularly rubbers and blades – even further. In this conversation he explains why the TENERGY rubbers ("05" model) which was presented for the first time in May 2008 became a success story. Naturally he also explains for whom which of TENERGY is most recommendable. Last but not least he advises us on Butterfly blades which are especially suited to the TENERGY rubbers.

Butterfly has written a unique success story with the new top rubbers of the TENERGY series. The TENERGY 05 was first brought on the market in May 2008 that means shortly before the glue ban in September 2008 and it was a great success straight away. Among the professionals it was the most successful and most favorite rubber very quickly. What makes the TENERGY so exceptional?

It is the SPRING – SPONGE – technology, which provides the TENERGY with such unique abilities. The SPRING – SPONGE develops an enormous dynamic especially against balls with topspin. If the ball goes deeply into the sponge it is possible to return it with the same if not more spin. With other rubbers the ball very often slips a bit downwards and loses spin and speed. In opposite to that the TENERGY balls have a lot of spin and speed. One more remark for better understanding is that the so called „little” techniques like the service or the push is mainly played with the surface which has most influence on the ball. The sponge plays a minor role here because the ball doesn’t go so deep into the sponge because it hits the bat with less speed. In any case the TENERGY 05 is at the moment the fastest and most aggressive rubber if no glue and booster is used.

Meanwhile BUTTERFLY has brought two more TENERGY rubbers on the market, the TENERGY 64 and the TENERGY 25. What is the difference?

The TENERGY 05 is mainly used for the game close to the table against a lot of topspin. Timo Boll and Werner Schlager both use it on both sides and their aggressive way of playing stresses our recommendation. The TENERGY 64 produces its power and force more from half – distance. Jun Mizutani who loves to play away from the table plays successfully with this version. Many Koreans who prefer playing away from the table use the 64. In Europe most of the players prefer the 05. Recently we observed that a few of players combine both TENERGY varieties. They play the 05 on their forehand side and the 64 on the backhand. That is not in opposite to our recommendations but the TENERGY 64 gives you a softer feeling for the ball and is particularly suited for the above mentioned “little” techniques. The TENERGY 25 finds its followers in players who play close to the table with a lot of pressure, precise and a lot of control.

TENERGY 05 and 64 have developed to absolute top rubbers at professional level.

The TENERGY 05 and TENERGY 64 are not only available with a 2.1mm sponge but also with a 1.7mm and 1.9mm version. One example is Viktoria Pavlovich, the finalist of the EC 2009, who plays with TENERGY 05 1.7mm on her forehand and defends and attacks with it. It has a lot of grip. The 1.9mm sponge should also be very interesting for many amateurs, because it is easier for control. Many players who have not yet developed their technique completely and lack consistency often make the mistake to play with a sponge which is too thick. With the right thickness the TENERGY rubbers are not suitable for everybody but for many players of all levels. That is not a contradiction. Our legendary SRIVER was used by world champions and players in the lowest leagues. That was its secret of success.

It is well known that the TENERGY rubbers because of its new sponge structure are a little bit heavier than comparable Butterfly rubbers. Do you recommend a particular blade because of that?

The TENERGY rubbers are indeed a bit heavier, about 3 grams per side. Some notice that, others don’t. In the end it doesn’t matter because by choosing the right blade you can compensate the added weight easily. I can also report from top players that many of them continued playing with the TENERGY on their old blade, but some other TENERGY players changed to a new lighter blade. It is quite simple; every player prefers a certain weight of the whole bat. Then every gram is deciding and top players are quite sensitive here.

Which blades can you recommend?

First of all there is the Michael Maze OFF and the TIMO BOLL SPIRIT OFF which both contain the highly rated ARYLATE – CARBON construction and by this combine high speed with relatively little weight. Both develop combined with the TENERGY rubbers excellent playing abilities. Also the TIMO BOLL ALC OFF and the TIMO BOLL ZLC OFF are an excellent combination with the TENERGY. One more blade which must be mentioned is the KORBEL SK7. This classical 7 layer blade construction is with 95g relatively heavy but it shows brilliant qualities from half – distance with the TENERGY. For players with a lot of power this is definitely recommendable.

To be continued...