Answer: Hello Devin,

For a mixed chop and loop game the combination of Tackiness Chop and Tackfire C Soft should work well for you. You will find the Tackiness Chop much easier to control while chopping than Sriver FX. However, 1.5 mm sponge will be more difficult to loop with from mid-distance. If you do a lot of backhand looping you may want to use a thicker sponge.

Best of luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Jack,

Pips out hitters traditionally like a fast blade with a hard feel. These types of blades not only produce great speed but a low ball throw which helps the hitting style of play. There are two blades that I suggest you take a look at. The first is our classic hitting carbon blade, the Primorac Carbon. It has great speed and a very hard feel. Current US Men’s Champion, David Zhuang, also plays a pips-out game and uses the Iolite Blade and cuts the handle down a little. Both of these blades should work very well for your style.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Erwin,

Normally, I do not answer coaching questions here but only those dealing with equipment. However, you have asked an excellent question. I have asked the good folks at Butterfly to post an article I wrote many years ago that deals with the basic elements of all strokes (timing, force vs. friction, and ball contact points) and how they all work together. You can find this article and the answer to your question by looking in the coaching section of this website.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: I would suggest that you look at both the VSG 3000 and 4000 models. Both are a little faster than your Primorac but with their unique vibration shut-out handles they have excellent control. The 4000 model also features 2 carbon layers which will give you a larger sweet-spot. As far as choosing a handle shape this is really a very personal choice. While the flared handle is the most popular, players who tend to have more of a grip change between backhand and forehand strokes often like a straight handle. You really need to buy what is the most comfortable feeling handle in your hand.

Best wishes,
Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Erwin,

You have asked two very different questions. If you are not getting enough spin on your serves, the problem is your service technique not your equipment. You might want to try and video tape your serves and compare them to those of top players. Even better, try and find a coach to help you find the problem.

The Gergely has long been one of Butterfly’s most popular Carbon blades. If you enjoy the feel and power of Carbon, you may want to try an Arylate/Carbon Blade. These blades feature the power and large sweet spot of your Gergely but with a softer feel and longer dwell time that allows for more spin to be produced on your topspin strokes. The Timo Boll Spirit or the Michael Maze blade would be good choices.

Best wishes,
Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Ying,

Both Ishlion and Kreanga Carbon feature a new Uniaxial Light Carbon design where all the carbon fibers are pointing in the same direction. This process results in an increase of the fiber density while reducing the weight of the graphite. The manufacturing process for the uniaxial construction is unique and requires special engineering, machinery and treatment thus increasing the cost to fabricate. These light weight blades provide explosive mid-distance power with great feel for the short game which is very suitable for your style of play.

Bill Lui, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Kuba,

Unfortunately in general terms, as the speed of your blade increases the control decreases. However, it should be possible for you to move to a slightly faster blade and still control the ball well. The Schager Precision Blade will give you a little more speed. The Balsa Carbo X5 is even faster. The X5 has a soft feel and if you like to keep the ball on the racket as long as possible, you will like this blade. I would also suggest you consider the Petr Korbel. It has the same wood construction as your Primorac but is just a little thicker. It has much of the feel of the Primorac but much more power from mid-distance.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach & Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Kaushik,

Our regular Sriver is a little faster than Mark V. However, if you are looking for more speed and spin, I would suggest trying Sriver G2 or Sriver Powersponge if you prefer the “glue” feel.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach & Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Chris,

Korbel is an excellent offensive wood blade and with the rubber combination fits your style very well. A slightly faster blade that has similar characteristics and increased control, due to the 2 arylate/carbon layers, is the Michael Maze blade. It has the same feel and identical dimensions to Korbel so getting used to it will take very little time.

Bill Lui, U. S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hi Peter,

Top players often apply fresh speed glue before every practice and match. This means that they are constantly removing and reapplying the rubbers to the blade. This practice can damage the blade by removing wood fibers or even whole pieces of wood. To help prevent this, some players will “seal” a blade with some sort of varnish. While this can help reduce wood damage from the regluing process, it can also change the playing characteristics of the blade. I personally do not recommend this practice.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Richard,

If you are having control problems using Catapult then moving to an even faster rubber (Solcion) will only increase your problems. Sriver FX Powersponge has plenty of speed and works well with players with medium or slower swing speeds. The all-round qualities of the Sriver topsheet also offer excellent ball control in all situations.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Raju,

Primorac 2000 is a fast blade so you probably want more control since your style is spin and hit. Sriver is fine but I suggest a thinner sponge; 1.9 for hitters.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Helvecio,

Welcome back to our great sport!

You are quite right that their have been major changes in equipment over the last ten years. With the advent of the 40mm ball, even defensive players have had to speed up their equipment.

Based on your style description I would suggest trying either the Matsushita Pro Special or Joo Se Hyuk blades. As too rubber, Tackiness Drive still is an excellent choice but you probably will want to use a little thicker sponge (1.7 or 1.9). For the backhand, I would suggest Feint Long III, which plays with great control from long distance.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Javier,

I think that your choices of a VSG 3000 with Sriver-G2 FX should match your style very well. The Sriver G2 series of rubbers will give you the all-round feel of the original Sriver but with more speed and spin. If you are looking for more control on your backhand side, I would suggest that you use a thinner sponge on that side. Perhaps a 2.1mm on the forehand and a 1.9mm on the backhand.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Dear Tan,

To me, you are already playing with excellent rubber choices! I would suggest for blades (based on personal experience) you consider trying in order from medium speed to faster - Primorac, Jonyer, Viscaria, Michael Maze, Timo Boll, Primorac Carbon and Schlager Carbon. Your decision should also consider handle types and whether you can try them at your club or local clubs before buying. Sometimes just 5 minutes with a different blade will tell you a lot.

As for the suggestion your friend made about Bryce, I would suggest you stick with your current rubber and experiment with blades only. The only important advantage Bryce would offer you is the potential to re-loop opponents loops. This would also take serious practice to develop. If you are trying new rubber and blades at the same time, it can be very difficult.

Best Wishes,

Mark Nordby, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Bill,

Your current racket would be classified as a high end store-line racket. Please realize that professional grade equipment produces far more spin and speed than what you have been playing with. I am assuming from your description of how you play that you mostly chop on the backhand and topspin the forehand. As you are moving up to a professional racket, your choice of the Cutlass blade seems to be an excellent choice. It has the high control that you will need. I would suggest a little slower rubber with more spin for your forehand, something like Tackifire D would be appropriate. As to your backhand rubber, Feint Long II is ideal for an experience chopper with good stroke technique. If you are still working on developing your strokes, I would not suggest a long pip rubber. Something like Tackiness C would be a better choice.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Ed,

From your description you sound like you play a steady counter-driving game. Some years ago, Super Sriver was very popular among this style of players.

I would suggest that you first keep your old blade and work on finding a new rubber combination that will work for you. Later on you may want to update your blade as well. With the advent of the 40mm ball, most players have speeded up their equipment a little bit. However, when coming back from a long layoff, control is also very important. With all this in mind, I would suggest that you either use 2.1 Sriver or 2.1 Ekrips rubber. Today’s Sriver has been much improved over the years and continues to be the most popular all-round rubber in the World. Ekrips is a little faster and has a lower ball throw, which is more like the old Super Sriver you previously use.

Best of luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Sam,

It’s better to remove the cork because it will be lighter in weight, rubber will stay on the racket better and you will get a better feel.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Chris,

This is an excellent question. I only wish I had a definitive answer for you. First of all, it is important to understand that currently racket testing happens only in limited ITTF Events. This will probably continue to be true in the future. Butterfly is working on the production of glues that will meet the new ITTF standard and they will be available before the ban goes into effect. Unless you are going to be competing at major ITTF Events, the glue ban will probably be a non-issue for almost everyone.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Dan,

You can certainly add a sheet of rubber to the reverse side of your penhold racket. I would suggest trying Sriver with a 1.5 mm sponge. Sriver features great all-round playing qualities with excellent control. You will find Sriver, like all our professional inverted rubbers, to be a higher quality (more spin and speed) than the rubber you now have on our recreational model rackets.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Jesse,

Your choice of Kong Linghui blade and Feint Long II is a fine choice except, I would suggest 1.7 or 1.9 sponge instead of max; you will get more control without compromising spin. For the other side (Forehand), I suggest Cermet 2.1, Tackifire 2.1 or Tackiness 2.1. All have good defensive as well as offensive characteristics with Tackiness being more slower and spinier.

Don’t worry about the racket being unbalanced with no sponge on one side. Main concern is choosing sponge or no sponge; no sponge is much slower and requires more follow-throughs or snapping of the stroke.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Indri,

Your problem is a common one. Many players have found relief by sanding the offending edges of the racket handle. You should try this before looking to change rackets. Just use a fine grade of sandpaper and sand a little at a time. This will probably take care of your problem. If not, you can find a complete list of handles and their sizes available on our website.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Azmi

Yes, I think you need to change your “gear”. Gergely is a fast blade and you are using Sriver Max, which require great touch and feel because of the speed and power it generates. Generally, the thinner the sponge, the more control you will get.

Try changing just the rubber first to Sriver 2.1. If this doesn’t give you enough control, then get off- blade. It may slow your game down a bit but you will be more consistent.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Nenad,

Thirty years ago, I also used the Klampar Blade with Sriver. From your description of your style and your experience, I would say you made a very appropriate choice in equipment. Please note that today’s Sriver is a much improved product than what was sold 25 years ago. While Butterfly has always kept the “feel” and great all-round characteristics that Sriver is known for, it has been consistently updated to keep pace with the modern game.

The Balsa Carbo x5 Blade will play a little faster than the old Klampar blade and should provide you more than enough power for the 40mm ball.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Paul,

You really did not describe what style of player you are, so giving advice regarding tactics is difficult. However, if you tend to be defensive, Bryce probably is not the best choice in rubbers for you. Bryce is designed for the all-out power player and requires a great deal of training to control. You may want to return to Sriver rubbers, as they are much better for the all-round game. Your Kenny Pro blade offers excellent control and should be fine for you.

Here is a simple way to think about basic tactics. There are four ways to win a point. Try to start each point focusing on one of these four. If your plan is not working, try another.

1. Power
2. Setting traps for your opponent – changing spin, speeds, heights, and placements to force errors from the opponent.
3. Time pressure – playing the ball early in the bounce and forcing your opponent to play quicker than he is comfortable with
4. Special techniques – long pips or anti, special serves, anything that forces your opponent to adapt to something they are not used to.

Best of luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Austin,

Senshu racket with Flextra rubber; you probably bought this combination assembled. You can get some performance from this equipment but if you have been playing for sometime and feel ready for higher speed and spin, then there are lot of choices based on your style of play. Tackifire series have excellent speed and spin. Tackiness series is slower speed with more spin, good for defensive players, chopping and control looping. Sriver FX is good for all around offensive game. Sriver-G2 FX and Bryce FX maybe too fast for you.

The sponge thickness is based also on style of play; thinner for players who tend to hit more and thicker for power looping.

But regardless of which you chose, you should get professional coaching because these equipment require good movement, stroke and touch and feel to maximize their potential.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Richard,

From you comments, it sounds like you are a developing player who is leaning towards an all-round style of play. With this is mind, I would suggest that Sriver would be your best choice. The great thing about Sriver is that it is designed for all-round play and works well with many styles of play. Sriver has all the "gears". This means it works well from any distance from the table and with most swing speeds. There is a reason that Sriver is our most popular rubber, it simply does everything well.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hi Paolo,

I remember playing with Super Sriver way back then in the 1970’s. I personally didn’t like it and switched to regular Sriver because it didn’t have the “touch and feel”. I also played with Primorac Carbon not too long ago and I liked it, I think it’s a good choice; some of my students play with it. My personal preference is Viscaria.

For a very long time, I used Sriver FX with speed glue because it was originally designed for speed gluing and I still recommend it to all of my students, intermediate or at higher levels. The “unusual” quality and option it gives as you noted, is without speed gluing, it is very good all around control rubber and if used in combination with a fast racket, it gives you enough speed plus the control and the price is much lower than the newer High Tension rubbers. As you accurately noted, Sriver FX also can be a power rubber with completely different characteristics if speed glued. The draw back is not only the high maintenance and cost, but also once you get used to playing with speed glue effect, it is hard to go back. All of my beginners start with slow to intermediate speed rackets with Sriver FX, Sriver or G2FX without speed glue and higher level students use Sriver FX, Sriver G2-FX, Bryce FX, Bryce and Cermet, all speed glued.

Tackiness-Chop obviously was designed for defensive players. I used it before since I also play all around defensive style as a coaching tool (I play three styles; all around offense, defensive and penhold). Tackiness-Chop has a sticky top sheet and slow sponge. Tackiness-Drive sponge is faster. So it comes down to the finer details on your style of play. Today, all defensive players are capable of strong attacking play.

For your age and style, I suggest selecting Cermet or one of the FX series because it has a better feel to it due to the softer sponge. An added note; FX series are very popular because when speed glued, it gives extra “grip” and feel but, players over 2400 to world-class, tend to use non FX because they prefer power and speed vs. the extra feel.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: The racket you have, Brian Pace with D-13 is primarily for beginners and recreational play, not suitable for competitive levels although players with talent can achieve intermediate levels with these types of rackets, but this is rare. If you played for five years, you must have developed some “touch and feel” for the game and should be ready for more advanced play.

Although you can create some speed and spin with D-13, there is many options, rubber-racket combinations, for you to create real “power loops” and still have service controls. I suggest moving up to Sriver FX, Tackiness-Drive or Cermet and rackets like Primorac, Korbel, Steger or other offensive- type blades. The rubber thickness should be 2.1 unless your style is primarily hitting.

After you chose your racket, I strongly suggest you get professional coaching to fully utilize the capability of your racket.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hi Jesse,

You ask several good questions and I will try to give you some answers. First of all, Long pip rubbers allow much of your opponent's spin to pass back to them. This is commonly called the, "reversal effect". Long pip rubbers are basically defensive in nature as they do not generate much spin on their own and they are slower in speed to other rubbers. However, you can attack underspin balls successfully with long pips. Short pip rubbers are much faster and can produce spin although not as much as inverted (smooth) rubbers. Short pip rubbers do not have the reversal effect.

The Kong Linghui Special is an excellent blade but you may want to consider something a little slower with more control for your first professional blade. Even the slowest professional blades are much faster than those sold in stores. Using rubbers of different thickness on the two sides of your blade is very common and does not cause a balance problem with the racket.

My last suggestion is that you may want to seek out a USATT Certified Coach and take a couple of lessons.

Good luck with your game,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: Hello Taylor,

Of our High Tension Rubbers, Bryce has the lowest ball trajectory, Sriver G2 the highest. If you are looking for a medium ball trajectory you may want to try Cermet. Also, the FX versions of Bryce and Sriver G2 have a softer sponge and a higher ball throw.

Best wishes,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: VSG is not so much better than Primorac Carbon or other popular rackets used by top players; it’s a matter of choice and circumstance. Nearly all top players sponsored are able to choose any racket and many of them, design their own or have them made specifically for them and market them. I personally played with both of them (and dozens of others) and I like them but my personal preference is Viscaria but not too many top players (World-class) use Viscaria.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hi Nathan,

You did not list the equipment that you are currently using, so I am going to assume that you are using a “store line” product and looking to purchase your first professional racket.

As you and your friend have only been playing about a year, you should really focus on the control aspect of your next racket. Also, keep in mind that even the slower rated professional rackets are generally much faster than any store line product.

You describe yourself as an all-round attacker so I would recommend you try one of the following blades: Primorac, Andrzej Grubba, or Timo Boll. These blades are perfect for your style and offer good control as well. As for rubber, I would recommend Butterfly’s classic all-round rubber, Sriver in 1.9 mm thickness.

As for your friend, who plays a more all-round defensive style, I would suggest the Grubba Pro Blade. It is a little slower blade with a slightly larger head, making it excellent for a controlled defensive style. As for rubber, I would suggest Butterfly, Tackiness Drive in 1.9. This combination will allow for an easy mix of offensive and defensive play.

Best of luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: To Sam,

When playing against Neubauer there are 4 keys I like to keep in mind. 1) serve many completely dead(no-spin) serves and look to attack knowing that this ball will be basically dead. 2) Know how well I spun/or did not spin my own shots so I can be ready for the likely amounts of spin that may be coming my way on the next shot. 3) If the Neubauer player likes to attack, make sure I defend a little more passively than usual as it can be difficult to hit successive attack shots with Neubauer rubber - especially against deep no-spin or heavy topspin higher balls. 4) Rarely attack several shots in a row unless I REALLY like my chances as the Neubauer player is counting on lots of errors from you because of the severs spin reversal they produce.

Mark Nordby, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: I am assuming the “stock” Stiga racket you have came pre-assembled when you purchased it. These pre-assembled rackets are made and sold (about $35-$55)for primarily beginners and recreational players, unless, you requested specific high performance racket and rubbers. Typically, these pre-assembled rackets comes in 1.9 to 2.2mm thickness and the thickness have nothing to do with whether it is high performance or not; it have to do with style of play. These stock rackets are typically slower and do not create variety of spin and speed offered by higher quality performance rubbers.

So yes, as a beginner, it is ok to start with stock rackets but it is limiting what you can do in the end.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hello Tiar,

From your description of your style, the combination of Sriver EL and Bryce would seem to be a good one for you. El is the backhand rubber of choice for many top players as it both spins and blocks well with excellent control. Bryce has in the last few years become the dominate "power" rubber on the market. It has great speed and spin but you have to put in the practice time to control it. As far as thickness, 2.1mm will play well from both close and mid-level distances from the table.

Best of luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: This is a tough one to answer because you’re going to have to try variety of rubbers to find one that will fit your “touch and feel” and style of play.

The primary reason choppers speed glue on their forehand is because they mostly counter attack when opponents attack their forehand. I know some players use regular un-speed glued Sriver instead of different variety of Tackifires.

I also play a chopping game although this is not my primary style. I use medium pips on my backhand and un-speed glued Cermet on my forehand for chopping and countering. I tried Cataput but it has too much rebound for chopping. I liked the control of Sriver FX but I am playing with Cermet because it has more spin and more “bounce” than Tackifire for looping. Give it a try and let me know.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach

Answer: Hi James,

Your current pips out rubber without sponge is commonly referred to as "hard rubber". While it offers a lot of control, it can only produce limited speed and spin. Table Tennis is very much a sport dominated by spin. The difference in the levels of play has more to do with the amount of spin a player learns to produce and how well he can control the spin from his opponent. Moving from a hard rubber racket to a pips-out rubber with sponge is probably the most logical step up into professional equipment. I would suggest that you consider Challenger Attack for your forehand instead of the Flarestorm as it is much easier to control.

Please be aware that even the slowest professional equipment is going to be much faster than what you are playing with currently. However, with some practice you will find that you can do so much more with good equipment. Also, be aware that while pips-out rubber with sponge will produce much more spin than hard rubber, it does not produce enough topspin to play a Mid-distance Looper Style of Play. This style is based on extreme topspin that can only be produced with Inverted Rubber (smooth).

Good Luck,

Richard McAfee, USATT National Coach and Hall of Fame Member

Answer: I think this is a good choice. My question for you is, you been using thinner sponge on your backhand. Have you considered this may also be the reason your backhand shots are going short? Thinner sponge has less rebound effect. The other factor is style of play regarding your backhand; thinner sponge is usually better suited for hitting rather than spinning. Do you tend to hit or spin more? Butterfly Tackiness Drive has good top sheet for spinning and the sponge is a little harder for hitting so it is a good choice, but I would consider 2.1 based on your style of play.

Masaaki Tajima, U.S. Certified National Coach