Ask The Experts: Truong Tu, No. 247

June 29, 2019

Ask The Experts: Truong Tu, No. 247
Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:

Hello Dear coach Truong,

I am Wenyan and I did ask you some questions about two months ago. I really appreciate it. Right now, I have more questions want to hear from you.

I have two blades at home, which are Super ZLC and Viscaria. For rubber, I got Chinese Hurricane, T64, T80, and T25 (brought accidentally). I play table tennis at the close table most of the time and sometimes also at the mid-range table. My style is to loop and use forehand mainly and backhand block. Currently, I am practicing on banana flips and loop drive on my backhand.

My questions are 1. Which blade should be treated as my alternative blade, and how I pair them with my current rubbers?
2. For T25, I brought it accidentally because of seeing the wrong number when buying T05. How should I use it? Or, it doesn’t fit with my style at all?
3. Are there better rubber options to pair with my blades?

I am looking forward to your reply.

Answer:

This Ask the Experts question was answered by Truong Tu. Truong plays at the Silicon Valley Table Tennis Club in San Jose, CA. Coach Tu’s response is as follows:

Wenyan,

Thank you for your question. You didn’t mention which Super ZLC you have (Zhang Jike Super ZLC or Jun Mizutani Super ZLC). I will assume that you have the Zhang Jike Super ZLC.

The Zhang Jike Super ZLC has a harder feeling than the Viscaria therefore it has more power and is better for mid distance players. Since you have mentioned that you play mostly close to the table, I would recommend you go with the Viscaria which is softer and can give you more feeling for close-to-the-table play. Furthermore, as right now you are practicing on banana flip and loop drive, you need a blade with more dwell time in order to develop your stroke and feeling.

As for the rubber, Tenergy 25 is good for close to the table blocking/punching/smashing style. The only concern is since you are developing a banana flip and loop, Tenergy 64 could be the choice among your current rubbers. As for your forehand, you can try Tenergy 80. Tenergy 80 has high angle and a little harder to play close the table but if your style based a lot on spin then it won’t be a bad choice. However, I would recommend getting Tenergy 05 for the forehand still if you can as the Tenergy 05 is suitable for your forehand dominant close to the table style.