The selected theme Object is plain and simple; it suits well to this activity.

I’ve bought a piece of the latest DHS H3 Neo Provincial; in black, hardness 38°C, 2.15mm thick. Note there is already a kind of pre-glued layer upon the sponge. It seems to be related to the boost contained within.

Day 1: First use

I used to play with hard rubbers; but here, I confess that this rubber is really hard! There are even version with 40°C and 41°C hardness! So, with a such hardness, the blocs are amazing. I can even control the direction on most the hit top and fast flat strokes ! And undoutbly, it’s easier to counter attack. One thing surprised me, is the fact that the rubber is not so sensible – compared to a T05 – to incoming effects.

The counterpart is the absolute requirement to be extremly active on the ball, to use the potential of this rubber. If you stay lazy behind the table, you’re going to do nothing good at all .

Day 2: Regularity training

When I began to play in counter style, I feel it’s easier, the con is I don’t really feel the ball when I have to issue the first top spin. It’s like you have to play “by heart” the first top spin. The lack of feeling is evident.

Day 3 : Matchs

I’ve difficulties to issue effective serves. My bomb serves aren’t really fast. The reason – except the one I’m not a champion – is the rubber is not bouncy at all. It’s exactly an anti-Tenergy 05 rubber. The pro is the short serves are easy-peasy. So, it was enough to win all matchs today.

Day 4 : top spins training

I broke up, and I turned my blade . This evening I top spin on forehand with the boosted Omega IV Asia. I try H3 Neo on my backhand. And at the end, on the backhand, it’s “so so” too. Dawn! How Chinese players play with a such rubber. I’m sure there is kind of genetic modification under

Conclusion:

For now, I decided to put again a more usual rubber – one Xiom Omega IV Asia slightly boosted – in order to have back my feeling on the first top spin and serves. In fact, the usage of a Chinese rubber is so different from a traditional rubber that all the gesture has to be re-learned.

Following advices from my Chinese contact, I’ll try again the H3 Neo. I’ll peel off the intial layer on the sponge, and boost it then. It should be more effective and more fun to play.

• Xiom Vega Pro
• Xiom Vega Asia
• Xiom Omega IV Pro
• Xiom Omega IV Asia

All this rubbers has been set on the same blade (Joola MC-1). And I’ve chosen all the time the Max thickness.

In term of durability the N°1 is… Vega Pro. Indoubtly one of the best price/performance/durability ratio available nowadays.

The Omega IV Pro “gives more”, but lasts less. It performance decreases after 2-3 weeks, and have to be changed after 2 months and half. That’s not bad as I pratice about 4-6 times a week !

The Omega IV Asia seems to last longer than Omega IV Pro. It’s hard to be sure as I play Omega IV Asia on my backhand. But after 3 months, I can give same amount of spin, and only lost a few in control and touch.

I’m not very fond of Vega Asia, even it’s an excellent rubber for serve, and underspin pushes. The rubber is too sensitive to incoming effect, and doesn’t last so long (about 2 months).

My favorites Xiom rubbers are Omega IV Pro, Omega IV Asia and Vega Pro.

The Vega Pro is so good if you play Chinese-style. It’s not as harsh as H3 Neo, but nearly as effective, and give us more control at the first top spin. Counter spin and flat strokes are highly powerfull.

The Omega IV Pro is really different. It’s a kind of cheap T05, gives a little less than T05 in term of adherence.

The Cons I had with Omega IV Pro is; it’s was perfect for 3 Weeks, but adherence decreased after that. And the ratio speed/adherence didn’t suit me well. It becomed too fast regarding the given spin.

The Omega IV Asia is bouncy as T05 (even more), has more adherence, gives more spin, just miss a little speed. So I’m currently playing with H3 Neo Prov on forehand, and Omega IV Asia (slighty boosted) on backhand.

That’s was my main objective, and it’s done

Of course, I really got few changes to go to the third and final round, but it’s for fun. I’m sure I’ll be the only one ancestor to play among youngsters.

It helps everyone to figure out about it own technique.

After a one week session with the unofficial Tenergy rubber substitute a.k.a Xiom Vega . I would like to try the real one! Fortunately for me, I’ve good relationship with a sale guy in my favorite Décathlon center. He offered me to buy 2 rubbers but at the old price (37€) instead of the insane new price (57€).

Day 1

Setup

Same last test, I made a complete new racket. Starting with my favorite Joola MC-1 blade. I know very well this blade, so I eliminate it from the test equation. I glued two Tenergy 05 2.1mm rubbers (it’s the maximum available). Nothing special at the gluing stage. The sponge is porous, so you have to put a rather good quantity of water based glue for the assembling. There is no dome effect at all. So it’s…easy . Once assembled, I immediately noticed the total weight. Huuu…it’s heavy. I’ve made a step last time while I changed from X-Tra to Xiom; now it’s more “a giant leap”.

Racket weight:   Joola X-Tra < Xiom Vega << Tenergy 05

Quick exercise:Â Basic top spin FH and BH, passive blocks (40m).

Immediately, I feel that the Ternergy 05 are very special. Simply, it’s astonishing. The first top spin is so heavy and spiny. The rubber is really powerful. It’s hard to believe. I understand now, why it’s the most used rubber among the world top players. The drive is easy and just perfect. But I’m not used to the overweight, and I can not swing as fast as with my Xiom’s. So, for now, I’m more efficient with Vega Pro in the first top spin placement, and counter looping.  Hey…it’s the first try, only .

For me, Vega Pro and Tenergy 05 are really different, indeed! The throw angle is a bit different, the amount of spin is quite different, the feeling is quite different too.

(to be continued)

I was given the opportunity to test the Xiom Vega rubbers at a good price. I had the last rubbers available from the promotional stock. I received the rubbers this Monday morning. As the next competition round is 2 weeks head, I’ve time to do some tests.

Day 1

Set up:

I made a complete new racket, starting with a new blade - Joola MC-1 – that I appreciate a lot. So I eliminate the blade variable from the test equation. I set the Vega Pro Max on the FH, and the Asia Max one on my BH. It seems natural to start with this configuration. Note, that gluing is not difficult as the rubber is perfectly flat, there is no “dome” effect at all. You just have to put quite a lot water glue, as the sponge rapidly drinks it. I found my new racket heavier than my usual one (Joola MC-1+X-Tra Max+X-Tra Max).

Day 2 (3h)

First exercise: FH righty to my BH (I’m lefty)

I start with this classical exercise of regularity or pre-match warm-up. Immediately a Whoa effect appear from Asia BH . Super feeling on the backhand. Passive block are easy. Blocking on flat hits is easier than my previous X-Tra Max. What a good start!

Second exercise: Short pushing and initial looping on 2 rebound balls

The grip is really good, the top-sheet is amazingly elastic. And the feeling is ok. The short pushes doesn’t pop up. It’s a good news. But Asia is not so easy to manage, Asia is really fast, and passive or moderate strokes imply to embrace the opposing…wall !

Ouch…..Damn!!!  I just (sightly) touched the table on a short push, and the rubber got ripped on 2 cm…hum it’s a fragile rubber.

Third exercise: FH topspin on underspin or nospin 2 rebound balls

Hum…the Vega Pro is hard, Not many feeling. I definitively play under my level. Sometimes it’s grippy at hell; sometimes the ball slip on the rubber. For sure I have to change something in my FH stroke to make it work.

Damn again!!. I touched the table edge on a 2 bounces ball, and I ripped the rubber over 3cm. That was my fault.

Note: The both Vega rubbers have absolutely NO catapult effect at all. The Asia rubber has a kind of throw-able effect, because the top-sheet is so grippy and elastic, but not a catapult or explosive effect like other German tensors (on soft sponge).

Day 3 (4h)

Free training and free matches:

I changed my FH gesture, and I manage better the Vega Pro rubber. And I like it more and more. It fast when you advance an hit fast, it’s slow when you’re slow. So, we can say, it’s a linear rubber!

I now do sport! Instead of simply rocketing the ball with a huge catapult effect (X-Tra Tensor effect), I have to engage to 100%, and I like it. I won some high speed rally with my FH that remembers me the old times with my Mark V (hard rubber too). For sure I like to play close at the table.

My backhand shots are average, I don’t feel easy at topspin, something is going wrong. Even if my backhand topspin is my favorite shot. Far from the table, I can throw insane powerful spiny top, but the throw angle is different. I’m not confident with it.

For services, I can not do fast services as before (with X-Tra Max) but it improved; I can put more effect on serves, and it’s easy to do a 2 bounces serve.

Note: Again lower or equal ranked players, It was a lot easier to win. Against higher ranked players, I can not compete anymore. I severely lost, I block and topspin one meter behond the table on my BH. I now swing my racket as fast as before (the extra weight is no more an issue).

Day 4Â (3h)

Some more training matches with best players in my club. I’ve huge difficulties to throw a tospin with my backhand. The faster I swing, the further of the table I go. Now, I’m completely lost on my BH, I switch BH for FH, and try Vega Pro on BH, it was less…worse but not a solution. I think it will be difficult for me to change from an explosive backhand tensor to a hard rubber.

At the same time, I manage quite well the FH, I don’t know if the Vega Pro becomes softer, but I become effective with this rubber. Close to the table or mid distance, it’s ok now. I’m really pleased to play with it, more and more.

I tried Vega Asia on FH, and it’s nice too, I can produce even more spin, specially side spin. But for now, I prefer the Vega Pro on the forehand.

Note: For sure the ‘passive’ speed of Vega Asia is superior to passive speed of Vega Pro. But, when you hit hard and/or swing fast, it’s exactly the contrary.

Day 5 (4h)

I’ve several test to drive:

1. Try one more time Asia on FH to compare the spin effect.
2. Find a different gesture for backhand (Should I en-wrap the ball with a fast wrist movement? Should I pulled the ball from the top side? Should I go faster with forearm and less with wrist? Or the opposite?)

I start to drive the Vega Pro well, I’m now confident with it, tonight I played my best since many years. My opponents (lower ranked) were disgusted. I even started to understand how to manage the Vega Asia. I do more forearm, and less wrist. The wrist movement must be done only at the end (to give extra spin). For Vega Asia is harder to manage, really fast, elastic, bouncy and powerful.

My Vega Pro on FH is not too fast. I can even drive a little faster rubber (Tenergy 05?, Xiom Omega IV Pro?).

By the way, I’ve now the sensation to play table tennis for real (right top spin placements, and rallies).

Conclusion

That I miss with Xiom rubbers:

• I can not serve as fast as with my X-Tra. I like to bomb serve with side spin and/or under/top spin. I’m about 10% less in speed.
• I can not do anymore active backhand blocks with wrist only. This gesture was available thanks to speed glue; now Tensor.
• Hitting on high balls is harder because it’s 100% physical effort; here the catapult effect from Tensor helps.

That I win with Xiom rubbers:

• A nice feeling on Forehand with the Vega Pro specially (Vega Pro > Vega Asia).
• A solid counter looping and fast action on Forehand (Vega Pro).
• Good shorts and spiny serves (Vega Pro = Vega Asia).
• Excellent pushes and pushes attack (Vega Pro > Vega Asia).
• Amazing underspin pushes (Vega Asia)
• A far better precision on top spin placement.

So, I keep this racket and I continue one more week !

Day 5 & 6

It’s a Week End without Table Tennis! Sometimes it’s good to stop a bit

Day 7 (4h30)

A huge training session. In one word, I never played as well as today (at least for many years and before I stopped play table tennis).

1 hour of training on defence was a piece of cake on FH. So easy I decided to change exercise and topspin with BH (Vega Asia).

I’ve improved active looping and top spins on my BH with Vega Asia, but I’m not yet 100% as confident as with my X-Tra. I noticed that passive block with Vega Asia is more difficult, because the rubber is highly sensitive to incoming effect due to the very elastic top-sheet. When I switch BH for Vega Pro, I found easier to block.

Regarding the FH, it’s simple, I put the ball exactly where I want! The Vega Pro excels in rally. Meanwhile I had some difficulties to issue a forth top spin in rally with Vega Asia (switched on FH). The reason is the throw angle, it’s lower than Vega Pro and I’m not used to it (yet).

For my game style:

Vega Pro: 10/10 : Changing from a soft sponge to a hard one, hasn’t been easy. But now, it’s f… good! I’d be pleased to try a Omega IV Pro one day.

Vega Asia: 8/10 : This rubber has qualities, undoubtdly, but it’s me who can not play with . I continue to test it for some days more. But I think I change it, either for another Vega Pro, or switch back to my previous X-Tra. My preference is for another hard rubber, due to the improvement in game placement.

Next test session:

After “tasting” and testing the Tenergy 05 and 64 supposed copies, I’m going to “taste” the original (2x T05). I comfort you, I didn’t pay the 57€ that a pigeon player have to pay for this BTY rubber.

Once more time, I’m lucky to assist to one AC/DC show. And it’s a great show with the big lotta Rosie!

Hiiiiiiiigghhhhhwaaayyyyy   toooooooo Heeeelllllllllll

Following advises of my team mates, I decided yesterday to do my first Table Tennis tournament. I’m now close to forty, so it was time to start tournament, indeed .

The competition last all day long. So, it means, play, wait, play, wait, etc. I had to be patient!

The last match was a bit labored, my opponent was largely supported by his whole team, and I faced him alone. I lost the first set, with a tight score, that encouraged me, and kept me focused. Then, I won the next three set, to finish the match.

I won one cup, and some pretty hand-made crockery, plus fifty bucks!

A very huge effort has been made to make it run properly on the WampServer platform. long debug sessions have been necessary to make it support the latest WordPress release (2.9.2) in conjunction with the latest WampServer platform (2.0i).

The very nice “Reflection” theme has been changed to run effectively on this new platform. Everything has returned to normal. And I just have to push new photos!