November 10, 2020 Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer Question: Rubber Recommendations

• Defensive player but likes to attack as well
• Relies on heavy spin via hard forehand use
• Wants more control
• Has a wooden butterfly shakehand blade; Unknown Model
• Nittaku is current rubber on blade; Unknown thickness/model
• Not tacky enough
• Interested in Aibiss rubber

Answer: 

This Ask the Experts question was answered by Min Kim. She is the coach at MK Georgia Table Tennis in Duluth, Georgia. Coach Kim’s response is below: Hi Zack, As a defensive player, I would recommend you try the Diode V with Tenergy 05 (1.9mm ) on your forehand and Impartial XB (1.9mm) on your backhand. Here are the reasons: When defensive players receive a ball with underspin, compared to the 1.9 mm rubber, it would be harder to control the ball with a 2.1 mm rubber because the resistance is too strong. Therefore, in order to control the ball more comfortably, I recommend the 1.9. For the front, the Tenergy 05 1.9 rubber is a style that can combine defense and offense with good spin. For the back, I recommend a pips-out (short pips) rubber that changes irregularity when the other player receives the ball that attacks you. Warm Regards, Coach Kim