April 27, 2017

(By ButterflyMag)

ROZENA is the newest addition to the rubber family of Butterfly and is sure to find friends fast with its international launch on April 21st, 2017. What makes ROZENA so special? Which considerations led to its design?

High-performance rubber TENERGY

Since its introduction in 2008, TENERGY, especially the models 05 and 64, have become widely successful and are found among the majority of top players as well as in the lower leagues of table tennis. TENERGY has influenced the sport like only few fellow legendary rubbers before it, and TENERGY provides success. The typical “tenergy feel” in topspin play remains unique.

TENERGY has a lot to offer, but also post requirements to the player in terms of his technique and skill. To enjoy the full potential of TENERGY, a player must be able to hit the ball with precise angle and timing.

Enter ROZENA

One main focus in the development of ROZENA was the pursuit of “tolerance”. Where TENERGY requires the player to hit the ball with precise angle, ROZENA compensates for such delicate errors. Yuichi Tsuchiya, Head of Butterfly Research & Development department, sums it up fittingly:

Table Tennis is a sport where you have to stroke the ball with various speed, spin and trajectory back to the opponent’s side of the table. Top players with high physical and predictive abilities as well as reaction speed will be able to stroke the ball precisely: in other words, the are able to stroke the ball at exact position with exact racket angle, swing direction and speed. However, the lower the level of a player is, the more difficult it will be for him to stroke the ball perfectly. Then, tolerance becomes important.

ROZENA’s tolerance makes the rubber especially easy to play and helps to reduce small errors due to incorrect angle and swing direction, making it possible to safely return the ball onto the opponent’s side and still apply pressure. The rate of error decreases and the fun increases!

Proven technology leads to attractive pricing

ROZENA features proven technology from the TENERGY series, such as High Tension and the rotation-increasing Spring Sponge, known from both TENERGY and SPIN ART. The spring sponge on ROZENA comes in rosé color, a deliberate choice as Tsuchiya explains:

Rosé color is visually appealing and has an impact. We decided to adopt it because it is tghe color used for the Butterfly logo and it is appropriate as a color to represent the Butterfly brand. The name ROZENA itself is a coinage in the motif of its rose color sponge.

Using know how from the TENERGY production and development made it possible for Butterfly to reduce cost of ROZENA, which realizes a lower price on the market. Tsuchiya elaborates:

We were able to reduce development costs dramatically thanks to the rubber production history of Butterfly. For instance, we could design the specifications with our targeted performance and quality thanks to the High Tension technology and the built-up knowledge about pimple shapes and allocation of the top sheet. I terms of performance, TENERGY remains on top, but we are confident that ROZENA is an attractive option for a lot of players because it was developed and produced with the best possible technology of Butterfly.

Butterfly CEO Takako Ohsawa continues:

One of the goals during development of ROZENA was to produce a rubber with a reasonable price to those who had not previously had the opportunity to use our high-performance and quality rubbers. We have confidence in the performance of TENERGY, but we had the perception that it was avoided in some cases due to its comparatively high price.

ROZENA: to improve one’s game

Ohsawa sums up the potential user of ROZENA:

ROZENA is the rubber for a wide range of players from beginners to those who aim to participate in national-level competitions. As a table tennis manufacturer, we have a strong desire to respond to the demands from players who like table tennis and want to improve even a little- We think it is one of the missions of Butterfly to improve the level of table tennis and enhance the enchantment of the sport by reacting to these demands.

ROZENA is recommended for players on their way to the top, who wish to learn and improve their game. It is suited to these demands with its speed and spin potential, and with the exceptional tolerance which helps to reduce small errors in gameplay.

TENERGY: To win

Ohsawa is sure:

Butterfly positions TENERGY series in the highest rank, as rubbers “to win”, ROZENA is a “rubber to be stronger”, to help players raise their levels to play TENERGY rubbers in the future.

Here are some highlights for ROZENA rubber, which will be available worldwide on April 21st, 2017: