From the Olympic simulations to the recent National Championships, you will notice an interesting equipment phenomenon: more and more national players are using Hurricane rubbers in the backhand position. It is not unprecedented before this. Ma Long, a Grand Slam winner, is a typical representative of two-sided madness. But before that, there were only a few of them, but now it is becoming a trend. Gradually, there is a trend of Hurricane backhand rubber and butterfly backing rubber.
When foreign brands are launching “sticky jackets” to share the pie of forehand sticky rubbers, Red Double Happiness has set its eyes on the “backhand sticky jacket” which is a big market cake. It seems to lead to a new trend to get back the “lost spin” of the new plastic ball era.
At the moment, there are Ma Long, Liang Jing Kun, and Sun Yingsha using Hurricane 3 on their backhands and Chen Meng and Wang Chu Qin using Hurricane 8 on their backhands, except for Liang Jing Kun who has recently pioneered the use of 41.5 degrees, while most of the others are using 36-37 degrees. Today, we will play with NEO Hurricane 3-37 soft, which is the closest in performance on the market and very cost-effective.
This 37 degree soft, currently there are 2.1 and 2.15mm two thicknesses, are NEO (pre-bottom). According to the price grade, there are also universal sets, provincial sets and national sets of points.
The NEO 37 degrees soft, measured 60.3g including film, stick to the horizontal board surface, less than 41g. this weight compared to Hurricane 3-50 and Tianji 3-60, that is quite wonderful.
- Direct brush no machine
The NEO is meant to be used as a brush with no machine. However, I do feel that it is not enough to get the ball out, especially when compared to the backhand, which is used to a more flexible jacket. The particles on the rubber surface are more visible than Hurricane 3, and when you press the sponge, it feels softer, but in the end, it still feels a bit tougher.
It’s easy to roll a ball with a turn, and it’s easy to swing a short ball, and it’s no problem to split a long ball. The ball inside the table is good control, not easy to venture high, is a steady style. Hang a board, a little slow. Simply put: it is to replace some speed with rotation and control.
- Brush organic
This is how many amateur players operate, and it is no problem for amateur games. After three coats of Blue Whale 2 glue, you will find that the speed is still acceptable and the spin is really good. The actual test play, will feel this 37 soft than the general organic Hurricane 3 or regular NEO Hurricane3, feel more alive, not so dead. And the elasticity is really better. At first I thought it was just a new bottle with the word “soft” added. No, it is indeed more flexible.
The bounce does not seem to be much faster, still quite stable, does not feel very easy to eat turn, seems to be the relationship of low degree. But this sponge is not Hurricane 3-50 and Tianji 3-60 kind of big air hole sponge, personal feeling is still not these two so out of the ball. The feeling of support is not bad. In the end, this way of playing is basically enough, not necessarily the best.
- Inorganic glue priming, on the expansion oil
This is the most professional way to operate. Professional teams also do this. You will find that under the nourishment of the oil, it is indeed 37 soft and softer. Not like the first two methods of operation, it is easier to rub the backhand after filling it with oil. This sponge on the backhand, in the end, is not as energy-saving as the cake sponge, and the oiling enhances the sense of speed and the feeling of playing through.
The NEO 37 soft sponge is better than the other player’s 37 soft NEO National Wild 3. The sponge of the national set seems to be tougher and more solid, and it needs more power to be good. From another point of view, 37 soft we generally put on the backhand position, 37 soft NEO Pu wild put on the forehand is not impossible, but well, the speed is moderate, good rotation, but not strong killing power. It is to rely on stability and multi-board rounds to survive. But 37 soft NEO national wild, I think the effect of the forehand will be better than 37 soft NEO wild, the power is improved.
Generally, it is recommended to put this 37 soft on the backhand, but for some ball players with relatively general power, the forehand with a low degree of 37 soft in exchange for stability and fault tolerance, it is not impossible. Here comes the question of matching the board.
It is not recommended to use it on a 5-layer board. The board does not go away from the ball, the rubber is also ah, play up hard. Hard five clips are slightly better. The external carbon and the built-in carbon have their own characteristics. If you have an external one, when you screw your backhand, you will have the feeling of instant support and will be very stable. If the backhand is built-in, the arc will feel stronger. But in general, it is better to match with a more flexible backboard. The higher bounce will make up for the Hurricane 3 rubber’s lack of ball movement, and at the same time, it will suppress the “spring” of the board. This way, you can kill and hold the ball.
In the end, whether 37 soft is suitable for you, it depends on how you understand it. The advantage of the backhand sticky set is the strengthening of control and rotation, the speed of the rebound by force is naturally not as good as the astringent jacket. It is a choice of trade-offs. For better use of the 37 flex, it is more appropriate to use it on a more flexible and shape-changing board. Anyway, this is a new trend nowadays, in the new plastic ball era, the backhand sticky cover as a product to strengthen the spin demand, the fans will only grow.