The FIVB finals are exciting, and underneath the swords and sorcery, there is also a diversity of players’ equipment configurations. And from the equipment of the stars to their technical and tactical style, there may be some inspiration!
Malone: W968, blue country crazy, orange country crazy
As a representative of the two-sided madness, Ma Long can be said to interpret the performance of “Wild Breeze 3” to the extreme. The final was the same as the past World Cup, which was a duel between Ma Long and Fan Zhendong. But obviously, Ma Long has a stronger desire and preparation to win. Ma Long’s control and spinning ability has been enhanced by the two-sided madness, and a trend of “two-sided madness” has been started in the international ping pong world.
If we look at different batches of the official W968, we will also find that the new one is more crisp and solid than the old one, and the backhand position is sharper. This is originally a forehand sharp arc board, but in the era of plastic ball, it is also especially important to strengthen the sense of speed and support in the backhand position, so we also see the continuous upgrading and adjustment of the W968 by Red Double Happiness.
Fan Zhendong: diamond five, blue country crazy
Xu Xin: Xu Xin blue standard, blue country Tianji 2, orange country crazy
Xu Xin is now also considered a representative of “two-sided madness”. The backhand is 37.5 degrees of orange sponge country crazy 3, the forehand is not a wild biao, but also considered a derivative of the wild biao series. Compared with Biao 3, Tianji 2 has shorter and thicker grains, and the absolute killing power of single board is stronger, and the control and ball eating of small balls in the table is also better. Therefore, it has become the favorite of many straight board players. For amateur players, Biao 3 is more effortless and lighter, while Tianji 2 has stronger spin and more power, but it also requires more power and a little “dark power”.
Zhang Yuzhen: W968, Blue Country Crazy, V>15 Extra
V>15 Extra is the new concept of cake sponge in the plastic ball era. There are many cake sponge rubbers that emphasize the finesse of the ball and make it easy to create strong spin. This rubber is the first to introduce the concept of “no fear of incoming spin”. In practice, the rubber is insensitive to spin, easy to defend and fast to hit. It is a high speed rubber for attacking and defending. Although the rubber does not eat much spin, it can still produce good spin if the ball is eaten deep.
Lin Yunru: Super Zhang Jike (also rumored to be the unlisted Lin Yunru ZLC), Dignics 05
Lin GaoYuan: Lin GaoYuan ALC, Blue Country Crazy, Dignics 09c
Butterfly’s classic 5+2 structure of “Kou head face material, external ALC, tung wood core” has grown into a huge tree. It looks the same, but the feel is very different. The Lin Gao Yuan ALC is more agile and flexible than the Viscaria under medium power, with a slight vibration and a stronger feel for the ball. For players who need a board with better ball holding and arcing ability, the Lingaoyuan ALC is a more approachable choice than the Vis. Although the absolute bottom strength is not as high as Vis, the forgiveness is higher and the defense is better.
Falco: Falco Carbon, Rakza X, Rakza PO
The Rakza Power series has been known for a long time, and many national players used Rakza X as their backhand in the Ping Super League in the past years, and the excellent bite is one of the hallmarks of the series.
Hugo: Hugo HAL, Omega 7 Asia, Omega 7 Pro/Vega X
Jung Young-sik: Ice Cream AZX, Omega 7 Asia, Omega 7 Pro/Vega X
Previously, both of these proud spokespersons preferred to use the Omega 7 Pro (Omega 7 Pro) as a backhand. This series is also loved for its outstanding rubber bite and precise directionality. For the finals, according to the officials, the backhand was made with the special Vega X (also known as Vega X). The Sky V is the newest creation of Jiao Mang this year and can be considered as an upgraded version of the Red V and Silver V.
The Omega 7 Asia is stiffer than the Pro and is more suitable for forehand use, while the Pro is suitable for both forehand and backhand.
The base plate, Hugo HAL is 5+2 structure, the transition is smooth and natural, not abrupt. This is in line with the stability and forgiveness that Hugo has always pursued. It is convenient for him to “unrestrainedly” power.
Takashi Tanba: Victas Tanba Takashi Pure Wood, V>15 Extra
Pitcherford: Victas Pitcherford, V>15 Extra
Both Victas spokespersons use their own namesake baseboards. This Victas Pitchford is based on the ZX-Gear Out, which was once sold out in the market, and charcoal-burned the force material. So it is better in defensive stability (carrying the big board) and faster in the first speed of the near table. And speed, all along, is the first hitting element that Pitch pursues.
Simon: Gauzy SL OFF, Rasanter R53
The Gauzy SL OFF with seven clips of ebony does not look tyrannical, but rather is quite a ball-eating existence. The feel is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, the ebony surface is good for hitting high speed, but the overall shape of the sole is good and the ball eating feeling is excellent. It is suitable for playing with feel and pattern. It is not very powerful, but it has a good balance of spin and speed, and it has full control and high forgiveness.
Ocharov: Butterfly Special Note Inn ALC, Dignics 09c, Dignics 05
With this built-in aromatic carbon board from Ocharov, it’s safe to say we’re eagerly awaiting it. And the D09c, as Butterfly’s flagship sticky set, has taken the pros by storm. It has a fine hold, good directionality and arc adjustment with little power. Although the power is not strong, but the rotation is good, and the speed is fast. Together with D05, it is the flagship rubber of Butterfly in the new ball era.
Aruna: Jetwo Aruna (Aruna Hinoki Carbon Off), Storm EL 53 Hard, Storm EL 43
Franziska: Apollonia ZLC, Tenergy 05, Dignics 05
Tomokazu Harimoto: Tomokazu Harimoto ALC, Dignics 05, Tenergy 05
Chen Meng: Viscaria, Blue Country Wild, Wild Breeze 8
The low-degree Brio series rubbers have become one of the standard for national backhand. Whether or not Brio 8 will come out with a marketable version of a low-degree backhand rubber is something we enthusiasts are looking forward to. At present, there is a star national set, but there is no market version yet. There is only the 37 degree soft Breeze 3 series. In comparison, the ball speed of Brio 8 will be faster.
Sun Yingsha: carbon 45, blue national madness, orange national madness
The representative of women’s “two-sided madness”. The Carbon 45 has become a god board, both in the professional field and among amateur players. It has a pure wood feel, a high balance of speed and spin, and a good ball-eating performance and arcing ability. Although the bottom strength is naturally not as strong as the tough Xu Xin blue standard, but the multi-board holding, attack and defense conversion are quite stable. The power threshold is also low.
Ito Misaki: Ito Misaki Carbon, G-1, Moristo SP
The full set of Nittaku equipment can be said to complement Ito’s own near-desk high-speed playing style. The external carbon Ito Misaki carbon is an upgraded version of carbon guitar, G-1 is suitable for high speed shooting, Moristo SP as a side of raw rubber, sinking performance is obvious, and now also has a lot of fans in China.
Mangyu Wang: gold standard Viscaria, blue country mad, orange country mad
Wang Yidi: W968, Blue State Mad, Orange State Mad
Zheng Yijing: Special Note Viscaria, Dignics 05, Tenergy 05 Hard
Although Dignics is the newer flagship rubber, the T05 Hard is really different. It has an amazing hold and very powerful veneer killing power, so it can be considered the best of the jackets. The sponge is tougher than the T05, with a crisp feel and a step up in speed and power.
Tian Zhixi: gold standard Viscaria, blue national wild, wild Biao 3 red sponge special
Yoshinori Ishikawa: Viscaria, Blue Nation, Dignics 05