Ma Long is the famous number one table tennis player in the world. He has retained the first position for several years. His playing style is very aggressive and stable. He won most of the matches and few of his opponents can beat him.
Many people would love to know what blade and rubber Ma Long uses for him to play the top-notch game.
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China Ping Pong Equipment Producer
With the tips ripped from one of the former China national team, he would reveal that the Chinese national team likes to use a product produced by their own country to get a particular version for their ping pong equipment.
A lot of China players are using the STIGA blade and cloning it to appear to be like DHS at the handle. They are doing so because they need to comply with the rules of sponsorship.
If you observe the blades that most of the China players use, you find that most of them use black rubber. It is because DHS makes them with a special sponge and rubber. The rubber is featured with a blue sponge and blacktop sheet. The reason they make it like this is that the combination pairs well with the blue sponge.
Some History
When Ma Long first started playing in the international tournament, he was using the Stiga OC blade. But the most impressive moment for most people was when Ma Long was using the Nittaku Combi Wood Attack blade.
At that time, the playing style of Ma Long was not as offensive as it is now, but the style of swinging on both sides is reflected in the blade that he used.
Besides, during that time, there were a lot of top-notch table tennis players in China. It is not easy for a player to be outstanding and get selected to join the national team. Nevertheless, Ma Long made it and proved that his fundamental skill is powerful.
If you want to talk about how fast this Nittaku wooden blade’s speed was, it is just not the case. Because the pure wood structure of Nittaku blades cannot generate very fast speed, it is rather hard for Ma Long to improve further and play with faster speed.
The later release of carbon blades also cannot compare with the 7-ply all-wood blades. But why did Ma Long still chose to stick with the wooden blade?
I think this is because, at that time, the pure wood blade dominated the arena of table tennis. So the quality of the Nittaku wooden blade does not show significant weakness. Also, in terms of performance, the Nittaku blade is a blade that can give the best feel. The sense of control of the ball is good, which helps Ma Long play with fast strokes.
An Enthusiast in Changing Blade and Rubber
Ma Long is considered the number one table tennis enthusiast that changes the blade very frequently. He not only changed the blade very often but also the rubber. I remember when DHS just released their new Hurricane rubber. Ma Long was also the first one in the world to stick the rubber on his blade and play in international tournaments.
The Blade That Made Ma Long to Be the World Number One
What makes Ma Long become the world’s best table tennis player was when he turns to use the DHS Hurricane V blade. The former China players who used this blade were Wang Hao and Wang Liqin.
The built-in fiber blade produced by DHS became famous because of this. The structure of the blade’s external fiber made the blade more inclined to be the built-in fiber. It is similar to the feel of hitting with a pure wood blade.
The longer handle strengthens the swinging effect, and the built-in fiber helps Ma Long play with strong loops at the mid and far distance. It becomes an arc weapon that perfectly matches Ma Long playing style.
Ma Long personally has a swift movement. Therefore, strengthening the quality of veneer becomes the most urgent problem to be solved.
Although Ma Long tends to return the opponent’s shot very fast, the force he exerts is quite a lot. It can significantly consume his stamina. By having the DHS Hurricane V, it resolved the problem for this.
DHS Hurricane V has a relatively comfortable feel and a high level of fault tolerance. Besides, it also makes it possible for Ma Long to add a quick backspin from his backhand.
Ma Long Rackets That Ever Used
For Ma Long, as we know, he didn’t like using commercial rubber where many players widely use the brand. All rackets that Ma Long ever uses include custom-made DHS TG 506, the Timo Boll, DHS Hurricane FH NEO, DHS Hurricane 3, Nittaku BH, etc.
Ma Long racket he used to win the 2016 Olympic Games men’s singles, is a 7-ply carbon fiber blade. It is featured with the “core” technology that inherits with an underlying strength. It gives Ma Long a very smooth and stable playing stroke. This blade is the continuing series of Ma Long styles, which is fast changing between offensive and defensive play.
The blade he currently uses is a DHS Hurricane Long 5, and the rubber he uses is a custom-made one that is specially made for his playing style as he is playing at a very low angle. This rubber is not suitable for most players as not everyone can play that low angle like him.
If you want to play like Ma Long, you can get the same blade to mimic his playing style. You can get the blade from Amazon.
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