Prior to choose a blade and rubbers, you must first know your style of playing. D.M.V. Sports Madison has differentiated all products according to one of next 7 categories depending on you playing style:
PURE DEFENSEClassic defensive player with excellent control when playing and that causes many forced errors to his/her opponent due to continuous variations in the spin and the placement of his/her defensive strokes. They use to play with anti-top or long pimples out rubbers. They play with DEF, DEF+ and ALL- blades. If using long pimples, the thickness of the sponge use to be max. 1.0mm and many love to play with no sponge.
MODERN DEFENSEDefensive players that likes to surprise with unexpected attacks. The opponent never knows when they are going to attack which makes it very difficult to play against them. They need sticky rubbers with a lot of spin and control but also slightly fast. Sponge thickness about 1.5mm to allow spin variations. Blade wise, they play with DEF+ or ALL, depending the speed of their strokes.
ALLROUND
This type of player combines offensive and defensive game, mainly using topspin and cuts. They use their backside mainly for blocking, being more offensive with their forehand strokes. They use ALL-, ALL+ and OFF- blades and allround rubbers, with perfect equilibrium between speed, spin and control. Thickness rubber use to be between 1.5 and 2.0mm.
MODERN ALLROUNDThis is the biggest category including players of all levels. Products used are very well balanced. It is required to have a good control to be able to combine different types of strokes and speed. Players within this category prefer to use Tensor, soft and extra-soft rubbers with thickness up to 2.3mm. They use very elastic and dynamic blades sometimes with different materials on the handle (balsa or WRB system) .Fresh glueing to increase the properties of their rubbers is very common.
OFFENSIVE WITH TOPSPINThese players attack from medium/short distance to the table, always using topspins with a lot of spin and combining them with blocks. They also serve extraordinary well, with lot of spin which allows them to start every point with advantage. They use ALL+, OFF- and OFF blades and basically dynamic rubbers with minimum thickness 2.0mm, Tensor, NanoTec or Tuned/PowerSponge rubbers and with sponges of soft/medium hardness. His strategy requires fresh glue to increase the power of every stroke.
OFFENSIVE WITH VARIATIONS):These players produce aggressive topspins both with forehand and backhand alternating them with fast strokes, loops, active blocks and flips. The players gets the initiative at the first opportunity. Many popular players fall within this strategy. They play with ALL+, OFF-, OFF blades and also OFF+, using speedy rubbers of hardness from 38 to 45 degrees. Tensor, elastic and NanoTech rubbers are highly played by this type of players (using 2.0mm or more). Tuned/PowerSponge rubbers are also very well accepted.
PURE OFFENSIVE):If you love speed and it is your main weapon in the game, you fall within this category. The strokes are very quick and fast with low spin because the rubbers used. They are very thick and with hard sponges (46-50 degrees of hardness) with high rebound properties. Blades used are OFF and OFF+ and maximum thickness for rubbers
