Hi everyone
I had the chance to play with the P-1R for a good 7hours today (sickie
)
This rubber has generated the most attention ever since the Worlds in 2003 when Joo got to the final. Well its been 4 years after and its still as popular as ever as well informed defenders will know. Its been a well conceived fact on the internet that the P-1R is Joo's favourite choice of rubber, Although some argue its the Feint Long 2 which I highly doubt as Ill explain later.
Initial Impressions
Upon opening the packet, the P-1R looks to be of very high quality. I bought the soft variant of the rubber expecting that It would slow the rubber down and increase control. Well to my surprise the sponge isn't anywhere near soft. The yellow 1mm that came under it is probably close to 45+ degree's. Its so hard that its very resistant to compressing (squeezing it with fingers). I guess in a sense it helps keep the ball off the blade. The topsheet looks to be made from a odd mixture of rubber. I have a black sheet and it seems quite dull at a glance. Gives off the impression that its dead, which is always good. The pips are almost max length and the tops are textured. The side of the pips are fairly smooth as well giving off a "chalky" look to it.
General Playing Characteristics
Well first off impressions told me that this rubber is quite fast. After using the Phantom 009 the P-1R is quite springy in comparison. It does indeed have a fairly dead feel to it which is nice, it still doesn't really help as the sponge is just too hard. For hitting and blocking its excellent, but when it comes to chopping, the P-1R asks for good hands. Read on to find out why.
Pushing/Scooping
Pushing against backspin and no spin is excellent. Its a bit springy so you must be quite careful with the amount of power you exert. Against heavy backspin pushes, you must be confident in your shot. If you accelerate your wrist through the ball aggressively on contact, a very low, fast and dead ball will be produced. If you hesitate the ball will most likely pop up with no spin which means you'll be blasted off the table by better players. Pushing against no spin is not quite as easy as some other LP's out there. Its springiness means just the slightest mis hit will result in a floater that pops up. Keep in mind I was using a All+ blade with a soft feel.
Scooping is excellent with the P-1R. Its springiness helps in these scenarios as you can easily scoop with a upwards or sideways action consistently against any backspin ball. The resulting ball will kick off the table with topspin and is very effective since it makes it very hard to attack. Against no spin its quite hard just like pushing, you constantly have to be aware of the force you exert.
Hitting/Blocking
Hitting can be done quite consistently but it requires great footwork to be in position for every shot. Hitting against backspin and topspin or any spin for that matter is simply quite easy. As long as you hit through the ball without trying to put the ball away, its very consistent.
Blocking against loops is fairly easy as well, the rubber seems to be quite consistent as long as you maintain a consistent racket angle. Chop blocking is fairly consistent and the resulting ball is quite heavy and just skids off the table making it impossible for the opponent to blast it past you.
Mid-distance Chopping
This is where the P-1R gives mixed impressions. Its actually quite hard to chop consistently heavy because of its speed. Although this isn't all that bad because the main problem lies with the fact that I cant control this rubber like a pro can. On the times where I was spot on and in position I could generate a chop that was incredibly heavy for the opponent.
To sum it up in regards to chopping. It heavily relies on your own skill, forget half hearted shots as they wont do anything. Just putting the ball back consistently is easy but when trying to chop aggressively, you must be careful because of the speed of the LP. When your timing is spot on the resulting chop is incredibly hard to manage for the opponent.
Overall it gives a great chopping feel when your in position. You can literally hear when your timing is spot on. For the people out there who have watched some Joo Matches, you'll be familiar with this noise.
Conclusion
A very utility like rubber. Really depends on your own skill more then anything else. Its a great allround rubber that can do everything well, but its difficult to control because of its speed. I think its not such a bad thing as it forces you to play above your level. Confidence in shot making along with good workout will allow you to overcome these problems.
(where's the 'drewling from the mouth smilie? heh heh)