Browsing: Thought

AEW

AEW’s Darby Allin has discussed climbing Mount Everest, and how AEW CEO Tony Khan is glad he didn’t die while trying to accomplish that mammoth feat.Â

During his recent conversation with AEW’s RJ City on “Hey! (EW),” Allin said that his desire to climb Mount Everest was about fulfilling a spiritual journey, and not chasing clout.

“I didn’t do it for clout,” he said. “Tony’s going to let me go down there and climb Mount Everest, and I’m going to show the world that I did it, but it was for my spiritual journey.”

He joked that Khan had to be glad that he successfully summited Everest, as it wouldn’t have been good for AEW if something had happened to him.

“I think he [Khan] was super stoked that I made it to the summit because that would have been really bad for PR if I died,” Allin laughed.

The AEW star recently revealed that his desire to climb Everest was to prove to himself that he is capable of doing anything. He is grateful to AEW that they allowed him to do it, even though he is in the prime of his pro wrestling career currently. Allin successfully summited Mount Everest on May 18, and returned to AEW television at All In: Texas, where he continued his rivalry with Jon Moxley and his Death Riders crew. He recently defeated Moxley in an “I Quit” match at AEW WrestleDream, where he also suffered the ignominy of having his head dunked into a fish tank by Moxley.

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ absence was felt by his head coach in Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Speaking to reporters after the 119-109 defeat (starts at 2:40 mark), JJ Redick said he did allow himself one moment in the first half when the Warriors’ zone defense was stopping the Lakers that he thought “it would be great to have LeBron” in the high post.

Redick did emphasize that he was “focused on the the group” they had out there and trying to make that work.

The Lakers didn’t get a lot of production outside of Luka DonÄić and Austin Reaves. They combined for 69 points, 18 assists and 17 rebounds. Deandre Ayton was the only other player to score in double figures, putting up 10 points in 34 minutes.

James’ health was a major storyline going into the 2025-26 season, as head coach Redick told reporters he was dealing with nerve irritation in his glute that forced him to miss practice time.

ESPN’s ShamsCharania reported on Oct. 9 that James was expected to miss three-to-four weeks because of sciatica on his right side.

Throw in the reality James turns 41 years old in December, and any questions about his health are going to raise concern even if he has displayed incredible longevity and durability during his career.

While the Lakers have DonÄić to carry the offense while James is sidelined, it is still difficult to envision them realistically competing in the daunting Western Conference if they both aren’t healthy and playing at their best.

Tuesday’s game was representative of the struggles that Redick and his staff will have to figure out until James returns. Their offense should be better going forward because DonÄić isn’t going to shoot 2-of-10 from three-point range on most nights.

Reaves did his job as the primary No. 2 option to DonÄić, but the floor for this Lakers team will be determined by how well the role players fare. They struggled to get anything going in a tough matchup against a Warriors team they will be jockeying with for position all season in a deep Western Conference.

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Fred Couples warns you. Motioning his hand around his head, he says:

“The biggest thing is, I got nothing up here. Zero. Zero.”

And his downswing thought is only five words, so if you’re expecting a novel, you’ve clicked on the wrong thing. That said, the thought also says a lot. Kudos, then, to Couples for being an editor’s dream by being concise.

The discussion was started and shared recently on social media by six-time major winner Nick Faldo, and here, you should watch the entire post below. And below that, we’ll talk about it.

How did Couples develop his downswing thought?

After being asked by Faldo for his downswing thought, Couples said it came about through his swing coach. Sort of.

“This is how psycho that I am,” Couples said. “So I would work with Paul Marchand and he wanted to be shorter, shorter, shorter. And so when I played, I used to stand up to it thinking Paul was behind me. Like you had [David] Leadbetter, whoever was your teacher. And I would just think, OK, Paul — this is playing; I never had any alignment; I always stood open.

“And I’d say Paul’s right behind me, swing shorter, and I would do it. Instead of saying swing shorter, I had to throw something out there.”

The takeaway: There’s something important to be said in making an instructor’s words understandable.

What was Couples’ downswing thought?

Five words.

Said Faldo: “You got to the top …”

Said Couples: “It just went from there.”

Said Faldo: “It just went.”

Said Couples: “It just went.”

Said Faldo: “And there it is, your swing tip of the day: Just went it. When it got to the top, it went.”

The takeaway: This won’t — won’t— work for everyone. The thought will likely work better for more skilled players. But having an uncluttered mind — and “just went it” — can help.

What about post-contact?

One thing.

“Hold my finish,” Couples said.

Some players, Couples said, “buggy-whip” the club down soon after the follow-through. Not him. The club stays behind his head.

Said Faldo: “You’d pose for a photograph, just in case.”

Said Couples: “I would pose, yeah.”

Said Faldo: “Just in case you got on TV.”

Said Couples: “Even on bad shots, I would still pose.”

The takeaway: I really liked this breakdown here of why holding your finish is important.

Did Faldo have a downswing thought?

He said he did. A few of them, it seemed like.

“Oh, I had all sorts of beauties,” Faldo said. “Which Masters do you want to talk about?”

The three-time Masters winner then went with a thought he said he had in the 1996 Masters.

“I remember the ’96,” he said, “I’d used to pull it down. I used to call it ‘boot.’ I used to send the butt of the club down to my right boot. So I used to pull down that way.”

AEW World Trios Champion Powerhouse Hobbs recently looked back on the uncertain and frightening period in his life that led to him signing with All Elite Wrestling in 2020. Before becoming a multi-time champion in AEW, Hobbs was facing unemployment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and was struggling to find work to support his family, which included a newborn daughter.

During a new interview with 96.5 The Fan,Hobbs was candid about his initial disbelief when he was first contacted by AEW.

“Frightening, because I just got laid off from my job. My daughter was, shoot, a couple months old. So it was like I couldnâ€t get hired anywhere. I applied at fast food spots. They were like, ‘nah.â€

You know, it was bad, because I was overqualified from what I was told. But man, I got a call and QT Marshall actually texted me and I didnâ€t respond back for like three, four hours. So I thought somebody was ribbing me and I had a text from Cody Rhodes. Then I was just like, I gotta bet on myself at this point.

So, the story is already out there, man, it took off. I had a debut match against Orange Cassidy, then my second match was a six man against the Dark Order, and then week after week, I started showing up on Dark and Tony (Khan) gave me that okay, gave me that head nod, that opportunity, which we all want in wrestling. You want that opportunity to prove yourself, and he saw something in me and the rest is history. TNT champ, one third of the Trios Tag Team Champions. Canâ€t complain, man.â€

He is currently one-third of the reigning AEW World Trios Champions alongside his partners in The Opps, Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata.

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Bryson DeChambeau often finds himself in the middle of golf’s viral moments. Sometimes, that’s by design. Other times, it’s based on who he is and the polarizing nature of his place in the professional golf ecosystem.

But where DeChambeau once felt uncomfortable being in the middle of an attention storm that might skew negative (think his rivalry with Brooks Koepka and the heckling that ensued), he is now more comfortable in his own skin. Since the move to LIV Golf, DeChambeau has settled into his role as an occasional lightning rod. Even if the comments that come his way are negative, that’s OK, because, well, attention is currency.

As DeChambeau has embarked on his stated goal to “grow the game” through his YouTube channel, the Crushers frontman has understood that all eyeballs are good eyeballs.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that when DeChambeau was confronted with Rory McIlroy’s latest jab about his need for attention, he easily shrugged it off as a way to raise the interest level at this week’s Ryder Cup.

“All I’m trying to do is inspire kids on YouTube, and we’ve amassed quite a big audience on YouTube,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis on Monday ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. “I’m continuing to focus on that train of thought. Whatever Rory says and whatnot — granted, I didn’t mean anything by it other than I’m excited. I hope we can have some good banter back and forth, and if not, if he wants to do what he’s doing, great, no problem. Crowd is going to be on our side. We’re going to have a fun time. But ultimately, my job is to get a kid out there who is looking at me hitting a golf ball smiling.

“There’s a rivalry between every one of us golfers. Is it heightened with Rory? Sure. You can make it that way. But look, anytime we go out in the arena, we’re trying to be the best we can possibly be, and if it helps the game of golf out to then great, so be it.”

Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee, who has been consistently critical of every player who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, wasn’t impressed by DeChambeau’s attempt to take the high road with McIlroy. Chamblee pointed out that DeChambeau didn’t really address McIlroy’s comments and just pivoted to his YouTube channel, whose subscription numbers Chamblee doesn’t completely buy.

“I thought it was pretty pointed there when he [was] asked about the retort of Rory, that he didn’t mention the goal this week of a Ryder Cup,” Chamblee said on Golf Channel. “Nope, he didn’t do that. He didn’t talk about playing on a team and how much that meant. Nope, didn’t do that. What he did do was talk about his YouTube channel, which, you know, if we want to talk about the numbers that are generated from that, it’s pretty dubious. I have no doubt bots are generating a lot of those views. There may be some interest as well. But that’s what he wants to talk about. Not the team, not the Ryder Cup.

“It’s one of the reasons why I think he’s going to be such a difficult person to get paired with. No doubt he’s one hell of a golfer. No doubt he has his moments of generosity with fans; I have heard about them. But he’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team, and he has so many potential bulletin-board mistakes. I think he would be a captain’s nightmare.”

The idea of DeChambeau being a captain’s nightmare was dismissed by several of his teammates, all of whom praised his talent and all-in, team-first attitude.

As for Chamblee’s shot at his YouTube numbers, DeChambeau, again, was just happy to have what he believes is a lighthearted back-and-forth that increases the eyeballs on the Ryder Cup and golf. Jousting is, after all, entertainment.

“I think it’s great,” DeChambeau said on Thursday at Bethpage Black when asked about Chamblee questioning his viewership numbers. “I think any time that people can throw stuff at me like that, I enjoy it. I appreciate it. I think it’s good for ultimately the game of golf because it starts to spur conversation on. Ultimately, on YouTube, you have to be verified to be able to subscribe and whatnot. So I don’t think it’s really that honest or true. But it is what it is. I mean, any time you can say something like that and create more buzz for the game of golf, it’s great.”

In short, any publicity is good publicity.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – On the first official day of Ryder Cup week, as his team began its preparations in earnest, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley admitted Monday that he thought about playing “every second.â€

But that doesn’t mean that he’s riddled with regret after deciding not to pick himself to handle dual roles this week.

“I’ve also thought about how impossible it would be,†he said.

“I was picked to do this job as captain, and there’s been certain things that I’ve done during the week or lead-up that if I was playing, I don’t think I could have done at the level that I needed to do them at.â€

Bradley has known for more than a month that he wouldn’t be among the 12 players competing here at Bethpage Black. After winning the Travelers Championship in June, he failed to sustain his level of play over the past few months and opted to focus solely on his duties as the captain.

In his press conference last month announcing his picks, Bradley said it was devastating, personally, to come to that conclusion. But he expanded Monday on why it was the right call.

“I feel like I’ve been called for a bigger cause here, to help our guys get ready to play and play at the highest level,†he said. “In the back of my mind, I’m always thinking, ‘I could have been out there.’ But ultimately, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed being the captain and how I’ve enjoyed not having to worry about getting to sleep and getting my rest, or how I haven’t had to think about what time I’m going to go practice or meet my coach and then meet the guys. It simplified things a lot for me.â€

It’s also given Bradley time to fine-tune his messaging and week-of activities that he hopes will put his team in the best position to succeed and also create (what could be for some) a once-in-a-career experience.

From Scottie Scheffler and the automatic qualifiers to Keegan Bradley’s six captain’s picks, here’s who will represent the U.S. at Bethpage Black.

One of those indelible moments came on Monday morning, when he gathered all members of Team USA on the first tee, before the 18-hole practice round and without crowds, to play the national anthem and soak in the experience.

“Every second that the guys are together and can have a powerful moment, I think it brings them closer together,†Bradley said. “I had this vision of doing that for about a year, and to be out there and see it and see how emotional the guys got was a really special time for our team.â€

After that, the American team went out in three groups of four on Monday morning: Bryson DeChambeau, Ben Griffin, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young; Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley, Harris English and J.J. Spaun; and Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns.

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Released in 2017, Butterflyâ€s Rozena is one of the most popular table tennis rubbers currently in production.

The Butterfly Rozena is a special rubber and one that I like a lot. Itâ€s not as expensive as most of the other Butterfly rubbers, but itâ€s still close when it comes to performance.

Butterfly is a brand thatâ€s known for its cutting-edge equipment. Professional players always choose Butterfly blades and rubbers as theyâ€re known for being arguably the best you can get.

However, because Butterfly put their efforts into developing the fastest and spinniest rubbers, they never released a rubber for â€developing†offensive players, that is, until the Rozena arrived.

To clear all the doubts we had about the Rozena, we bought a sheet specifically for this review and tested it for more than 40 hours to see exactly how it performs.

BUTTERFLY ROZENA REVIEW SUMMARY

The Butterfly Rozena is Butterflyâ€s offering for the developing offensive player who wants an excellent balance between speed, spin, and control without breaking the bank.

The Rozena features 2 main technologies, the Spring Sponge (present in the Tenergy series), and the Rozena Tolerance. Its sponge is medium-soft and it is bouncier than average. The Rozena is quite fast without losing out on too much control, and it has a high throw angle.Â

The strongest attributes of this rubber are its control and its safety in offensive play, especially considering that itâ€s a fast rubber. It excels at the whole variety of offensive strokes, be it loops, blocks, or flicks, and itâ€s also good for serving and the short game. It is a superbly balanced rubber.Â

The Rozena is the ultimate rallying rubber for developing offensive players, as itâ€s very controllable, it has a high and safe throw angle, and itâ€s very easy to use while being dangerous for the opponent. It is the perfect rubber for The Controller playstyle.

Perfect for:Attackers of all levels on either side of the racket (depending on the blade used and what they want out of the rubber), and advanced all-rounders on either side of the racket. 1-10+ years of playing.

Benefits

Superb balance of speed, spin, and control.

Unparalleled at rally play.

Easy to use.

Lots of safety over the net.

Great for backhand exchanges.

Very confidence-inducing.

Good for serving and excellent for receiving.

Ball slippage is non-existent.

Relatively low weight.

Drawbacks

Not the best rubber for hitting outright winners.

Better for rally play than for 3rd ball attacks.

About the Reviewer

Alvaro brings 7+ years of playing experience. He’s tested 20+ rubbers for Racket Insight and his style is The Controller.

About the Review

Blade Used: Stratus Power Wood
Rubber Thickness: 2.1mm
Hours Tested: 40+

Page Contents (Quick Links)

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Recommended Playstyles

We recommend the Butterfly Rozena to players who want a very well balanced, modern, medium-soft offensive rubber.

Design of the Butterfly Rozena

The Butterfly Rozena comes in a high-quality sealed package.

Upon opening the package, we find the rubber. The version we ordered is a red 2.1mm sheet of Butterfly Rozena.

The topsheet of the Butterfly Rozena is very grippy and almost non-tacky, and its sponge is a bright pink color.

Its hardness is medium/medium-soft, somewhere around 43-45 degrees ESN. It’s slightly softer than all of the rubbers in the Tenergy range.

The Butterfly Rozena incorporates two main technologies, the Spring Sponge and the Rozena Tolerance.

The Spring Sponge is the trademark Tenergy sponge. In the Rozena, the Spring Sponge is a slightly softer and tamer version of what you would find on any of the Tenergies.

Even then, the Rozena is quite a bouncy rubber and it has a high arc like the Tenergies. The arc on the Rozena is comparable to that of the Tenergy 05.

The second special technology of the Rozena is the Rozena Tolerance. In this picture, we can see its key effects:

Source: Butterfly

If you ask me, I would say that the Rozena Tolerance is the addition of a slightly tamer and softer sponge to a slightly less grippy version of the Tenergy topsheet.

All these characteristics combined give you a markedly offensive yet very safe and controllable rubber, which excels at blocking, looping, flicking, and countering.

Cut to my Fan Zhendong ALC, the Butterfly Rozena weighs in at 47 grams, a very good weight for a rubber with these playing characteristics.

As for the Rozenaâ€s durability, this is how itâ€s looking after around 40-50 hours of intensive training and tournament play.

I would say that the Rozenaâ€s durability is slightly above average. As you can see from the picture, the rubber is starting to wear out in the center, but this effect is mostly visual.

After these hours of intensive use, the rubber still plays as if it were brand new.

In terms of durability, there are two things I love about Butterfly rubbers:

1. Their sponges arenâ€t factory-boosted, theyâ€re very fast rubbers because of their high tension. This means that Butterfly rubbers donâ€t lose speed and power as they degrade, as there isnâ€t a factory booster that evaporates over time. This happens all the time with ESN rubbers.
2. Even when Butterfly rubbers are worn out, theyâ€re still relatively usable, unlike rubbers from most other brands.

Added to all this, the Rozena comes in at “just†$40. For a durable and high-quality rubber, this is a more than adequate price point, especially when we consider that this rubber has superb playing characteristics.

Specifications

• Speed: Medium
• Spin: High
• Control:Medium-High
• Tackiness:Slightly tacky
• ITTF Approved:Yes
• Sponge Thickness:1.7mm, 1.9mm, 2.1mm

Summary:Dominate the open rally with this fast, spinny and controllable offering from Butterfly.

Playtesting the Butterfly Rozena

Before analyzing the rubber, I must mention that we tested the Butterfly Rozena on a Tibhar Stratus Power Wood, our usual testing blade, and a Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC, my personal blade.

The Rozena performed wonderfully on both blades, however, I felt like the combination between the Stratus and the Rozena was slightly ‘mushyâ€. The Rozena didnâ€t feel “crisp†or “clickyâ€. It felt slightly sluggish compared to what Iâ€m used to.

If youâ€re a beginner or an early intermediate-level player, you can definitely go for a combination that includes the Stratus Power Wood or any OFF- blade and the Rozena. However, the more advanced you are, the more youâ€ll notice the lack of feeling.

I had been looking for an alternative to the Xiom Vega X, as I wanted something slightly faster and more offensive while not losing out on much control. I figured I wasnâ€t quite ready for a Tenergy 05 on my outer ALC blade, but I wanted something like it but with more control. The Rozena fit the bill perfectly.

I feel like the Rozena has the dwell time and control I need while having more “pop†than the Vega X.

I also really like the feeling of the Rozena with the Fan Zhendong. The Rozena pairs wonderfully with carbon blades. You can feel the ball dig into the sponge and you have that extra millisecond of dwell time, but you donâ€t lose out on explosiveness and the combination feels nice and lively.

In terms of base speed, the Rozena is a step above rubbers like the Rasanter R42 and the Xiom Vega X, and a step below all of the Tenergies.

Driving and looping

The Butterfly Rozena is spectacular for driving, looping, and punching the ball.

It delivers a lively feel in the hand, but due to its throw angle and relative softness, you get great safety over the net, a sense of control, and tons of dwell time.

The Rozena works great for driving the ball as it has just the right amount of catapult.

Due to the characteristics we mentioned above, the Rozena instills a sense of confidence and control when driving the ball.

As for looping, the Rozena is a unique rubber, unlike any other Iâ€ve tried.

The Rozena is such a great rubber for looping because it retains most of the characteristics that make the Tenergy 05 a special rubber. The Rozena is essentially a toned-down, softer, and slightly less grippy version of the Tenergy 05.

This makes it a much safer and manageable rubber. Iâ€d say that, for the vast majority of players who arenâ€t yet at an advanced level, the Rozena is the better choice, especially for the backhand side.

In terms of looping, the Rozena is quite dynamic, especially when playing close to the table. The Rozena offers a high arc, tons of safety, good spin, speed, and a relatively long dwell time.

As a medium soft rubber, I would only recommend it for the forehand side if you donâ€t have a soft and flexible blade.

If you were to pair the Rozena on the forehand side of a Nittaku Acoustic (a soft and flexible all-wood blade), you would have a very high throwing, mushy feeling racket with little to no “pop†and directness.

This is what happened when I tried it on my Stratus Power Wood.

However, when I tried it on my Fan Zhendong ALC, the Rozena felt a lot clickier and more direct, even on the forehand side of my racket.

How this rubber behaves varies greatly depending on the type of blade you use it on.

The Rozena is better suited for rally players and players who donâ€t mind playing 2-5 loops to win the point rather than those who serve and try to finish the point on the following ball.

I like the Rozena on my backhand side for the same reason. My aim with the backhand is not to finish points outright, but rather, I like to attack my opponent over and over and get one more ball on the table than them.

I also am the type of player who uses the backhand as a setup for the forehand. On my backhand side, I open up, loop, block, and punch the ball with great consistency, but I never powerloop in tournaments and league matches.

The Rozena is just perfect for playing all of those strokes. Many players are like me, and thatâ€s why the Rozena is such a popular backhand rubber.

As for counterlooping, the Rozena is great, especially when close to the table and at mid-distance. The “Rozena Tolerance†really comes into play when countering, as it grants us that additional time with the ball and a greater margin of safety over the net.

The Rozena Tolerance also comes into play when performing open-ups. The additional dwell time you get when compared with ultra-offensive rubbers is very noticeable, and it helps me land more open-ups on the table on a regular basis.

This effect can really come in handy in tournaments and league matches. Having that extra confidence when the pressureâ€s on can sometimes be the difference between opening up and taking the initiative versus playing a push and giving the first attack to your opponent.

With the Rozena, I noticed that I progressively stopped playing pushes on my backhand side. Even if Iâ€m slightly out of position, I always trust my rubber to put out a safe and spinny, high-arcing open-up.

If I had a Tibhar MX-P or a Tenergy 05, I wouldnâ€t have the same confidence in playing these shots, and this is why I value the Rozena so much. It is a dynamic offensive rubber, but it makes you feel confident that you wonâ€t miss at the same time.

Serve and receive

Serving and receiving are very good with the Butterfly Rozena.

In terms of serving, it produces the amount of spin youâ€d expect from a modern offensive rubber, but it doesnâ€t get to the level of the Tenergies, the Hurricane 3 NEO, or the Fastarc G-1, for example.

I did value, however, the extra amount of dwell time and the speed level of the Rozena in that the ball didnâ€t bounce straight off my racket and I could place all my serves wherever I wanted.

The best attribute of this rubber is, in my opinion, serve receive. The Rozena excels both at active and passive serve receives.

Starting with passive serve receives, the Rozena is not as bouncy as top-tier offensive rubbers, so you can push wherever you want, with any speed or depth. Touching short is also comparatively easy.

In terms of active serve receives, I believe that the Butterfly Rozena is the ideal rubber to learn the backhand flick.

Itâ€s superb at backhand flicks, and itâ€s the ideal rubber for intermediate-level offensive players who want to incorporate this stroke into their game.

You get quite a bit of time with the ball and you can really feel it sink into the rubber, but, at the same time, you have the trademark explosiveness of the Butterfly Spring Sponge.

In addition, the Rozena has quite a high arc, so flicking underspin serves is a lot easier than with most other rubbers.

To this day, the Rozena is the best rubber Iâ€ve tried for getting consistent backhand flicks.

Blocking and chopping

Blocking with the Rozena was great.

Itâ€s easy to play both passive and active blocks. If you relax your wrist, the Rozena is a great rubber for soaking incoming speed and spin.

I really liked how itâ€s a lot easier to block spinny open-ups and powerloops with the Rozena than with other faster and spinnier rubbers. In practice, this makes us get more balls on the table, therefore winning more points.

Active blocks also work very well with the Rozena. With a slight flick of the wrist, you can use incoming speed against your opponents.

I feel like the Rozena has the perfect speed in that itâ€s not overly hard to control blocks against hard-hit loops, but, at the same time, itâ€s fast enough so that our active blocks can be dangerous to the opponent.

Lots of rubbers canâ€t get this balance in blocking quite right.

Slow rubbers, such as the Yasaka Mark V, are great at controlling incoming speed, but our blocks wonâ€t be fast enough to trouble our opponents.

Very fast rubbers, such as the Tenergy 64, are great at producing dangerous blocks, but you need to relax your wrist and always get the racketâ€s angle virtually perfect to get the ball on the table.

I felt like the Rozena struck the perfect balance between being relatively easy to control while also enabling us to trouble opponents with our blocks.

Chopping is quite good with the Rozena. I donâ€t know who would benefit from using the Rozena to chop, though.

You see, modern defenders love using rubbers such as the Tenergy 05 on the forehand side.

The Tenergy 05 produces very spinny chops if you know what youâ€re doing, and itâ€s also superb for attacking.

Classical defenders love using defensive rubbers such as the Butterfly Tackiness Chop on the forehand side to get as much control as possible.

The Rozena is kind of in the middle. You wouldnâ€t want it on the forehand side of your racket if youâ€re a modern defender because it wouldnâ€t be fast enough to attack on a defensive racket nor will it give you as much control as defensive rubbers if youâ€re a classical defender.

The Rozena is good for chopping since you can get almost as much spin as with a Tenergy and a bit more control, but I donâ€t think any defenders will be using it, sadly.

It may be a good option for all-rounders who want a good balance between defense and attack, though.

Alternatives to the Butterfly Rozena

Overall reflections on the Butterfly Rozena

The Butterfly Rozena is a superb rubber. I recommend it for intermediate-level players who arenâ€t ready for an ultra-offensive rubber just yet but want a safe and dynamic offensive rubber to get their game to the next level.

I also think that the Rozena is a superb backhand rubber, even for advanced players. Backhand loops, open-ups, flicks, and blocks are made quite easy with this rubber, and theyâ€re quite effective too.

One of the attributes I like the most about the Rozena is its superb touch. Its medium-soft sponge gives us great confidence, very good feeling with the ball, and a lot of dwell time.

In addition, the Rozena is quite durable and well-priced, considering itâ€s made by the most reputable brand, Butterfly.

Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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