Have the rallies improved after WTTC?

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This question was asked by Chinese media as well!

According to a senior CNT coach "其實區別並沒有外界說得那麼大,關鍵在於用什麼樣的技術去打球。現在男選手的弧圈球是撞擊和摩擦的深度結合,像馬龍發力拉的弧圈速度力量可能比以前更大。"

He said the difference is not as big as people are making it out, the main difference is the what the technique are the player using. Nowadays, looping among male player is a deep combination of hitting and brushing. Ma Long might be looping with greater force than before.


http://sports.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2015/0504/c22176-26945271.html
 
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It certainly is! Then again, with the increased length of the rallies it requires more stamina and higher consistency to pull off one loop after another. it might not matter nearly at all to the top level of competition, but what about the average amateurs/enthusiasts that did not go through the proper training process?

How many of you have been bullied by that old man in your club with a weird rubber setup of pimples/anti spin that simply kills you with his serves and service returns? I am guessing most of you because there are always at least one of them around (coincidence? I THINK NOT!). So whats gonna happen to that guy when his spin advantage is nerfed/gone? Is he still going to enjoy the sports with all the frustration he will be going through? I dont think so.

Ok lets take a less extreme example then. Say....a final year uni student who is in the varsity team that has been playing for several years. He has got the stamina, but his game relies on that one opening shot that will force his opponents into a mistake for him to get the point in the next shot. Now with the new ball, it slows the shot down to a returnable level for the opponent, and suddenly the student's go-to tactics he's been using for years is suddenly gone, and he wont have any more time to adjust to it as this is his last year he will be playing in a proper training system. Will he still enjoy the sport then? I dont know. At the moment, this case is very common.

My personal opinion on the matter? I am having little to no problem adjusting to it. Yes I have to strike the ball a bit later during serves to prevent it from flying too high, and yes I have to recover quicker in response to the higher number of top spin to top spin rallies now. It has, in my opinion, made the game more challenging and refreshing and I am enjoying it. But this is coming from a player that was in proper training regimes ever since he started playing.

So.....Yes it has definitely made competitions at the top level more spectacular, and also made games at a somewhat higher level more interesting than they were. However, I dont think this change is that good for the sport as a whole. And the steep price tag of the new balls doesnt help the cause in the enthusiast scene either.
 
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Truthgfull, at my level (1600-1750 USATT) The ball doesn't effect the game really. Especially the XuShaofa ball, which is also the nexy one. That one I feel no change at all. In my eyes the rallies last year and this year were just as good. Maybe better last year, with more counterlooping rallies and fewer lobbing rallies (as supposed to this year with tons of lobbing)
 
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It's also because the 2013 WTTC was perhaps the most boring of all time. Even the highlights of the finals is not that exciting. Everything happened as expected (except for Ma Long getting steamrolled by Wang Hao). ZJK even beat FZD and XX 4-0 each. The one game that I remember that was nerve-wracking and at the highest level was Boll vs Ma Long. Matsudaira had really competitive and exciting matches against Samsonov and Xu Xin but those matches didn't have the same level of play.

The 2015 WTTC was much better but we can also compare the 2013 WTTC with the 2011 WTTC.


  • Tokic vs Ma Long was perhaps the most entertaining match ever.
  • Ma Long gave a better fight against Wang Hao.
  • ZJK was given a very tough and exciting match against Wang Liqin.
  • Boll managed to take one of the medals from the Chinese.
  • Boll vs ZJK was exhilarating. The match wasn't close but ZJK played at an unbelievably high level. Some of the rallies were completely mind-boggling.
  • Ryu Seung Min took Wang Hao to the 7th set and Ryu Seung Min is a very exciting player to watch.
 
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A
My personal opinion on the matter? I am having little to no problem adjusting to it. Yes I have to strike the ball a bit later during serves to prevent it from flying too high, and yes I have to recover quicker in response to the higher number of top spin to top spin rallies now. It has, in my opinion, made the game more challenging and refreshing and I am enjoying it. But this is coming from a player that was in proper training regimes ever since he started playing.

i also didn't have a problem to adjust. Although here in Belgium, on provincial level, we only play with the plastic ball in tournaments. In the normal weekly competition we still play with the old ball. I found that in tournaments, i am better in counterhitting and blocking, which are normally my weak points. My fh topspins are still difficult to catch, so for me personally, it is a good change. I dont recognise a big difference though. I have been played tt for 5 years now, so i still need to think and adjust with most strokes. Thats maybe the reason why i dont have a problem to adjust to the plastic ball.
 
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