Impact of the plastic ball on the game

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"Different plastic balls on different table [surfaces are] absolutely different" - I remember when people suggested this was a possible reason for the CNT fiasco at German Open 2017, citing players like Xu Xin, they were labeled fools. Imagine tennis but with clay, hard or grass picked as court surface randomly before every tournament. This is table tennis now.
 
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No doubt. The differences in tables don't get talked about (almost ever). But they have as big an impact as a ball, I think.
 
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Who is Eva Jeler?

And I completely disagree with that the table has as much impact as the ball. Before the plastic era you could never experience that margin of different ways the game plays like today with the plastic balls. Some balls are just terrible and not playable. Not talking about the lack of motivation to even play table tennis you sometimes feel with some balls.
 
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No doubt. The differences in tables don't get talked about (almost ever). But they have as big an impact as a ball, I think.

Floors. I can have quite a bit of difficulty coping with a gym-style playing venue. Soft linoleum floor. That doesn't only impact your movement and balance, but affects the bounce of the ball immensely too. A decent table on a beech floor, or a covering designed for table tennis (Gerflor and such) will play very different than the same table on a linoleum floor.
 
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Who is Eva Jeler?

And I completely disagree with that the table has as much impact as the ball. Before the plastic era you could never experience that margin of different ways the game plays like today with the plastic balls. Some balls are just terrible and not playable. Not talking about the lack of motivation to even play table tennis you sometimes feel with some balls.

In China you often find cheap Double Fish tables with a very shiny surface that is like playing on glass. On my first trip to China I started to get used to it on the day before I came back to the US (where I was relieved to have Tibhar 28 and Butterfly tables). Check early rounds from 2008 Beijing Olympics and you can see pros struggling with a similar table surface. Tables matter a lot. Or they can anyway. I notice a big difference between Tibhars that I used to play on a d Butterfly that I play on now usually

Also some members of a certain age may remember the horrors of unplayable 38mm Halex balls.

It is true though that we never had to deal with so much ball variation as now (especially in Europe it seems). And I agree, some 40+ balls are unplayble now. Too many. The type of table can impact how much a particular type of ball bothers you and can make bad worse.

Things are starting to converge on seamed ABS balls so maybe it will vet a little better (unless you among those who hate that ball type).
 
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I can't play at Swan where all tables are made by Double Happiness. The ball slides & makes the ball blocking extremely difficult for chop/blocking style like me. I lost 3 deuce games in a team tournament to an Indian player who was more familiar with the playing condition at Swan club than I am. Yes, I do blame on table as it favors certain style.
 
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I have noticed two impacts since plastic ball being used a lot.

1) TT equipment makers got more sales churned - players shelled out more money as equipment jumped in price, new equipment came out, and the different balls came out.

2) Players injured their shoulders a LOT more trying to hit harder to make up for lost power or spin - medical and drug industry gained more business.

Oddly enough, I ripped up my rotator cuff too in the early days of plastic balls, but it wasn't because of the ball or TT, it was related to snow clearing activities of 1-2 meters in -30C weather.
 
"Different plastic balls on different table [surfaces are] absolutely different" - I remember when people suggested this was a possible reason for the CNT fiasco at German Open 2017, citing players like Xu Xin, they were labeled fools. Imagine tennis but with clay, hard or grass picked as court surface randomly before every tournament. This is table tennis now.

I absolutely agree that different balls and tables do matter.
Here is from my post long before the German Open 2017:

"Its a good idea to check what tables and balls will be used on the tournement and if avaylable to play a session somewhere with the same."

post #8 from this thread:

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...sions-about-something-people-always-look-over
 
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Yep, with some harder balls and shiny tables, one just feels like ice skating while playing golf and reproducing Caravaggio painting at the same time ... I like Eva's expression while describing nuances of a ball - table combinations, long emphasized "pfffffffffff .... " ; )

I do like her presentation and really do hope that tt will became more of a combination game with clearly visible point construction phase. But so far all attacking game seems to be predominant ...
 
For me, it is easier to receive spinny serves and nowadays you need to hit more through the sponge. Pure thin brushes when looping seem to be not so effective anymore.

I agree with this, but partially and as a tendence.
A well done thin but aggressive brush may be twice faster and much more dangerous than a snap through the sponge.
 
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I liked her point that in-and-out footwork for topspin is more important now because the ball stops faster on the table. I never thought about it.

This is absolutely vital with 40+. The number of times I've played over the top of the flight of the ball...

The risk/reward calculations we're all used to making when selecting a shot have shifted quite a lot with plastic, and the variations in ball types shuffle that around somewhat each time you switch.
 
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Brilliant,Ilia. Thanks for sharing.


Who is Eva Jeler?

And I completely disagree with that the table has as much impact as the ball. Before the plastic era you could never experience that margin of different ways the game plays like today with the plastic balls. Some balls are just terrible and not playable. Not talking about the lack of motivation to even play table tennis you sometimes feel with some balls.

Are you just trolling or asking seriously?
Frau Eva Jeler is on the German National coaching staff for more than THREE decades and definitely knows what she's talking about!

There's an interview with the only German Tabletennis magazine and that also was published by their website www.tischtennis.de

Here ya go
https://www.tischtennis.de/news/int...sstsein-souveraenitaet-und-investitionen.html

and also a bit of her record.

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Jeler

I believe she coached, among others Roßkopf (Jorg) and Struse (Nicole) when they peaked somewhere in in the 90s and were the european top dogs for a while.

Exactly.
[Emoji2]
Good memory, mate
 
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Floors. I can have quite a bit of difficulty coping with a gym-style playing venue. Soft linoleum floor. That doesn't only impact your movement and balance, but affects the bounce of the ball immensely too. A decent table on a beech floor, or a covering designed for table tennis (Gerflor and such) will play very different than the same table on a linoleum floor.
This is a myth. The mass of the table is so large compared to the ball that whether the table is in free space on on concrete there is little difference. I do agree that the quality of the table makes a huge difference in how the ball bounces. Some surfaces are harder and slicker than others. I have a Stiga table. I don't like it. I think it was made by Escalade sports in the US for Stiga. The quality is horrible. The surface in not smooth but it is not like playing on glass. When I bought the table I didn't know any better. The ball bounces low when it hits the white paint. Now I wouldn't buy a table that wasn't 25-30mm with a nice surface. The Stiga Optimum 30 looks good. So do the Donic tables at a local club. The DHS tables did not hold up well for the local club. It was hard to get parts and the wheels always seemed to have problems.
 
This is a myth. The mass of the table is so large compared to the ball that whether the table is in free space on on concrete there is little difference. I do agree that the quality of the table makes a huge difference in how the ball bounces. Some surfaces are harder and slicker than others. I have a Stiga table. I don't like it. I think it was made by Escalade sports in the US for Stiga. The quality is horrible. The surface in not smooth but it is not like playing on glass. When I bought the table I didn't know any better. The ball bounces low when it hits the white paint. Now I wouldn't buy a table that wasn't 25-30mm with a nice surface. The Stiga Optimum 30 looks good. So do the Donic tables at a local club. The DHS tables did not hold up well for the local club. It was hard to get parts and the wheels always seemed to have problems.


I disagree. The flooring beneath the table does have an impact on the bounce of the ball. If the table is sitting on soft rubber flooring that makes the ball bounce lower and rebound slower than when the table sits on a hard concrete (or similar) surface. I would argue that it is not a myth. Do you have any scientific studies on this? I would be interested to see the data.
 
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