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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.
Who is Eva Jeler?
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.
"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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.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.