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Won 2, lost 1 in club training today. Revenge for the...
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Played about 9 matches at my club on Friday evening with 3 different people, each time alternating between my inverted rubber racket, my SP racket and my LP racket. Lot of fun and managed to win 2 matches with my LP and SP 
. Feeling a lot better with controlling the LP close to table for aggresive pushes and chop blocks but I still think that perhaps Inner 729 Yellow ALC might be too fast for close to table play. Away from the table, chopping is awesome. Still can't perform a proper SP flick for BH punch against quick forehand topspin, need to practise on that. Will make a recording soon so I can ask all of you for advice.
. Feeling a lot better with controlling the LP close to table for aggresive pushes and chop blocks but I still think that perhaps Inner 729 Yellow ALC might be too fast for close to table play. Away from the table, chopping is awesome. Still can't perform a proper SP flick for BH punch against quick forehand topspin, need to practise on that. Will make a recording soon so I can ask all of you for advice.
Did some more extensive testing of the 3 blades, all with H3 FH and D09C BH. I think the Q968 is still the happy medium between the 3. I'm amazed by just how different the Q and the W are every time I comp them. They look identical, yet play so differently. DHS must be using different fibers and/or glue with those 2 blades.
So I've decided to stick to my current setup for now. I've just reached the form I've been trying to obtain, so just gonna focus on solidifying that and don't wanna mess with a very different equipment right now. At most I'll try out my existing Vis variants to satisfy my EJ urge lol.
Some folks don't think TT is about the details, but I really think it is. My latest minor adjustment is my stance, trying to maintain a forward lean particularly for FH. I've known it to be an issue for a while now, but have put off correcting it to focus on other things, but it really makes a difference. It makes more stroke more forward and more at chest level, which helps a ton on the FH side to ensure solid contact on every shot. It also brings the ball closer to eye level which I think helps with timing as well.
On the BH side my focus is on solidifying my "feel" for the optimal hit box. Every practice I start by moving my arm as little as possible, so that only when I hit the ball when it's in my optimal hit zone does the ball have a chance of having enough speed to cross the net. I think I have a far better intuitive sense of where I want the ball to be when I hit it now.
Some folks don't think TT is about the details, but I really think it is. My latest minor adjustment is my stance, trying to maintain a forward lean particularly for FH. I've known it to be an issue for a while now, but have put off correcting it to focus on other things, but it really makes a difference. It makes more stroke more forward and more at chest level, which helps a ton on the FH side to ensure solid contact on every shot. It also brings the ball closer to eye level which I think helps with timing as well.
On the BH side my focus is on solidifying my "feel" for the optimal hit box. Every practice I start by moving my arm as little as possible, so that only when I hit the ball when it's in my optimal hit zone does the ball have a chance of having enough speed to cross the net. I think I have a far better intuitive sense of where I want the ball to be when I hit it now.
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Best training session ever for me yday.
I had a very good day professionally and when that happens I usually very good but yday was exceptional
Against top guy coming to our regular sessions, probably 400-500 ranking points above, lost only 2-3 , 11-13 in g5. Won first 2 games 11-8 but then he found a way serving topspin half long to my FH which gave him 3 free points in g3 and g4 each. Lost a bit of confidence but found a way to adapt and it was so close in decider but couldn’t get a match point . I’ve been playing him regularly for more than one year and couldn’t even get a game.
Then beated my friend E who is 200+ above cleanly, domination.
Last played a guy who is 400+ above me and beated him for the first time.
What’s amazing is not only the result but I dominated them all. Won almost all BH rallies. My serves caused them a lot of problems, I was using good tactics and combos, and frankly it was deserved as i was the one leading most of the rallies, i scored many more winners but sometimes I missed opportunities in points which should have been mine. And apart from that half long serve to my FH they almost got no easy points and had to attack continuously to score a point.
It would be incredible if I could achieve to play at this level in competition.
One caveat. My game is very effective on new fast tables. The very first match of the day when I wasn’t very warmed up, was on an old table and I felt I couldn’t serve at all, (no spin , bouncing too high, recovering slow) and I lost logically 1-3 to a much more accessible player of my level. I need to work on that.
I had a very good day professionally and when that happens I usually very good but yday was exceptional
Against top guy coming to our regular sessions, probably 400-500 ranking points above, lost only 2-3 , 11-13 in g5. Won first 2 games 11-8 but then he found a way serving topspin half long to my FH which gave him 3 free points in g3 and g4 each. Lost a bit of confidence but found a way to adapt and it was so close in decider but couldn’t get a match point . I’ve been playing him regularly for more than one year and couldn’t even get a game.
Then beated my friend E who is 200+ above cleanly, domination.
Last played a guy who is 400+ above me and beated him for the first time.
What’s amazing is not only the result but I dominated them all. Won almost all BH rallies. My serves caused them a lot of problems, I was using good tactics and combos, and frankly it was deserved as i was the one leading most of the rallies, i scored many more winners but sometimes I missed opportunities in points which should have been mine. And apart from that half long serve to my FH they almost got no easy points and had to attack continuously to score a point.
It would be incredible if I could achieve to play at this level in competition.
One caveat. My game is very effective on new fast tables. The very first match of the day when I wasn’t very warmed up, was on an old table and I felt I couldn’t serve at all, (no spin , bouncing too high, recovering slow) and I lost logically 1-3 to a much more accessible player of my level. I need to work on that.
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Training's been going super well. This past week I've focused on getting the new form down and progressively adding complexities and increase consistency. On both sides I'd start each practice using minimal movement to produce the hardest hit, with as little spin generated as possible to solidify timing and contact, then add spin for looping, then add movement, then backspin. Already I'm seeing a big improvement in my game. It's pretty amazing how quickly consistency training with movement can improve your game. I felt I was plateauing before, but after months spent on developing better forms now I feel like I'm quickly breaking through.
I've been using the FZD the past month as it's easier to hit through the blade, so I could use the least force while focusing more on proper technique and still get good feedback. Now the re-boost is wearing off and it's time to glue new rubbers, and I'm faced with a dilemma. Should I just move on to what I ultimately want to play with, the Q968, now? Or should I stick with the FZD for another cycle?
In anticipation for the next step of my training, I did a bit of countering/counterlooping vs. heavy spin openings at the end of my practice today, and it was sooooo much easier with the Q968. With higher energy balls they just bounce off the FZD too quickly whereas with the Q it sticks to the racket a bit longer allowing me to guide it more. I tried some BH shots as well against block and backspin, and surprisingly I now find the Q to play better than the FZD (I have D09c on the BH side of the Q now instead of H3 which I just couldn't get used to). Even more surprisingly, it was FH shots against block and backspin where I struggled the most with the Q, with shots tending to go long. That turns into a positive though farther from the table, as I find it difficult sometimes with the FZD blade to get the ball over the net unless I'm in the optimal position as it's relatively weak with a relatively short trajectory.
I've been using the FZD the past month as it's easier to hit through the blade, so I could use the least force while focusing more on proper technique and still get good feedback. Now the re-boost is wearing off and it's time to glue new rubbers, and I'm faced with a dilemma. Should I just move on to what I ultimately want to play with, the Q968, now? Or should I stick with the FZD for another cycle?
In anticipation for the next step of my training, I did a bit of countering/counterlooping vs. heavy spin openings at the end of my practice today, and it was sooooo much easier with the Q968. With higher energy balls they just bounce off the FZD too quickly whereas with the Q it sticks to the racket a bit longer allowing me to guide it more. I tried some BH shots as well against block and backspin, and surprisingly I now find the Q to play better than the FZD (I have D09c on the BH side of the Q now instead of H3 which I just couldn't get used to). Even more surprisingly, it was FH shots against block and backspin where I struggled the most with the Q, with shots tending to go long. That turns into a positive though farther from the table, as I find it difficult sometimes with the FZD blade to get the ball over the net unless I'm in the optimal position as it's relatively weak with a relatively short trajectory.
Happy New Year! Looking forward to 2026 and trying to work out my own goals.
Hit a huge plateau in results, but not in my skillset in the back half of 2025. A lot of it was just being overloaded by options with where I am developing and trying to think through every shot, which in turn slowed me down in matches. I tend to do better vs two-winged loopers in the 1600-1900 range cause they give me no time to think haha.
Worked on doing the outer-carbon switch with the FZD, but I'm probably going to end FZD + C55 experiment cause my body cannot handle the training output vs the demands of playing with this setup. When my body/brain are in that initial flow state, it feels very good, but I can't keep that level up in a long tournament day. I'm going to go back to my H2 setup with C-1 backhand and trying NUZN 50 (I got it on sale) on forehand. Hoping this bouncier setup can account for some of my mobility issues that I've been having recently.
Skill-wise, my serve receive is improving, especially with my 3rd ball attack on both loops. Really focused on having short, middle backspin serves or short pushes/long pushes to the backhand and that has started to pay off towards the end of last year. However, I have gotten worse on my 3rd ball response to side-spin serves cause I am staying too close to the table and jamming myself up.
Rallies and being stubborn towards doing one option (i.e. flicking every short serve) are my main weaknesses and will be so going into the new year. I mentally jam myself up and need to stop worrying about perfection or rhythm.
Goal is to aim for rougly 10 tournaments this year if my body holds up. Working on my mobility and have started running again for the first time in like 15 years lol. Jump rope was my main cardio for the longest time. My issue is just the long days where I go cold, so I might just do one or two event tournaments in a day and skip giant round robins. I'm relatively inexperiened in tournaments in general.
Looking forward to the process in 2026 and hopefully I can reflect back on this post in 2027.
Hit a huge plateau in results, but not in my skillset in the back half of 2025. A lot of it was just being overloaded by options with where I am developing and trying to think through every shot, which in turn slowed me down in matches. I tend to do better vs two-winged loopers in the 1600-1900 range cause they give me no time to think haha.
Worked on doing the outer-carbon switch with the FZD, but I'm probably going to end FZD + C55 experiment cause my body cannot handle the training output vs the demands of playing with this setup. When my body/brain are in that initial flow state, it feels very good, but I can't keep that level up in a long tournament day. I'm going to go back to my H2 setup with C-1 backhand and trying NUZN 50 (I got it on sale) on forehand. Hoping this bouncier setup can account for some of my mobility issues that I've been having recently.
Skill-wise, my serve receive is improving, especially with my 3rd ball attack on both loops. Really focused on having short, middle backspin serves or short pushes/long pushes to the backhand and that has started to pay off towards the end of last year. However, I have gotten worse on my 3rd ball response to side-spin serves cause I am staying too close to the table and jamming myself up.
Rallies and being stubborn towards doing one option (i.e. flicking every short serve) are my main weaknesses and will be so going into the new year. I mentally jam myself up and need to stop worrying about perfection or rhythm.
Goal is to aim for rougly 10 tournaments this year if my body holds up. Working on my mobility and have started running again for the first time in like 15 years lol. Jump rope was my main cardio for the longest time. My issue is just the long days where I go cold, so I might just do one or two event tournaments in a day and skip giant round robins. I'm relatively inexperiened in tournaments in general.
Looking forward to the process in 2026 and hopefully I can reflect back on this post in 2027.
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Here is some advice that can help your body recover better in 2026: You should try drinking Gatorade or Powerade during long and hard practices/tournaments as your body relies on the carbohydrate (sugar) source in those drinks to help keep your body energized through play and the electrolyte (salt, magnesium , phosphate, potassium) sources to help reduce muscles cramps, help with hydration, and repair muscle tissue. In terms of mobility, you can look up dynamic stretching (controlled movements to warm-up muscles and joints) and static stretching (holding positions to increase flexibility and mobility in your tendons and muscles).
I typically do a packet of LiquidIV the night before a tournament and a carb source + LiquidIV during tournaments. The issue I'm having is when there's like a long break in between my matches and my body goes ice cold. If I make it to the bracket of my division in a Giant RR, my day will look like:
Big calorie dense breakfast (typically a protein bar + 1 cup of oatmeal)
Morning session: Warm up, Play 4 matches
60-90 minute break, typically get a carb heavy lunch
Afternoon session (I'm at 50% here): Warm up, Play 3 matches
1-3 hour break
Bracket match (I can't move, every muscle in my legs are stiff)
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Timo Boll said he only drinks water and coffee, never sport drinks. Im gonna follow him religiously and only drink water in practices (obv not bcs im broke trust me)
Hah, I'm having the opposite issue! I've been working a lot on my FH/BH technique and I've made a lot of progress with them, but they're far from ingrained in my muscle memory yet. So my issue right now is that if I have a bit of time, I can execute them and play a lot better, but if a rally gets a little faster then I lose form, end up with something in between my new and old forms and get terrible results even though the speed isn't something that'd normally bother me.
As for equipment, I'm also moving back to an old setup, the Q968. I think I just prefer inner blades. I like to swing hard on both sides, even if I am using a more reasonable, more compact form these days, so I just like the extra dwell. Maybe it doesn't actually make me play better, but I just like the feel of it better. I've been trying a bunch of my clubmates' setup as well, and out of theirs the one I liked the most was the Harimoto ALC, another inner blade.
In this new year I'll stick to the same setup Q968/H3/D09c and just focus on consistency and building my new motions into my game.
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Walmart tends to have really cheap sweatpants and hoodies you could wear after your matches to keep your body hot/warm. Your legs can stiffen up due to reduced blood flow as well as lactic acid and hydrogen ion buildup in your muscles so would you could do is get a 5-10 minute walk in before your "next match", whether it's walk in your venue or outside around the block or even in the parking lot.
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Unless you are broke, if you want to play with hard rubbers like C55, just do the Butterfly versions and call it a day. C55 is a really demanding rubber to play witb when you don't have a lot of experience swinging fast at a lot of balls. D09c has many many more gears and even if it is also demanding, it will give you far more quality on suboptimal shots. People say Butterfly is expensive but using cheaper equipment also had costs unless you have someone who also uses it to mentor and train you.
In any case, always try to stick with and master middle of the road setups if you want to go advanced (FZD plus 2 Dignics or 2 Tenergys something like that) so that you think less about equipment. And if you end up not being able to control it, you cn work on what you are missing. And if not because of speed, remember that Butterfly has a whole range of rubbers for players at your level (Rozenas and Glayzers). Many players find good results with those and switch to the advanced stuff at 1600-1800. Going to C55 put you on an island - afterall, the best player using c55 in the world doesn't even use carbon blades. It's not good to be on an island.
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I am still trying and running Zyre experiments. I played with someone who convinced me to give up on Zyre but upon reflection, I still hadn't slowed down the blade. I traveled to Nigeria, and while I didn't play much, I did better with Zyre on a blade is designed from Nexy (koto-ALC-hinoki-kiri-hinoki-ALC-koto). I tried Zyre on Harimoto SALC and felt it was a bit too slow on some shots. So I decided to sell my Mizutani Super ZLC at a discount and get a Harimoto SZLC.
After getting the Harimoto SZLC and putting Zyre 03 on it, I have concluded that Harimoto is the most conservative player in the universe. How can an SZLC blade play like a freaking snail, it is unbelievable. But the beautiful thing is that while it wasn't fast, it got me closer to what I wanted. Passive blocks were not fast but they were hard to miss. Looping was not fast but it was spinny and consistent. And backhand kill loops while not always great were venomous when I made them. And pushing, I now understand why Harimoto pushes so much - his blade is designed to play like a pillow. So you can push aggressively and keep the ball in play.
So I played well enough today to give this setup a try at my next tournament on Saturday. Harimoto SZLC 85g with Zyre 03 both sides. Could also give my custom blade a whirl, but pillow blocking is pretty interesting.
After getting the Harimoto SZLC and putting Zyre 03 on it, I have concluded that Harimoto is the most conservative player in the universe. How can an SZLC blade play like a freaking snail, it is unbelievable. But the beautiful thing is that while it wasn't fast, it got me closer to what I wanted. Passive blocks were not fast but they were hard to miss. Looping was not fast but it was spinny and consistent. And backhand kill loops while not always great were venomous when I made them. And pushing, I now understand why Harimoto pushes so much - his blade is designed to play like a pillow. So you can push aggressively and keep the ball in play.
So I played well enough today to give this setup a try at my next tournament on Saturday. Harimoto SZLC 85g with Zyre 03 both sides. Could also give my custom blade a whirl, but pillow blocking is pretty interesting.
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One of my clubmates got the Spinsight thing and we had some fun trying it out last night. As @Der_Echte can probably guess, I had the most powerful FH by a decent margin. Interestingly, with more powerful FH shots the spin increases just as much as speed and that went for all of us. On FH loops against the block my maximum sustainable (i.e. landing at a good rate) RPS was ~130 (7800 rpm), once above that my consistency decreases. Speed was generally high 40's low 50's kph. I think I'm gonna get it myself to try to gather some more insight on my own play.
I wonder if it's because the weight is so low. I tried 2 of my friend's Harimoto ALCs, and the one I liked far more was the much heavier one (96g). The lighter one felt really muted, it was entirely unremarkable and thoroughly unmemorable in every way. He did slap 1.9mm D05s on the heavy one as opposed to 2.1mm ones, but I've tried 1.9mm D09cs before and there wasn't a huge difference in feel.
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The problem is that i max out using blades at 85g in extreme cases 87g. I just don't like dealing with weight issues after all the stuff I have gone through. But yes, I have heard (and know from experience) that heavier blades carry more heft for driving and looping the ball. But I also got spinsight, I just havent had a chance to train with it yet and I will use that to conduct objective experiments as well.
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Usually slow spinny loops get their effect from angle of incidence so I think Spinsifght should have a spin-speed ratio feature that captures the angle of incidence better so players can use it to measure the dipping effect of the loop. Measuring the pure rps doesn't capture this dipping effect.
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True, but what that means for the ball quality and your recovery is harder to know... trying to use slow blades to bully players who block well often doesn't end well...
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