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My favorite thing is the addictive rhythm of the bouncing ball in an exchange rally.

Spin largely comes from contact depth and the rubber. But blocking/hitting speed comes from the blade (well, the rubber as well, but more from the blade). Your older friend would probably be outpaced in rallies if his spin doesn't win the point. That is neither here nor there at that age, but...

I nominate ridderz65 for the most annoying EJ poster on multiple forums. These are things you practice - there is no ultimate blade, just the one you build your skills with! You've asked similar questions over and over and it's getting real annoying. And you've opened multiple threads to...

You are a smart man. That said, there are good reasons to move to a faster blade when you have consistent technique. They may or may not apply to you in the future and one of them is that you may need to counter/block faster with short strokes if you play certain styles.

Don't sell yourself short. It's largely technique.

Of course there is more to it, but I still have a day job. I think I will write an article on the benefits of slower blades and then just link to it whenever this issue comes up.

Yes. Power is important, but what most players who start out (and again, when I say these things, do realize that I am referring to myself in the past tense very often, not just to new players) is that power comes naturally as your timing improves as you can spin the ball harder or softer...

Because you forget how easy it is to crash a car with power steering because you are so used to it. That's what using a fast blade is like - you need the relaxed touch in your hand to make it go slower and many people who start out don't have that - they grip the paddle too tightly. If you...

Man, I said crash the car!

I play short table power loops and I spin the ball wide. You can do that with any blade but it is easier with a slower blade. It is a mid-distance blocking/countering game that you will find it harder to do with a slower blade.

:p A beginner in a Ferrari will crash the car.

I'm not so much about the material as to whether the blade responds to your touch. Some people do pretty well with koto - I am just not one of them. The problems with a fast blade are many, but in addition to promoting the wrong type of feeling, think about what a beginner needs. He needs to...

While I don't want to sound like it, I have heard this story a thousand times ( 30 of those times may have been from me ) and the ending is almost never good for those who refuse to listen. The key to getting better in table tennis is not speed but control and the easiest way to build control...

A lot of this tells me that you might do better with an even slower blade, but let's not dwell on it for now.

That's my point exactly. Many people who rave about it don't know what they should be looking for in a blade for their level!

To support your point, I think Li Ping uses Euro rubbers on both sides and I remember one year where he was the best Asia vs Europe player.

Nah, not you personally. But it is okay to be Wang Hao as well. They are all good players. We just like the World Champion and say he is the best ever when he wins ;). If Xu Xin had won the last WTTC, he would be the man of the moment as well.

That's because you think you can see Ma Long, but what makes Ma Long Ma Long is mostly what you cannot see. It's the iceberg illusion again. You only see the part above water and are oblivious to the huge mass beneath.

You have to meet Der_Echte and hear him speak to realize that read him as Captain Obvious is a big mistake. And a key part of what he said isn't obvious to people who want to play fast and even occasionally eludes me when I am playing faster - I don't play faster because I am trying to play...

On the latest experttabletennis podcast, Timo Boll's advice to Christian Ortner (the ITTF media/video guy) who started playing 5 years ago at the age of 18 was to spin everything, even the high balls. So everyone can see how easy it is to sound like Timo Boll ;).