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I've played this kid twice in tournaments (I lost both times). His technique is a little awkward, but he's got a lot of match experience and is used to grinding out tough wins against higher ranked players since he was half his current height. His Dad has emphasized keeping it very simple and...

I've played extensively with G-1 and V15, and MX-D to me is harder and faster than those rubbers, and more difficult to control at my level (~1700). It's quite the rocket with impressive speed and spin. I ordered FX-P on the Rossi blade to see if the softer rubber meshes with my game better.

This year so far, after receiving my annual bonus (which wasn't as terrible as expected): - Nittaku Acoustic with Joola Dynarz ACC (purple) on the FH and Tenergy 05-FX on the BH - Nittaku Septear with Tibhar Evolution MX-D on the FH and EL-S on the BH (was curious about Hinoki) - Joola Rossi...

Dima 11-4

On a slightly different note, I was also surprised by how overwhelming female the audience was. Is that because it was mostly fan girls of the CNT? Had no idea the CNT men's team had groupies? Where were the men? I would have definitely attended if I were anywhere near Macau.

Vantelin knee sleeves have worked really well for me. They're made in Japan, lightweight and easy to wash. I feel zero pain after I play with them. You can find them on Amazon and eBay. I don't have any knee (ACL, MCL) injuries, but I started to feel some knee pain in my 40s. The sleeves (and...

No, it's just my personal perception from playing with both brands extensively on the same table(s) for 18 months. I definitely haven't weighed XSF vs Nittaku on a scale. During club practice, we use both brands and I can definitely tell the difference even though I'm not the most perceptive...

I've only seen Nittaku and Butterfly balls at the tournaments that I've played in. Almost everyone I've met in club & tournament play in Cali prefers Nittaku to Butterfly. Butterfly gets too shiny and smooth and develops an unpredictable bounce over time in my opinion. I personally use XSF in...

Kanak's a great player, but I find his style a little too structured and robotic. His consistency and ability to actively block are a strength, but he tends to get a little too passive in his attacks and doesn't have any big weapons (unlike Aruna's nuclear forehand). Unlikely he'll ever see the...

Should be a fun and competitive series. Matilda is a legit 2600 level player and the other two ladies are ~2200/~2300.

TT11 is my go-to TT retailer with better prices than Megaspin or Paddle Palace. They ship fast via DHL from Estonia and it gets to the US in around 4 business days. As you noted, they don't charge tax, which is another great advantage of buying from them. Sadly, I've blown a lot of money there...

I played with Xiom Vega X and Yasaka Rakza Z on the Xiom Hugo SAL blade (very similar to the HAL) for several weeks this spring. Both rubbers play beautifully on the blade. The blade is really nice and under-rated as well.

I would suggest experimenting with a variety of different serves if you have the time: hook/jb, tomahawk, backhand, pendulum to find what works best for you. Working on serves is a lot of fun and a good way to practice solo. For each serve, you can start off by practicing underspin and sidespin...

I think it's going to be very difficult to get super close to the feel of an indoor table because of the special material and surface treatment that an outdoor table requires to withstand the elements. That being said, unless you're a semi-pro or super-fussy, the experience of playing on the...

Thank you for all the suggestions. I think broadly that I'll just have to be more cognizant of injury risks and spend time on deliberate warm-up/cool down and strengthening/massage exercises.

Solid advice, thank you.

As an older 40+ player, my body harshly reminded me that I wasn't so young any more when I developed tennis elbow in 4 months of intense practice and tournament play after returning to the sport after a long hiatus. I hit the 1600 level last Nov, but was forced to switch to my other hand when I...

Ayano is currently rated 2142 after 4 tournaments and will easily move beyond 2200. This is her (brief) tournament history in the US: https://usatt.simplycompete.com/userAccount/up/175117 She's clearly received good coaching and has also put in a ton of hours into the craft. I personally would...

As a 40+ table tennis player and junior EJ who's blown a considerable sum of money on blades and rubbers in the past year, I'm starting to come around to the conclusion that 5-ply is good enough for the vast majority of us who aren't semi-pro's or pro's. I just moved to a Nittaku Violin blade...

Yes, it looks like you're getting a good deal on Tenergy in Europe relative to the US.