Hello DTT CCers!
UPDATE ON ME:
SHORT SUMMARY:
I have improved a lot, have been playing 4x a week for 6 months if not more.
LONG POST:
I have not posted in some time of my progress. Have not video'd my matches. Playing mostly matches but occassionally am able to only practice/train. Sometimes I am fortunate to play vs 2 2000 players (lose easily). But I mostly play vs 1700-1900 players. Some are as
ttmonster calls "boom boom" players - players who have a faster paced game. But as my club is a Dept of Parks Recreation Center with Senior membership fees of $25/yr (!!!), we have many senior players (62+yrs old).
I have 2 regular partners I play with. One is 65 yrs old and plays steady and will attack occasionally. I have lost to him 50 or 60 times and won 6 times. I may exaggerate the numbers of his wins, but vs him I have only won 6x. I am not looking to beat him per se. I am looking to improve my gameplay and techniques. Trying to anticipate the balls instead of reacting to them.
I took about 6 months playing SH to learn and groove the SH BH as a precursor to playing PH RPB. I think the time I invested in my SH BH has helped tremendously my RPB flat hit. Then I spent maybe 8 or 9 months playing RPB and trying to ignore my TPB oldschool PH instincts.
There seems to be 2 schools of thought for RPB:
1. Use RPB to spin.
2. Use RPB to block, punch, flat hit, smash, and spin.
I opted to work on my RPB foundation/basics and took the 2nd approach. Lately I am a little more consistent during gameplay, ball doesn't hit my fingers as much as before, so now I am working on spinning more.
Vs the 65 yr old steady player, I FORCED my RPB loops. Also I 'lost' my FH loop during the past year or so as I neglected it and concentrated soley on RPB. Lucky in the past 5 months or so, I have 'gotten' my FH loop back. I AM NOT A LOOPER. I am not steady. If I get my first over, it is usually to set up smashing, one of my strengths. However, vs this partner, I have tried to become a better looper and force myself to loop more be it FH or RPB. i have missed many and lost many matches. Again, I do not care about winning or losing. It is about changing my style from smashing to be well-rounded and loop more as well as trying to rally longer into the point instead of smashing. Easily one of my strengths is smashing. Fortunate to have learned from Alex Tam when I was a kid. Also very fortunate when I was younger that Rey Domingo, a 2400 looper/lobber worked with me. He kept lobbing and I kept smashing. But I do not want to continue with my strengths, I want to strengthen my weaknesses and improve. Hence my losing of matches but forcing myself to loop way more, out of my comfort zone. I would 2nd ball or 3rd ball loop whereas i generally would push and set up a 4th ball or later loop instead of 2nd/3rd ball loops.
I have another regular partner I play. He is 70 yrs old and has conservative serves, excellent FH and BH smashes and good FH loop. Plays JPen. With him as well as the 65 yr old, i have learned to relax more, and not rush my shots. I have beaten this 70 yr old 2x now, both 3-0, but close games. Although I have lost to him 15x or more.
2 other regular partners I play - a late 30's young man who is a boom boom player as ttmonster calls them LOL. SH double-winged looper. About 1900. I have only beaten him once at 3-2, but despite losses, I am rallying deeper into the point and scores are closer now. This shows my my RPB blocks and punches are working as well as periodically surprising him with a RPB loop. I have lost to him 15+ times also.
The 4th regular partner is a SH with LP on his BH, doesn't twiddle. Sometimes he plays defensive letting his LP psyche me out, sometimes he will FH loop with a wicked fast sidespin loop. Have lost to him 15+ times also, won only 1x at 3-2. But lately my losses are closer in scores and my FH loops and RPB smashes and punches are succesful.
I lost track ... have been going to the club 4 nights a week for 6 months now? 2-3 hrs a night, although gameplay may be 1 hr to 90 mins, rarely 2 hrs, part of time is waiting for next.
Have improved tremendously. In the past during practice I'm 100 to 200 pts better than my gameplay. Now, perhaps my gameplay has improved and my overall level may have improved from 1500/1600 to 1700/1800. Not a consistent 1800 though. IIRC
Der_Echte estimated my gameplay at 1700 when i played him as an oldschool PH with no RPB.
This Sunday,
42andbackpains will go a friend's house in NJ to play vs some of our old 1980's TT crew. We are mostly in our 50's and playing for fun and bragging rights LOL. 42andbackpains is recovering from injuries so he won't be playing as much. When healthy, he was probably the best of us and he continously played and received regular coaching lessons through the years. Will video my matches and post for DTT CCers to laugh at me
I felt I improved quite a bit, so when and if I ever meet
ttmonster and/or
JeffM, I will request 8 points instead of 9 ;-)
Very truly yours in TT,
~OSPH
p.s. As i have in the past, i will continue to thank
NextLevel re: nospin serves! It has helped my gameplay vs my 4 regular partners. BUT SURPRISINGLY I played a young 2000+ lady and an older gentleman who is also 2000, and my nospin serves have helped me win freebie points! Totally amazed at it. perhaps they do not know about nospin serves or perhaps I have a deceptive serve motion and show them heavy sidetop and sidedown and then later give them the good old nospin serve.
THANK YOU NEXTLEVEL!
p.p.s. Solely on @
suds79 recommendation, i bought the Gambler Fire Touch and will try it out. My current primary blade, Butterfly Taksim, carbon blade, with Donic Bluefire on FH lacks 'touch'. Perhaps it is the blade or the rubber or the chunky handle. Bought the Gambler due to suds' recommendation and description mentioning it has touch as well as a thinner handle. I don't like chunky/fat handles.
