Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

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today 15 o clock playoff semis in Germany Ochsenhausen (Gauzy, Calderano, Dyjas) VS. Fulda Maberzell (Wang Xi, Ruwen Filus, Jonathan Groth) and Borussia Düsseldorf (Timo Boll, K. Karlsson, Fegerl) VS. Saarbrücken ( Apolonia, Baum, Franziska injured)

Live stream on sportdeutschland.tv
 
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This weekend was the PA State Champs. Really looked forward to playing it and upped my playing and training time the last week. I have been teach a lot of footwork to my students so that I can work more on mine. One of Brett's recommended drills (which for some reason I confused with a falkenberg when I first saw it) is to simply to a pivot then do a cross step then a pivot and a cross step for a minute, rest a minute, and then repeat about 4 times more. I don't consistently do the 4 times more part, but I have been trying to at least get some work in. Not great for my knees but I try to be more careful in practice.

So I entered the 040, the Open and U2300. Most of my friends play the U2050 so it felt weird missing that (I almost wanted to drop enough points to play it but I am beginning to realize that is unnecessary). The O40 was single elimination, and the Open and U2300 are round robin followed by elimination rounds. I went in on Saturday to see the lower rated events as I had a student and a couple of friends playing. I recorded a lot of matches from the event for both days - the playlist is here, though sadly, none are edited:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1xHYZmEaJtSEjd1n4-dV-OC7XdjYDhXA

Before leaving on Saturday, I found out who the entrants were: a Seemiller player who has been as high as 2200 USATT, a clubmate two winged looper, and the tournament director. I thought without checking the ratings that I was the #2 seed and that I would get to face the two-winged looper. Sunday morning comes and it turns out that I am the #1 player but for some reason (maybe the tournament software decided to avoid me playing the tournament director who I usually beat easily), I got to still play the two-winged looper.

I managed to win that 3-1, with a game 2 comeback that I almost exceeded in game 3, but fell short at the end. In game 4, some good risk taking and blocking sealed the match. He is someone I have played a lot, he has improved a lot recently, and would beat me if he played me every day, but I have tricks in my game built to take advantage of players like him who aren't always watching carefully - that was enough for two games. I also returned his serve better than I usually do - he hasn't played me a lot since I switched rubber to Karis so he doesn't know I have far more control than I used to have with Tenergy. MY favorite point of the match:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm-Gt7_yMuM&t=928

If you ever face that serve and know how spinny it is and how many times I have looped it long trying to do that, you will understand.

The final was against the Seemiller. Spinny forehand, blocks with both inverted and anti, twiddles for both strokes too. With his experience, some would take him over me. He also has a low toss backhand serve that gave me nightmares when I played him two years ago. But there is one thing that makes me a night mare for those players - I loop from both sides. So many old school player are not used to two things - good backhand loops and chiquitas (they are variants of the same thing, but the first is more about the backhand not being a safe place to put the ball and the second is about short serves being attackable over the table even if they are backspin).

The final was a best of 7. I lost the first game, got lucky at the end of the second when he missed a pop on his serve at 9-10 and took command in games 3 and 4. Let me say that whether my footwork was correct or not, this was really a footwork and forehand match. OF course, backhand played a very important role as well - I can't underestimate how much easier it makes my life to be able to open powerfully from both sides against these kinds of players.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=673
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=711

My opponent won the 5th game. I experienced an ankle-breaker here which probably didn't help my knees.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=1020

The sixth game was a back and forth with many critical moments. My best pure shot of the match:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=1333

At 9-9 in the 6th, he hit a short ball with the inverted and I looped it off the table. 10-9, with a chance to send it to game 7, this happened:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=1420

At deuce, I turned into a smart coward - I decided I was going to win the match mostly with my defense as I was letting him bait me too much. He missed a loop against my push at 12 all and I called a timeout. Our tournament director thought it was the end of game 6 and wanted to take scores for game 7. But in any case, I won on match point with a short push Dima style:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRUM3DpiM0&feature=youtu.be&&t=1526

So I won the title of 040 champ in the state of PA (okay, thanks to all the players who didn't show up ;)).

After this match, my right knee was bothering me. But there was a 1300 player that was in my group that was my first match in the Open. I decided to test my knee in this match. But when I got to the table, it was not a 1300 player but an experienced 1600 level super blocker. I have always had trouble with him whenever I played him at any level. Even if I beat him 3-0, he usually gets at least one deuce.

Surprisingly, this match showed me how much I had improved and it annoyed me that I did not want to put the knee through more after playing him because moving to my forehand (my weaker shot) put me in pain so it made no sense to play good players with that pain. I beat him 3-0, no incident, he didn't score more than 4 points in any game. I didn't record the match, but some of the shots I made were just funny. We both started laughing in game 3 when it was just getting really bad. He couldn't push my serves, I killed most of his, he couldn't block my loop etc. In any case, I was okay with the day - I always said my play was health permitting.

So I defaulted the rest of my matches.

My not playing allowed me to record a lot more matches from other players and I also recorded parts of matches. Hopefully, people will find interesting things to watch. I put the event titles and rounds next to the matches and tried to film the best players (mostly USAT 2200-2300, which is not very high, but still a strong amateur/semi-professional level).
 
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I played in the U-2000 event at the MDTTC in Gaithersburg this weekend. This was my 4th tournament in 4 years.

Summary: Great facility, lots of nice people, got destroyed.

Just saw your results on omnipong. You went 2-2, and you lost to two good players. Hopefully, you got some good video out of it, but if not, it is still a competitive experience. How did it feel?
 
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Just saw your results on omnipong. You went 2-2, and you lost to two good players. Hopefully, you got some good video out of it, but if not, it is still a competitive experience. How did it feel?

No video this time. Sorry.

As far as how I played, I don't think I hit a clean shot the entire day from either wing. Backhand especially was a real nightmare. But in the past 2 years, there have been maybe three or four occasions where I have played against anyone outside of the small nucleus of 5-6 serious players that live in my area. I don't really expect to go into one of the toughest clubs in the country and perform well.

Austin is going to be moving out of the area in a few weeks, so it's difficult to say how involved I'll be with table tennis for the rest of the year.
 
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No video this time. Sorry.

As far as how I played, I don't think I hit a clean shot the entire day from either wing. Backhand especially was a real nightmare. But in the past 2 years, there have been maybe three or four occasions where I have played against anyone outside of the small nucleus of 5-6 serious players that live in my area. I don't really expect to go into one of the toughest clubs in the country and perform well.

Austin is going to be moving out of the area in a few weeks, so it's difficult to say how involved I'll be with table tennis for the rest of the year.

Did Austin play? How did you end up going?

Yes, it's a tough tournament, and you probably should have played the U1800 as well. But it was probably on another day, I guess.

IF you find people who like the sport, you could always coach.:cool:
 
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Did Austin play? How did you end up going?

Yes, it's a tough tournament, and you probably should have played the U1800 as well. But it was probably on another day, I guess.

IF you find people who like the sport, you could always coach.:cool:

I just went by myself this time since Austin couldn't make it. It made finding someone to warm up with a little more challenging, but I eventually found an unrated player who also didn't know anyone . Yet another reason why it pays to go to lots of tournaments - you know people and people know you.
 
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Der_Echte the fool played another 5 hours today in local club (after 8 hrs yesterday) with a lot of footwork work (an hour) vs a new Vietnamese player Nam Tran (easily 2350+) I will sleep tonite and after last nights hamstring/quad 4 hour cramp ordeal, I should sleep through a war.
 
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So I won the title of 040 champ in the state of PA (okay, thanks to all the players who didn't show up ;)).

I played in the U-2000 event at the MDTTC in Gaithersburg this weekend. This was my 4th tournament in 4 years.

... got destroyed.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."


~ Theodore Roosevelt - "THE MAN IN THE ARENA"
Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic" delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910.

Congratulations to both of you!
 
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One of my club mates got me a pack of new DHS balls from China ... bounces higher than Nittaku but appeared to catch a little less spin, probably the elasticity of the material is less than Nittaku ... I did some bounce tests and found that even though both of them start of bouncing off almost to the same height , the nittaku one kept on bouncing longer somewhat confirming my suspicion ... I think the DHS one will last longer ... but considering the price difference , its a small sacrifice to make , I am going to buy DHS ones once my stock of nittaku runs out .. my idea is that playing with a ball that spins a little less will actually help improving the touch and play better when you run into a Nittaku one ..
 
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Went to the club last night ... hit for 2 hrs or so with 2 breaks in between. Didn't play any matches. Just hit.

Didn't hit or block well with the Nexy Amazon: the few months off and/or it's time to change the rubber. Tested more with the American Hinoki CPen with Tenergy sheets. Although the blade is noticeably smaller than other CPen rackets i'm comfortable with, I seemed to hit decently with it. Also tried using it as a SH and it was decent for me. M2 saw me and said i should convert to SH lol

I seemed to be ok with the weight of the 2 inverted and american hinoki blade. Wrist didn't hurt. Not sure if that is a factor of not having played in a few months or if i didn't play long enough. Additionally, i didn't try too many RPB loops.

As i was about to leave, a gentleman said hi to me. I didn't recognize him at first, but after 10 seconds or so, I recognized him. I didn't want him to tell me his name, but after maybe 30 seconds i could not recall his name. He told me his name was M.H. and memories came flooding back of 30+ yrs ago! He used to play in the old Firehouse TT club in Chinatown (Lafayette and White Streets). We chatted briefly as I had to go home. Other members of my current club that also played in the 1980's Firehouse club: Mark Berg, Horace the chopper, and an older gentleman - Thomas.

Hope to see MH next time and can catch up more!

firehouse.jpg


6 tables - 2 per garage bays - the memories of an old man reminiscing about his youth lol
 
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back to the club after a 3 weeks break. I played very little while on holidays, just once at my old club, a little bit in another club and another time in a bar...

Clearly I lacked rhythm, my replacement was very slow especially in my weakest area: after my own serve or after playing a short ball (example: receiving a short serve). I need to drill this again and again as i was doing before the break. any tips welcomed. Muscles play a strong part of course but isn't it mental training mainly ?

I can feel also when we're just drilling FH to FH or BH to BH that my BH is much much more consistent (at least one level above) and one of the reasons is that I'm able to get in neutral position much more naturally and bouncing naturally on my feet, on the other hand while hitting FH to FH, my arm goes back to neutral but my feet don't bounce/move after the finish

in training matches i wasn't ridiculous, but i sometimes felt totally powerless against some of the stronger opponents
 
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