Just curious how many Penholders are on TTD?

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That's what I do. Mostly TPB. Occasionally RPB LP chop-block if I'm close to the table or full on RPB chop with the LPs if I'm off the table. I'm getting better at it but still a long, long ways to go on consistency as playing that modern defender esk type of game isn't something I've practice much before.

But it's nice to have the variation.

Played club mate who beat me 3-1 after I took the first game. I then wanted a rematch and won that 3-0. Made the adjustment in that he was someone who does not struggle vs the LPs (while others do). So I played him in the rematch more like a one sided only single wing player and that worked out... Well that and simply playing more consistent with my attacks that 2nd match. That always helps ;)

Need to realize sooner when I'm facing someone if the LPs make them struggle or not & adapt accordingly.

Also, picked up a sheet of H3 Neo. My burst has finally lost its burst :p. Excited to slap that on my FH soon here.

My only problem with the LP on the RPB side is the awkward strokes when blocking and pushing, since I'm using a traditional Jpen there's no way I can twiddle like in Cpen. I also tried slapping an inverted rubber on the RPB side to be able to play better at close to the table game but the RPB is too thick for my already 10.5mm blade, plus the total weight is straining my wrist and shoulder.

I think I will give Jpen revolver blade a chance and play like Zhou Xintong, except using inverted than SP. I tried to copy her game once with Cpen, but Cpen feels too head heavy for me and doesn't have the stability that Jpen provides.

BTW, during your match did you twiddle in order to use the LP side or just block it with the RPB side?
 
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My only problem with the LP on the RPB side is the awkward strokes when blocking and pushing, since I'm using a traditional Jpen there's no way I can twiddle like in Cpen. I also tried slapping an inverted rubber on the RPB side to be able to play better at close to the table game but the RPB is too thick for my already 10.5mm blade, plus the total weight is straining my wrist and shoulder.

I think I will give Jpen revolver blade a chance and play like Zhou Xintong, except using inverted than SP. I tried to copy her game once with Cpen, but Cpen feels too head heavy for me and doesn't have the stability that Jpen provides.

BTW, during your match did you twiddle in order to use the LP side or just block it with the RPB side?

Ah i see. Yes I have a love for Jpen. Even two sided ones, but I just can't seem to go with them anymore because it just makes sense to me to use Cpen instead for its versatility. For some reason when I've played Jpen in the past, I've played more power. But Cpen always gave me more spin. IDK.

Some strokes, serves, etc I have my pointer finger more curled around. But sometimes it's more loose or almost straight in changing the angle of the blade. Cpen works well for that. But with Jpen, my finger hooks tight around the cork. Great for grip & power. But I don't really move it around like i do cpen. IDK. it's weird.

So I use to twiddle. A lot. If you google penhold twiddling, that's my video on the topic. However. Just like everything, there's pluses & minuses. If you twiddle, you basically have to train your muscle memory on everything twice. How to hit a FH with inverted. How to hit a FH with LPs. How to TPB inverted. How to TPB LPs. How to RPB inverted. How to RPB LPs, etc. You get the idea.

Furthermore, if I twiddle, in order to do it fast, I have to play with a fingers curled grip. It's lightening fast. But I like the feel & power i get on the inverted forehand from a traditional almost extended fingers grip. So I prefer that.

For that reason, i hardly ever twiddle now. My game consists of mainly two styles.

A Game - Single winged penholder with inverted using mostly TPB inverted on the backhand. Mix in the occasional RPB chop or close to the table chop blocks or bumps vs backspin game. Really when they hit to my backhand, it's anybody's guess if they'll get inverted or LPs. I play pretty close to the table. Favor myself after a poor man's He Zhi Wen's game style.

B Game - Trying to work on this. Modern defender off the table RPB LP chopping with chopping or looping with inverted anything to my FH side. Chopping with my FH inverted seems easy. You can generate a lot of spin on the ball. Just my consistency with RPB chopping needs work. So I'm working on it. Also have to have a TPB chop with inverted in store just in case. When you get no-spin balls to the BH, the inverted is much better generating spin.

I'm planning on recording some matches at club this Sunday and I'll look to post them here. Stay tuned. :)
 
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Ah i see. Yes I have a love for Jpen. Even two sided ones, but I just can't seem to go with them anymore because it just makes sense to me to use Cpen instead for its versatility. For some reason when I've played Jpen in the past, I've played more power. But Cpen always gave me more spin. IDK.

. :)

I agree Cpen gives more spin. Jpen has less flex but longer trajectory.

I experiment Skyline 2 on my Darker Speed 90 Jpen. Skyline 2 is probably the most spinny rubber ever invented on Earth. It's more apinny than H3.

The result is very interesting and amazing. Skyline 2 has a very thick sticky hard topsheet that accounts for extremely low short game and extreme spin. The short game helps counter the bounciness of Jpen.

The downside of Skyline 2 is the lack of power in looping. My Jpen provides that power. My looping has extreme spin as well as power. Very fun to play with that setup.

On the same day, I played with my Cpen (Golden Tango Fh) and Jpen (Skyline 2 FH). My Cpen setup has slightly more spin, but my Jpen setup usually lands my loop near the end of opponent's side. Very pushy for them to return.

I love the hinoki feeling. No other wood can replace it. I will return to Jpen again after this experiment.

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I first started playing with Cpen 2 years ago. It's spinny and like what suds79 said versatile, but what bothers me is the head heaviness of the blade. It just feels unbalanced and puts a lot of strain on my wrist, plus my fingers tends to move to different places hence changing the angle of my blade during rallies which caused me lots of errors. Then I tried Jpen several months after and my whole world changed. The cork provides better stability on keeping my fingers in place and preventing my wrist from doing any unnecessary motions. Though it may not have the spin like what Cpen provides, it makes up to it through its power and feel (due to its one ply american cypress which some argued to be softer but less powerful than the hinoki wood).

I tried H3 on my Jpen before it provides great amount of spin for a jpen but the biggest drawback is when blocking with TPB the tackiness gets in the way. It returns the ball too slow to the opponent side making the ball prone for counter drives. Dawei 2008 is better but still a bit slow during TPB blocks. So I ditched chinese rubbers and tried euro rubbers, but most euro rubbers feels a bit too soft, have too much dwell time, and feels way different from chinese rubbers that I used to play. Luckily I found Rasanter R50, feels like a 40 degree H3 without the tackiness. Though its way faster and more demanding to use than H3. Just imagine an H3 that is grippy, not tacky, and very bouncy.

This time I'm eying for my next blade and I'm thinking of Darker Speed 15 revolver so that I can slap an LP on the other side and twiddle for more variations to my game.
 
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I first started playing with Cpen 2 years ago. It's spinny and like what suds79 said versatile, but what bothers me is the head heaviness of the blade. It just feels unbalanced and puts a lot of strain on my wrist, plus my fingers tends to move to different places hence changing the angle of my blade during rallies which caused me lots of errors. Then I tried Jpen several months after and my whole world changed. The cork provides better stability on keeping my fingers in place and preventing my wrist from doing any unnecessary motions. Though it may not have the spin like what Cpen provides, it makes up to it through its power and feel (due to its one ply american cypress which some argued to be softer but less powerful than the hinoki wood).

I tried H3 on my Jpen before it provides great amount of spin for a jpen but the biggest drawback is when blocking with TPB the tackiness gets in the way. It returns the ball too slow to the opponent side making the ball prone for counter drives. Dawei 2008 is better but still a bit slow during TPB blocks. So I ditched chinese rubbers and tried euro rubbers, but most euro rubbers feels a bit too soft, have too much dwell time, and feels way different from chinese rubbers that I used to play. Luckily I found Rasanter R50, feels like a 40 degree H3 without the tackiness. Though its way faster and more demanding to use than H3. Just imagine an H3 that is grippy, not tacky, and very bouncy.

This time I'm eying for my next blade and I'm thinking of Darker Speed 15 revolver so that I can slap an LP on the other side and twiddle for more variations to my game.
I have been using RPB on my Jpen the whole time. It took me a while to completely ditch TPB.

I slap a Vega Pro on my JPen's backside. Man my RPB is like a cannon. Fast, low arc and not so sensitive to spin. In contrast, my FH always delivers extreme spin that pushes the ball down after bounce.

Many people say Chinese tacky rubber doesn't go well with single ply hinoki. It's true for BH push. Like you said, the tackiness gets in the way and your return is too slow. But tacky rubber is a perfect match with JPen for FH power loop.

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I just so happen to stumble upon this fantastic match between one of my all time favorite players in Kaii Yoshida vs Truls Moregardh.

Outside of the obvious in Kaii's athleticism and perfect FH stroke, watch some of the finer detail stuff in some of his work on the TPB side with different type of pushes, etc. Really skilled stuff here.

 
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I just so happen to stumble upon this fantastic match between one of my all time favorite players in Kaii Yoshida vs Truls Moregardh.

Outside of the obvious in Kaii's athleticism and perfect FH stroke, watch some of the finer detail stuff in some of his work on the TPB side with different type of pushes, etc. Really skilled stuff here.


Kaii is still amazing despite his age. His footwork is still better than most in the top 20. Also, I started to notice that he rarely stepped away from the table and lobbed the ball as he used to do before. I think he's now adapting to the new trend of close-to-the-table game.

With that said, I believe there will be a revival of penholders if such trend continues. Maybe we'll see a new breed of the likes of Ma Lin and LGY, players who excels playing close to the table, or a new breed who plays like Harimoto but with penhold grip.
 
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Kaii is still amazing despite his age. His footwork is still better than most in the top 20. Also, I started to notice that he rarely stepped away from the table and lobbed the ball as he used to do before. I think he's now adapting to the new trend of close-to-the-table game.

With that said, I believe there will be a revival of penholders if such trend continues. Maybe we'll see a new breed of the likes of Ma Lin and LGY, players who excels playing close to the table, or a new breed who plays like Harimoto but with penhold grip.
That could be true. Harimoto beats FZD, ML and ZJK not by power, but by his fast rhythm and placement. PH BH push can do the same.

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Chinese penholder here. I've been playing for about 3 months at a local club, never played Table Tennis before that. I've been making pretty good progress. I play with RPB so could call it ''modern'' penhold.

Welcome to the penholders' thread in TTD, Javakotka!

Have fun!
 
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If I am not mistaken, Xue Fei is world junior champion ?


Yeah Xue Fei is the junior champ but I don't think he's the next big thing penholder. I never really liked his style. He plays sort like Xu Xin but close to the table, which doesn't really add up to me. Also his footwork and rpb are not good enough to be on the top level. He's still a very raw talent with no indications yet on what he's good at.
 
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Yeah Xue Fei is the junior champ but I don't think he's the next big thing penholder. I never really liked his style. He plays sort like Xu Xin but close to the table, which doesn't really add up to me. Also his footwork and rpb are not good enough to be on the top level. He's still a very raw talent with no indications yet on what he's good at.
I disagree sorry. Xue Fei uses his BH most of the time. His RPB is probably on par with, if not better than Wang Hao. He lost points with his FH and midpoint. His FH is nowhere close to the level of legendary penholder like RSM, ML or LGL.

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I disagree sorry. Xue Fei uses his BH most of the time. His RPB is probably on par with, if not better than Wang Hao. He lost points with his FH and midpoint. His FH is nowhere close to the level of legendary penholder like RSM, ML or LGL.

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The style is comparable to Wang Hao but the consistency is not up there. I believe Wong Chun Ting even has a better and more powerful RPB than Xue. Xue's RPB is polarized, it's either he hits it good or makes an error out of it. And thanks for pointing out that weak FH of his, but I think it's common for penholders who focus much on their RPB such as Wang Hao, and Wong Chun Ting.

I still don't think that he is the future of penhold.
 
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The style is comparable to Wang Hao but the consistency is not up there. I believe Wong Chun Ting even has a better and more powerful RPB than Xue. Xue's RPB is polarized, it's either he hits it good or makes an error out of it. And thanks for pointing out that weak FH of his, but I think it's common for penholders who focus much on their RPB such as Wang Hao, and Wong Chun Ting.

I still don't think that he is the future of penhold.
Unless Xue Fei shows some significant growth in the next few years, he is not going to become the next No1 in China. His style is too rigid - BH banana flick to open followed by BH 70% of the time. He also hardly change placement.

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Unless Xue Fei shows some significant growth in the next few years, he is not going to become the next No1 in China. His style is too rigid - BH banana flick to open followed by BH 70% of the time. He also hardly change placement.

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Exactly, he's somewhat predictable. Even a 37 yo. Yoshida Kaii has more variation than Xue Fei, and more fun to watch too.
 
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Mostly TPB. Occasionally RPB LP chop-block

I do it too, TPB backside and a little LP 0x playing a short ball in order to get my forehand.

Recently i found a modification to improve my RPB with LP 0x. I move my index to RPB side, in order to get my 4 fingers on the rpb side. My 4 fingers hold by gripping the long pimples.

So my strokes are really better, block, attack are more flexible.

I have now to repeat a lot this fingers moving and automate it.
 
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I do it too, TPB backside and a little LP 0x playing a short ball in order to get my forehand.

Recently i found a modification to improve my RPB with LP 0x. I move my index to RPB side, in order to get my 4 fingers on the rpb side. My 4 fingers hold by gripping the long pimples.

So my strokes are really better, block, attack are more flexible.

I have now to repeat a lot this fingers moving and automate it.

Wow! That's a unique way to do it.
 
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