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yep
any allround to allround + wood blade would work

Musa3, Vega intro
Carl's bat
Mark V / Sriver

lots of options - all of them would better than the premade and these would allow your kid to learn more about spin with having control and not worrying of the setup being too fast
I would say such setup is fine for the next few years and when he is older then move over to offensive wood blade, and take it from there
 
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Thanks again for all the answers. My son plays with Stiga evolution ( I got it on a sale BOGO and I thought it was entry level). Not sue if this info. changes anything. Anyway, moving forward most recs are very similar sounding to me. I think I am leaning towards Sweden Extra with Vega intro for my son, and maybe a little bit faster set up for myself from Colestt. I like Carls idea of getting 2 sets from Tabletennis11. I am sure these recommendations take into account the new ball. We practice with the old ball because the new balls are expensive and cheaper ones not good quality, I am sure it will get better.
 
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tdad.

I wouldn't over think this. Your son is 8. He'll probably want something different in a few years anyways.

Just get him a solid setup to start playing. A Stiga classic would be fine.

I'm huge into Gambler's Fire Pro Dragon series. Affordable and I really like my Fire Dragon Touch. Even more so than my Stiga Clipper... At least for inverted play. The clipper is better for short pip play.

I don't know if I'd go Chinese Hard sponge. With hard sponge, you have to swing hard to get the most out of that sponge. Does your son have the strength for that? I'd probably go Chinese tacky on the FH on a medium sponge. Something a little more forgiving. Like a Gambler Wrath or Geospin tacky sort of thing. I mean does your 8 year old really need a lot of power? Does he need something tuned? No. For his age & level. Wins & losses will be based on consistency. Not who hits harder because both players are already so consistent. IMO that's basically USATT 2000 and up.

On the backhand i'd probably just get some grippy rubber again on a medium sponged and slightly more controlled.
 
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Thanks again for all the answers. My son plays with Stiga evolution ( I got it on a sale BOGO and I thought it was entry level). Not sue if this info. changes anything. Anyway, moving forward most recs are very similar sounding to me. I think I am leaning towards Sweden Extra with Vega intro for my son, and maybe a little bit faster set up for myself from Colestt. I like Carls idea of getting 2 sets from Tabletennis11. I am sure these recommendations take into account the new ball. We practice with the old ball because the new balls are expensive and cheaper ones not good quality, I am sure it will get better.

The Sweden Extra w/ Vega Intro 2.0mm on both sides is a great setup. I would buy 2 of those from TT11 and call it a day! :)
 
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tdad.

I wouldn't over think this. Your son is 8. He'll probably want something different in a few years anyways.

Just get him a solid setup to start playing. A Stiga classic would be fine.

I'm huge into Gambler's Fire Pro Dragon series. Affordable and I really like my Fire Dragon Touch. Even more so than my Stiga Clipper... At least for inverted play. The clipper is better for short pip play.

I don't know if I'd go Chinese Hard sponge. With hard sponge, you have to swing hard to get the most out of that sponge. Does your son have the strength for that? I'd probably go Chinese tacky on the FH on a medium sponge. Something a little more forgiving. Like a Gambler Wrath or Geospin tacky sort of thing. I mean does your 8 year old really need a lot of power? Does he need something tuned? No. For his age & level. Wins & losses will be based on consistency. Not who hits harder because both players are already so consistent. IMO that's basically USATT 2000 and up.

On the backhand i'd probably just get some grippy rubber again on a medium sponged and slightly more controlled.


Thanks for the replies.
Sweden Extra/Vega Intro = $90
Gambler set up is approx $70
Colestt option approx $40-50

Now if we take the cost factor away, how would these options compare in quality/durability, control, long term development etc. Who knows in the end I might end up getting three different options one each for the kids and myself.:p
 
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Thanks for the replies.
Sweden Extra/Vega Intro = $90
Gambler set up is approx $70
Colestt option approx $40-50

Now if we take the cost factor away, how would these options compare in quality/durability, control, long term development etc. Who knows in the end I might end up getting three different options one each for the kids and myself.:p

The Sweden Extra/Vega Intro is the best by far. Did you take into account TT11's additional discounts (5% off 50 euros, 10% off 100 euros... up to 25% off 250 euros) by putting all the items in your cart? This will be even more advantageous if you buy 2-3 blades and 4-6 rubbers.
 
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I know the discount is there and it totally makes sense. I may buy them at different times, it just seems like a lot of money all at one time for me at this time anyways, maybe later on it wont, and probably not for others.:confused:
 
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My son got his birthday present! Xiom Vega Intro on Yasaka Sweden extra and he absolutely loves it!! I would like to thank everyone who helped me in this selection process. I appreciate your help. Ofcourse I regularly follow the forum now and hope he continues to get better with the help of TTD.
 
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My son got his birthday present! Xiom Vega Intro on Yasaka Sweden extra and he absolutely loves it!! I would like to thank everyone who helped me in this selection process. I appreciate your help. Ofcourse I regularly follow the forum now and hope he continues to get better with the help of TTD.

Glad to hear it! You picked a great setup that is perfect for a developing player of any age and one that will last him a long time! Keep us updated on his progress. Have fun playing with your kids and see you on the forum!
 
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Good Morning TTD

I am back with some questions. First of all I would like to thank all the members who helped me pick the setup for my son. I couldnt have done it without you guys help. This set up was perfect fit for my 8 yr old. ( Some of you may remember or if you read the full thread - I have a 11 yr old who also started playing at that time but now he has completely lost interest and rarely plays). Back to the 8 yr old who is nine now - Just to summarize for members here, my son started playing Dec 2016 with stiga pre assembled bat. I "coached" him for about 1 yr, practicing 30-60 min per session for 2-3 days/week. I felt he needed a better setup and with all of your help got him Yasaka Sweden Extra with Xiom Intro on both sides. We continued to practice 2-3 days/week, maybe a little less in summer due to more outdoor activities etc. I plan to practice more regularly in winter. He has progressed quite well during this time. I feel like he could have progressed more under an actual coach's guidance.

-He can play all basic strokes (drive, push, topspin, loop, flick) with both forehand and backhand quite well.
- He is pretty good with drive/topspin + foot work - moving along the table.
-We are working on serve now.
-We have not practiced chops/defense play due to lack of space in our house - we plan to practice at a facility starting this winter.
- we have not practiced any gameplay so far, just multiball/rallies/drills.
- a video of him playing would help you guys, I will try to record some in the future but I am not seeking any specific advice for specific stroke at this time, just general guidelines. To give some idea of his level, there is a thread here on TTD about a kid in UK I believe - beginner to expert in 2 yrs - will post a link. https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...5-10-Year-Old-Playing-for-2-years-now-Video-s
My son plays pretty much at this level maybe a tad less which I think is because of lack of space/lighting etc in our play area.

Now for the questions
1. Can you all help me find guidelines/videos online that I can follow to further advance his training? I look for videos here and youtube and train him based on that, but I feel like there is lack of flow/ lack of continuity, if you understand what I mean ( I cant find any giude like this is lesson 1, 2, 3 ... and so on). There are some but they seem quite old.

2. I think he is still perfecting his strokes and has room for improvement with his current set up but I anticipate he is going to need an upgrade in maybe 6 months. He is progressing quickly, now that he is understanding/maturity level is going up. Please advise.

Sorry for a long post, hope you guys dont mind. Any advice is greatly appreciated. If you all need any other info please let me know.
 
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This is an idea that hopefully is cost effective.

Why not try to take him to 3 or 4 coaching sessions with one teacher. They could all be in the space of two weeks. You may want to research to find a coach you feel will be good for your son.

Your assignment would be to go and watch the sessions and see what the coach works on with him and how he progresses.

Then you try to work with him on that for the next month or so. And every month to six weeks, you have your son do 1 coaching session with the same coach. And then you see how the coach progresses the work with your son and adapt what you work on with him based on that.

That way, you learn more of how to coach your son and he gets the advantage of having a session with a real coach every so often.

Starting with 3 or 4 sessions (it could be 2 sessions if you feel you see enough) will be an upfront expense, but it will help you see how the coach progresses the lessons based on what he sees your kid can do.

Also, this is a video about actual coaching. It is not about table tennis. But it is theory on coaching in a way that gets real trackable results.


It is worth watching this video a few times. Some of the info takes a while to sink in. The basics are that, a lot of the ways coaches in many sports coach is so that the player looks better and looks like they show improvement in practice. But that the improvement simply does not show up in game skills because the player is only training part of the skill sets that are needed.

Most TT coaches do exactly what these guys say you do not want to do. That is just the fact. But based on this video, you may want to add in some random drills that include some game skill techniques even if they are simple. Like:

1) a) Your son serves, b) you push long, c) your son attacks, d) you guys play out the point letting the play be random.

2) a) You serve, b) your son returns the serve however he thinks he should, c) you play out the point as above.

3) You feed multiball with the ball being always in a slightly different place, pace and spin without any of the balls being too different so that your son can adjust to each ball. (This would be analogous to the balls placed all over the putting green, or the shots being taken from different places on the basketball court in that video).

If your son has to adjust a little to each different ball, and if he is developing the skills of reading and planning, while developing the technique of his strokes, he will improve in real terms, at a faster rate. His skill retention will be higher. The training will translate into when he is playing matches because, in training, he is also having to adjust to the ball and make decisions on how to return them.

I know lots of people who train with a coach a lot. Get that kind of block training. Play someone who looks terrible. Get beat silly and still try to say they are better than the person who gave them the drubbing. My answer is, even if you think your technique is better, if they beat you, they have to be doing something better than you. And often that is that they are reading the game and deciding how to respond to each shot. So, reading and planning.

It is worth including some randomness into the training and help your son to learn some of how to adjust to the randomness of real game play.

BTW: I would also think about adding some real game play into your training of your son. Not too much. But enough so that you can see more of what he needs to work on. If the games are between you two, and you are trying to put the ball back so he can win or lose the points, you will both benefit from the information you glean during those games.
 
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I heard that in China children start with Palio CAT as a beginner blade. Not sure how credible this is, but I can say that I played with it and it's really light and good for its purpose. It has a lot of feedback and it's as fast as most 5-ply wood blades.


Edit: Never mind. Just saw that you've already got something. ;)
 
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This is an idea that hopefully is cost effective.

Why not try to take him to 3 or 4 coaching sessions with one teacher. They could all be in the space of two weeks. You may want to research to find a coach you feel will be good for your son.

Your assignment would be to go and watch the sessions and see what the coach works on with him and how he progresses.

Then you try to work with him on that for the next month or so. And every month to six weeks, you have your son do 1 coaching session with the same coach. And then you see how the coach progresses the work with your son and adapt what you work on with him based on that.

That way, you learn more of how to coach your son and he gets the advantage of having a session with a real coach every so often.

Starting with 3 or 4 sessions (it could be 2 sessions if you feel you see enough) will be an upfront expense, but it will help you see how the coach progresses the lessons based on what he sees your kid can do.

Also, this is a video about actual coaching. It is not about table tennis. But it is theory on coaching in a way that gets real trackable results.


It is worth watching this video a few times. Some of the info takes a while to sink in. The basics are that, a lot of the ways coaches in many sports coach is so that the player looks better and looks like they show improvement in practice. But that the improvement simply does not show up in game skills because the player is only training part of the skill sets that are needed.

Most TT coaches do exactly what these guys say you do not want to do. That is just the fact. But based on this video, you may want to add in some random drills that include some game skill techniques even if they are simple. Like:

1) a) Your son serves, b) you push long, c) your son attacks, d) you guys play out the point letting the play be random.

2) a) You serve, b) your son returns the serve however he thinks he should, c) you play out the point as above.

3) You feed multiball with the ball being always in a slightly different place, pace and spin without any of the balls being too different so that your son can adjust to each ball. (This would be analogous to the balls placed all over the putting green, or the shots being taken from different places on the basketball court in that video).

If your son has to adjust a little to each different ball, and if he is developing the skills of reading and planning, while developing the technique of his strokes, he will improve in real terms, at a faster rate. His skill retention will be higher. The training will translate into when he is playing matches because, in training, he is also having to adjust to the ball and make decisions on how to return them.

I know lots of people who train with a coach a lot. Get that kind of block training. Play someone who looks terrible. Get beat silly and still try to say they are better than the person who gave them the drubbing. My answer is, even if you think your technique is better, if they beat you, they have to be doing something better than you. And often that is that they are reading the game and deciding how to respond to each shot. So, reading and planning.

It is worth including some randomness into the training and help your son to learn some of how to adjust to the randomness of real game play.

BTW: I would also think about adding some real game play into your training of your son. Not too much. But enough so that you can see more of what he needs to work on. If the games are between you two, and you are trying to put the ball back so he can win or lose the points, you will both benefit from the information you glean during those games.



Appreciate your answers. I will watch the video carefully and try to implement it. I have looked into getting coaching from good coaches but I have not come across a good coach in Virginia Beach where I live. I think we would have to travel ~4 hrs to DC for coaching. I will ask around at the local TT club for recs once we start going there come winter.

We have started the drills Carl mentions above in our practice but it feels like it is too random by that I mean there is no set method/pattern to it. We do one drill then have to think for some time what to do next and when that is done, then what next ...

I have started adding game play a little bit for the last month or so. Also all this time we had been practicing with the old celluloid ball (mainly because of cost) but added a few new balls - 40+ plastic ones couple months back for randomness. It may sound wierd but I purposely added a couple of bad balls ( irregular/ovalish - to get the random odd bounce).

Also any thoughts on online coaching?
 
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We have started the drills Carl mentions above in our practice but it feels like it is too random by that I mean there is no set method/pattern to it. We do one drill then have to think for some time what to do next and when that is done, then what next ...

You will get a rhythm and a groove with going from exercise to exercise. Also, you will start seeing your son adjust to the random nature of adjusting shot by shot.

I would just use one kind of ball. One decent ball. I am not sure if it matters if it is celluloid or poly. But if you wanted to get one good ball, supposedly, unless things have changed since the last time I paid attention, the DHS D40+ 3 Star Poly ball is cheap, durable and pretty good. I think they were about .50 a ball last I heard and very durable. If that is the case, it is about $72.00 a gross for a ball that is a top flight, 3 star poly ball that is as close to indestructible as a ball can get.

Also, as regards coaching, there are some players in that region where you are who might know about coaching in your area. Why not start a thread:

Looking for coaching for my kid in the VIRGINIA BEACH AREA.

Or something like that. It can't really hurt.
 
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You will get a rhythm and a groove with going from exercise to exercise. Also, you will start seeing your son adjust to the random nature of adjusting shot by shot.

I would just use one kind of ball. One decent ball. I am not sure if it matters if it is celluloid or poly. But if you wanted to get one good ball, supposedly, unless things have changed since the last time I paid attention, the DHS D40+ 3 Star Poly ball is cheap, durable and pretty good. I think they were about .50 a ball last I heard and very durable. If that is the case, it is about $72.00 a gross for a ball that is a top flight, 3 star poly ball that is as close to indestructible as a ball can get.

Also, as regards coaching, there are some players in that region where you are who might know about coaching in your area. Why not start a thread:

Looking for coaching for my kid in the VIRGINIA BEACH AREA.

Or something like that. It can't really hurt.

Yea, the DHS D40+ 3 Star Poly ball is definitively one of the best and most durable balls out there and still the best bang for your buck:

http://ttnpp.com/store/3-stars/869-dhs-new-material-cell-free-dual-40-d40-3-stars-ball-x72-39.html

PS: Managed to get my club to switch to them for training, competitions and tournaments as they are far better and cheaper than what we were using previously: Butterfly G40+ 3* (for competitions) and G40+ Master Quality (for training). Everyone including our best players couldn't be happier!
 
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