New balls and Xu Xin's penhold style

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Apr 2016
45
17
64
Does anyone think that the "new balls" will actually favour the game-style of Xu Xin?

All other players seem to be "the same": attacking early on a fast and super-reactive game.

The new balls however are somewhat slower and I'm seeing Xu Xin adapt a style better acquainted to the way the ball is behaving.

I'm wondering whether this new ball could give birth to a "new generation" of players somewhat more similar to Xu Xin rather than Harimoto. 

Perhaps giving pen-holders a new life.


Thoughts?
<style type="text/css">p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545}p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px}</style>
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jul 2018
91
13
199
New balls ? new upgrade plastic balls ?

Does anyone think that the "new balls" will actually favour the game-style of Xu Xin?

All other players seem to be "the same": attacking early on a fast and super-reactive game.

The new balls however are somewhat slower and I'm seeing Xu Xin adapt a style better acquainted to the way the ball is behaving.

I'm wondering whether this new ball could give birth to a "new generation" of players somewhat more similar to Xu Xin rather than Harimoto. 

Perhaps giving pen-holders a new life.


Thoughts?
<style type="text/css">p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545}p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px}</style>
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2017
67
65
290
I've been on holiday cycle touring with the kids for a week. Before I left the new ball was ushering in a new wave of at the table taking the ball of the bounce table tennis which was going to end the hegemony off the CNT. I'd like to think that the op is being delightfully ironic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Suga D
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Apr 2016
45
17
64
I've been on holiday cycle touring with the kids for a week. Before I left the new ball was ushering in a new wave of at the table taking the ball of the bounce table tennis which was going to end the hegemony off the CNT. I'd like to think that the op is being delightfully ironic.

I agree that is the general knowledge about the new plastic balls. But Xu Xin demonstrated that it's also possible to play away from the table with blocks and counter top spin with great success.
 
This user has no status.
The last I heard, most Chinese TT coaches agree that the newer, heavier plastic balls have much less spin potential. There's much more emphasis on direct hitting vs. brushing the ball than before. This means it's not good for Xu Xin at all. XX is a very spin-oriented player. He uses spins and curve ball trajectory to his advantage, making his shots very hard to return. You can clearly see that he was struggling in the past few tournaments. What used to be kill-shots from XX are now easily blocked or counter looped back by most opponents, because he cannot generate as much spin as he used to.

In Australia open, XX has had to do much more direct hitting vs. brushing when looping or driving close to the table. XX's style is definitely changing because of the heavier, bouncier ball. He's also getting older and not moving as fast as he used to, so he has to use BH more often now.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2016
2,567
1,742
4,532
Read 3 reviews
  • Like
Reactions: genrel001
says Fair Play first
says Fair Play first
Well-Known Member
Jan 2012
1,279
405
1,752
Here is the newest batch of DHS balls, updated plastic formulation, enhanced spin rate. Made for XuXin's looping playstyle exclusively.
Balls imprinted codes XF AH, to be read as production date June 2018.

orange.jpg


Be happy.

Photo courtesy by a DHS factory personnel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobpuls
This user has no status.
Great players will adapt to "any" balls, or any player styles. There is a big difference between "so so" and great players.

Be that as it may, you can't deny that certain equipment/regulation changes will favor some players more than others.
For example, if spin is increased, all traditional chopper defenders will rejoice. Their games become slightly more viable on men's side. Just ever so slightly.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Oct 2012
891
510
1,733
Read 1 reviews
Be that as it may, you can't deny that certain equipment/regulation changes will favor some players more than others.
For example, if spin is increased, all traditional chopper defenders will rejoice. Their games become slightly more viable on men's side. Just ever so slightly.

Only a small factor, great players will overcome these factors; "so so" players will play the same, better or worse; while bad players will get worse if they can't adapt. It is exactly the same in real life. Some people must adapt to the new environment to be able to survive. If they continue stubbornly staying the same and refuse to change then don't blame the environment if they lose their job.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Aug 2016
2,567
1,742
4,532
Read 3 reviews
Only a small factor, great players will overcome these factors; "so so" players will play the same, better or worse; while bad players will get worse if they can't adapt. It is exactly the same in real life. Some people must adapt to the new environment to be able to survive. If they continue stubbornly staying the same and refuse to change then don't blame the environment if they lose their job.
Yes I agree with what you are saying. Human or any organisms need to adapt to a change to survive. But if changes come in too frequently. Certain variety in a population will be lost leaving the surviving organisms similar to each other.

Over the last few years we see a REDUCED variety of play style. The following styles are on the decline:
FH-dominant
Spin-dominant
Penhold
Looper

In men's game we see increasingly more BH to BH close to table rally. Is it good for viewing with less styles? Does it actually increase the entrainment level with Xu Xin's style exiting the TT arena? Maybe for some total outsider.

But for me, no, less variety means more boring.

Passionate about TT
 
  • Like
Reactions: Suga D
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Oct 2012
891
510
1,733
Read 1 reviews
I was not so impressed with someone in this forum using unproven theories and saying XX style is outdated. I was not impressed when someone insisted Harimoto' style suited the new ball and ML's style was outdated when Harimoto beat him in Japan Open. They completely forgot ML won the Chinese Open not so long ago with the new ball, too.

To me, the change in the new ball is only subtle (at least at low level like mine I do not see much difference. I only saw huge difference when the ball diameter changed from 38mm to 40mm.) Less spin but it doesn't really force one to abandon what he/she used to do. Instead, some new techniques or tactics may need to learn and great players can adapt and continue to dominate as usual. ZJK style (close to table) helped him won many WC's many years ago with the old ball, and almost beat Harimoto in Japan Open at his declining status with the new ball. Why didn't anyone say ZJK style was not suitable with the old ball? Recent results contradict the new ball+new style theory such that I am not really ready to accept it yet.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Feb 2012
158
158
408
In Australia open, XX has had to do much more direct hitting vs. brushing when looping or driving close to the table. XX's style is definitely changing because of the heavier, bouncier ball. He's also getting older and not moving as fast as he used to, so he has to use BH more often now.
In the finals, XX stood out as clearly different in his approach from the others. XX was the one looking for large, forehand, sidespin loops. Yes, others were looping with some degree of side, but only as one part of their arsenal. Yes, others mainly stayed closer to the table and looked to counterhit more often. For XX, it seemed to me that his strategy was to use the big exchanges if he couldn't win the point cheaply.

Equally, he was the most reluctant to go backhand. I thought he was fortunate that LDS allowed him to play very straight or on XX's forehand as much as he did. On the backhand, XX seemed to me to be constricted to RPB blocking. In short, XX was playing the classic, penhold, forehand looping style. On this occasion, he got away with it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: jawien
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
May 2015
3,238
3,924
27,424
Read 5 reviews
I'm talking about last year's change... the plastic balls.

Dude, you seem to jump to strange conclusions!
Last year´s change? Maybe on amateur level, but the pros have made the switch 4 years ago.
This is silly.

NEW BALLS WITH A GREATER SPIN.

Try for the DHS D40+ with a production date June 2018, this is the very newest ball development to favour Xu Xin, with more spin capacity and thinner outer shell. Amended plastic formulation.

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/foru...&title=2018-australian-open-july-2629#1033078


Maybe i´m the only but this sounds totally fishy to me!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: shinshiro
Top