Is this blade too fast for me?

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Hi MOG,

Does look like you are getting some fast balls with a fairly slow swing. But don't believe anyone saying your gear is too fast, anything can be controlled with practice.

Can't comment on the blade, but what does bother me is seeing you try to loop from the backhand. The TSP is built for smashing. Squat lower, get your chin to roughly net height and go straight into the ball.
 
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I am thinking something like lasta. I am interested in why you use short pimple on your backhand?

You do not really hit and smash with it much. You also like to serve and open with your backhand. I think maybe an inverted rubber would suit your style of play better.

If you use short pimple because you have trouble with spin, i think you can learn to read spin with inverted, and if you want to keep short pimple i think a short pimpe without grip or even medium long pimples would be better if you do not want to smash more. If you play as passive as you do now you would win more point with short pimple without grip and medium long pimples. They give more deception and makes it easier to move the opponent not only sideways but also back and forth.
 
Maybe it would sound out of consideration, but anyway I'll say it - I don't like your grip, its too deap and your index finger is almost in the sweet spot, and your thumb is tensed up. Of coarse you are already used to this grip and it would be hard to change it, but I think that it disturbes the quality of the hits.
 

MOG

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MOG

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The blade is OSP Virtuoso +! But I find it hard to control.

I use the short pimples as I generally attack more confidently with them and I like having contrast from my fh to bh shots.

My grip is too engrained Langel, been playing like that for over 25 years.

Only been using Short pimples for 3 months so still playing reversed shots a lot of the time.
 
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Hard to tell if it's too fast, but with your style no need for a fast blade. 5 ply all wood should be fine, you'll adapt. If you feel it's too fast maybe go for the virtuoso Off-.

I agree with Lula I don't think you should use short pimples you have inverted technique. I know you are just trying it out but I wouldn't have suggested you as a candidate for it. Your backhand inconsistencies come from your technique not the rubber imo. You get good forearm snap and use your body well however your stroke is quite vertical and you are forced to hit the ball too thickly and precisely to generate forward momentum imo. It's hard for you to generate spin, but easy to generate power with your technique. It should be a little bit more relaxed wrist horizontally driving over the ball. This will allow a bit more brushing contact and consistency. You generate good power on it already so just need to work on that consistency and spin. It's a bit snatchy at the moment but you hit some really good ones when you timed it right. You are just making yourself have to hit such a good shot to land it. You use it a lot even slightly over to the forehand side so this would make a massive difference to your results imo. More forward, more wrist, more brush in my opinion!

It's not the equipment for sure but it's fun to EJ. You have a nice blade there. You could go slower but it's in the reasonable ball park. No need to change imo. Maybe try inverted again on the backhand imo.
 
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Your OSP should be similar to the Nittaku Acoustic in playing properties. If the 5''1 Ai Fukuhara could handle it, then so can you!

Stick with it. Watch some of her videos, focus on her backhand technique. Punch, punch, punch, Chiew! Repeat. Forget spin. Gosh I miss her.
 

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If you only switched to SP bh a few months ago then your control probably stinks bc you haven't learned to play with SP yet. I switched last May and I am finally starting to play proper SP strokes most of the time.

Also consider if your blade could be too flexy for SP. I had to switch twice, first to a seven-ply wood (P700) and now an Acoustic carbon. The blade doesn't have to be super fast, neither of those blades is very fast. But stiffness is key. Playing SP with a Sweden classic or a waldner senso carbon was a nightmare. Too much flexibility shows up as no directional control.
 
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Hi MOG,
I’ll leave the technical advice to the more experienced.
I see your playing in the U.K. . I’m interested to know where it was you was playing and what type of event it was ?. I’m interested in dipping my toes in some tournaments after playing my first season in the league.
 
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In my opinion, i you feel you lack control then it is the case and you should change. Personally i never never feel that my blade is too fast and i remember some blade / rubbers that were too fast for me and it was very unpleasant. Even if it not very often that you feel that, why not play with something that give you good feeling and pleasure all the time ?
 

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MOG

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Hi MOG,
I’ll leave the technical advice to the more experienced.
I see your playing in the U.K. . I’m interested to know where it was you was playing and what type of event it was ?. I’m interested in dipping my toes in some tournaments after playing my first season in the league.

Cardiff ranking event
 
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MOG.

The short...

It's NOT your blade/rubber on your BH attack misses. It's YOU. Sry.

Majority of your BH misses you are hitting WAY too far in front of your optimal impact zone. Difficult to transfer power with control doing that.

Would also help if you dip your hips down some more and use them some more on the way up and forward... although you could also generate the kinetic energy by a mini step forward.

Right now, once you get the ball in your impact zone, you will land a few more by loosening your wrist a little more.

Sometimes, you try to impact the ball so far out of zone you use this long sweeping stroke pivoting off the shoulder... this isn't gunna land very many balls on the table. Use your upper arm to get your lower arm into the zone you need and use your lower arm pivoting off the elbow joint. You will be a lot more consistent on BH wing doing that.

For now, focus on a shorter swing, waiting for the ball to come into the zone, use a little less power, a looser grip... the goal is to get the timing and impact down... then go progressively more power from there. Shoot for consistency, position, leverage, relaxed easy power first, then worry about being the guitar hero later.

Not the only approach, but a proven one.
 
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About equipment for what you are looking to do.

You play close to the table. You are looking to topspin on both wings, but mostly on BH. You have the skills at your level to block on FH wing with a skillet if I give you one.

In General, with such a play style, the equipment that makes it easier to do those easy topspins on each wing is a medium speed blade with modern dynamic rubbers slanted towards control. Your pips will take a while to get used to, but if you loosen up some more, it will happen easier for you.

Your equipment is not really too far away from what is easy to operate given your requirements.

Your equipment selection is not too ridiculous and is controllable enough... IF you can get into position and WAIT for ball to get into zone... or MOVE FORWARD to get the ball into your zone. That is what is killing you right now more than equipment.
 
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I play a similar game, but with inverted rubbers and I try to topspin more often. If I had another modern control rubber on BH, like Vega Pro or Aurus or Karis M or whatever, and I used the rest of your setup, I would immediately be at home topspinning away.

Your equipment (assuming you can adjust to Short Pips on BH and go for a little less on your BH topspins) is not out of line and perfectly usable and controllable for what you are trying to do.
 
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