How do you deal/adjust to very humid conditions?

This is a good topic and I have the same problem.

Humidity makes me soak wet more.. so a more frequent change in clothing is a must. I am still finding a solution to dry my blade and handle quicker, so I'll have more confidence during play. And avoid delay in the game so much..

Humidity is a thing. Like Lula pointed out, if you hit correctly and confidently and yet the ball just drops, then you better either stop or adapt.

I usually change to a flatter playstyle, staying close to the table. To prevent it, as far as possible, timely ventilation helps. I find that sweatbands also help.

MOG, some things stick in your mind and can distort your perception of what is happening. This happens to everybody and only rigorous objective analysis gets to the truth. It's true in every sport. The only way to KNOW what problems you are having in humidity is to video a few matches in humid and dry conditions, ideally against the same people. Than go through and classify every error you made. You might find that there is something you could change easily that would make a big difference. It is a bit of work but it would payoff big time. Make no mistake, the CNT uses advanced analytics on every match they play (as well as anyone they see as a threat). You don't need the fancy stuff they do, you just need an objective look with very minimal quantification (like how many serve returns did I really miss).

As a general rule, though, balls have less spin in ultra humid conditions

in those conditions, maybe better to play sandpaper....

MOG said:

Regarding playing differently, It took me 25 years of playing before I learnt to loop, I do not want to unlearn loop and go back to a flat slapping style.

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This is a most interesting statement from someone who plays with Medium Pips on BH and is having trouble in humid conditions with his Medium Pips.

But again, Lula plays with pips and gave a lot of good info for you. Read what Lula said. I do think the answers are there. Especially if you don't want to see or change what you are doing but want to.....somehow.....miraculously.....play the same and play better when it is humid and you are struggling.

It really must be that your opponent is cheating and you need a new blade. Maybe ZJK SZLC. Does Butterfly make Dignics Medium Pips?

I think if we got a very good look inside the mind, we might find that a little gerbil spinning one of those wheels is actually the engine running the show.

MOG said:

Carl even the mid pips, you try and hit flat like you should do with them and the ball just falls off them goes in the net more. Even with pips players use the grip.

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Note to self: MOG does not seem to have read the info from Lula, or maybe he has not understood it; or is he just trying to troll people.

If it is all about calories and dropping stones, try a less expensive sport like cycling. Then we can talk about what kind of wheels, gear shifters, crank, handlebars. So many moving parts to EJ on. And for sure, if it is about exercise, there are ways to get that while EJing on freewheels and clipless pedals.

MOG, you think you know what is happening. Possibly, but maybe a little video analysis will help you correct your problem. Or you could continue to come to a forum to note a problem and then reject all suggestions from very experienced players on how to deal with it. Question is, do you actually want to improve?

Playing in humid conditions is like living in a primordial jungle, you either adapt or die.

Kuba Hajto said:

Playing in humid conditions is like living in a primordial jungle, you either adapt or die.

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With the right gear, you could clear said jungle. MOG needs to find something less sensitive to humidity. 999 is better than most.

Lula said:

I have ended several training sessions this sommer due to much humidity so it makes it unplayable. A lot of shots go in the net or on my own side. Make my technique and confidence worse. Will start bringing a bath towel, several shirts so I can change after one hour, using bandana and two towel wrist things. Any more suggestions?

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Lula said:

MOG try white board crayon on the pimples.it is much worse for the pimples when humid than the inverted since the ball always go down a bit on the pimple rubber even in good conditions due to less grip than inverted. When humid the ball moves to much on the pimples rubber which make it suck. Crayon dust helps a bit to make the rubber playable.

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Lula said:

No, i am serious. Try it. Makes a difference. Know others that do this aswell. Can imagine that Falck have done this since it was his old Coach that told me to Do it.

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Lula said:

I think the dust from the crayon is suppose to collect the moisture from the humidty. The trouble short pimple players get is that the ball sinks to much on the rubber. But middle pimple players proably want more effect since they are using middle pimples so Do not know If it is such a big problem for them? More humidty, less grip and more effect. But If you Feel the ball sinka to much on the rubber i think it can help.

Do not make the pimples better. Just not As useless in to humid conditions.

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Lula said:

Ahaa maybe you meant because i will try to bring so much stuff to counter the humudity? Feel like i really need to do something. Sometimes it is only possible to train for one hour before the ball is wet alot of the times. Not fun to do the correct stroke and still hit my own side. I have noticed that it is often i and my training partner that have the biggest problem. Think it is due to me dripping alot of sweat everywhere.

So will try those things that i mentioned. Otherwise it is better to only train for one hour and stop and do something else. Pretty certain i become a worse player if i keep playing.

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Just read what he said. He knows how pips respond in humidity and he is giving some practical advice and it is more than just, "go home."

For sure the info that you probably should not try to train when the humidity messes with your technique in a way that is counter productive, makes sense. But he gives other advice.

OK Mog. Just remember, video is your friend! Seeing is believing. Video yourself playing matches

Lula said:

Our hall is in the same building as swimming pools and have not any real air condition so that probably have something to do with it. But I think if you have not have experienced any problem with humidity you have been lucky with the conditions or you need to train much harder so you start to sweat.

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Have you ever played any summertime tournaments in Vällingby/Ängby? Do you find it humid?

Their hall(s) is also in the same building as a pool. I’ve spent quite a bit of time there during the summer and the humidity is insane compared to the normal place where I train (standard handball court).

My guess is, if the original instruction about putting what Lula called crayon dust, and you refer to as chalk dust (which I think makes sense) came from someone who has coached Falck, it probably is a pretty good thing to test out.

MOG said:

its probably against the rules though

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If it is for training and you are using it to make it so you can play how you normally would, I don't think that should matter to you. If you are using it in a competition, then that might be a problem. But not for training.

MOG said:

Well considering I got hung, drawn and quartered for having a slightly dubious serve, I am not going to do this crayon thing and then get slaughtered again!!

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Hand 10-15cm below the table = slightly dubious? Or was that, clearly against the rules.

** It also should be noted that, if you had not spent so much time on the forum complaining about other player's illegal serves and how much you hate illegal serves, I would not have bothered to point out that your serves are not within the rules either. I kind of feel like, if you are going to spend so much e-real-estate on illegal serves, yours should first be 100% completely above board.

And the chalk is for training. Right?

Since the below part of the above post was put there before you responded, here:

UpSideDownCarl said:

** It also should be noted that, if you had not spent so much time on the forum complaining about other player's illegal serves and how much you hate illegal serves, I would not have bothered to point out that your serves are not within the rules either. I kind of feel like, if you are going to spend so much e-real-estate on illegal serves, yours should first be 100% completely above board.

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I really don't care. I know I could examine most people's serves and find something if I want to. But if someone complains as much about serves that are against the rules as you seem to, then you really should make absolutely sure your serves are completely and absolutely legal before you start talking about it.

Your parsing things seems to suggest you don't understand that breaking the rules is breaking the rules and you are judging yourself with one standard and your opponents who cause you trouble returning serves by a completely different standard.

You can't know if your dropping your hand below the table messes your opponents up: there is an actual reason it is against the rules. But you have decided it is okay for you to do it while not okay for others to do what you feel gives them an advantage against you.

Therefore, I still say:

1) Make your serves fully and completely legal. Or don't complain about illegal serves. Probably doing both of those things would be better for your mental outlook anyway.
2) Improve your return of serve. Those silly serves you complain about should not be a real problem for someone whose return of serve is solid.

As far as the pips and humidity are concerned, my understanding was, you are trying to find out how to make it so your play does not suffer in a way that would cause bad form to mess with your development as a player, right?

If that is the case, when training in a humid room, all you would be doing is something to make it so the pips are not quite as effected by the humidity.

MOG said:

1. My serves are fully legal now. I will continue to complain about others illegal serves!!
2. Watch ma lin playing waldner or any other top 10 pros from 90's when shielding was allowed and count how many serves actually get returned, it is ridiculous.
If it is so easy for everyone to return hidden serves why did they change the rules??

Everyone knows shielding serves makes it harder to return them.
Everyone know it is easier for some players to impart spin if they dont toss the ball, it is definitely easier to keep ball low.

And I have never on any thread ever said it was ok for me to drop my hand below table to serve, that is others putting words into my mouth or misunderstanding my comments.

You and others no damn well my hand dropping a little below the table on toss (whilst being illegal) is not the same as things as I have mentioned before on serving, especially when we all know players who deliberately serve illegally. It is just being being cocky and clever with words on a forum!!

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The ball is blocked from view when the ball is below the table.

I think you look to complain about a lot of things.

I also think you look to fix issues with your skill level with equipment. I think both of those things cause you to have some issues with the mental aspects of TT. And that causes you some grief. I don't think blaming limitations in skill on external circumstances are helping you in any way. But they keep you from actually looking at the real issues that you could address to improve your game if you wanted that.

So, by all means, keep being who you are. But, I am okay with calling someone out when they have a dual standard and think their version of doing something against the rules is different than someone else's version of doing something that is against the rules.

MOG said:

I am not sure whether I have not fully explained myself or if you're grasp of the English language is weak or if my grasp of the English language is weak or both or even all three.

But what I say and what you and a certain forum member think I have said in the past is something completely different.

And it was still out of order for a forum member who has never met me and knows nothing about my philosophy on life or table tennis was allowed to call me a cheat on the forum, and was not asked to edit his post.
It is also out of order when I reported him calling me a cheat on the forum no one acknowledged my report.

Not even to say MOG don't be such a a baby!!

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I never saw a report. But it is true that the system for reporting things seems not to always work properly. Giang and I have reported this and asked for it to be fixed. But as you know, Dan has had a lot going on.

In a PM, link me to the actual post. Give me the number for the post. I will have a look and see what it is. Likely I saw it before. But I will look again.

As far as humidity, you are trying to find a way to train when it is more humid without having to compromise your form so you don't mess up your technique. Right? If that is the case, I still see no reason you can't try training with chalk powder on your pips to try and mitigate some of the effect of the humidity on the pips.