Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Shuki]

Making a (retired) 2300+ player go whoa by killing his serve has to be up there. Try hitting a serve that hard sometime.

ahh, that's why I made the comment "maybe they just looked better on film". I had a feeling I was missing something. I can't tell how great that player and his serves are from video and It's also not a player I recognized. thanks for clearing that up. It was a great shot you had, but on film you've had others that LOOKED better.

 

[NextLevel]

ahh, that's why I made the comment "maybe they just looked better on film". I had a feeling I was missing something. I can't tell how great that player and his serves are from video and It's also not a player I recognized. thanks for clearing that up. It was a great shot you had, but on film you've had others that LOOKED better.

I know what you mean and thanks for the compliment because I know that was the original spirit. The man was once Trinidad and Tobago champ and is now in his late 50s. His style is very athletic so he isn't happy that he can't quite play to his standards anymore. He beat up on me a lot but the lesson was appreciated and it gave me a better idea of what I have to do to get better.

There is a match online of him playing Wu Yue that he lost 3-2 at the NA Teams last year (bad 5th set). That gives you an idea of his class.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

My new fave shot of all time:

https://youtu.be/pZR3RdQKPTA?t=631

Nice step around footwork to get the shot too.

 

[Gene Tuttle]

Der_Echte I like the shirts. Not sure I can get into a XXL without making me look like one of those festival balloons or a multi colored Bratwurst. If I continue to train and lose weight I will get one.

 

[Matt Hetherington]

Today was my first time out of the house in a week. Autoimmune problems giving me hell. It's hard to go from spending literally 10+ hours a day in a tt club to having none at all so I'm hoping I can recover soon so I can get back to training!

 

[ttmonster]

Get well soon Matt ! I played an hour and a half. Lost 3-2 to my regular opponent but I played better than I expected, he is getting better at blocking my loops to his backhand so I need to put some serious work in to transition from forehand to backhand , the other way is easier for me. Anyways I won't be playing for the next couple of days , so going to bed after practicing on ttedge , I put up a good ( may be luck? ) performance against Brett clarkes mixed serves 11-1

Today was my first time out of the house in a week. Autoimmune problems giving me hell. It's hard to go from spending literally 10+ hours a day in a tt club to having none at all so I'm hoping I can recover soon so I can get back to training!

 

[laistrogian]

Still having a lot of thoughts about which setup i should be using for the long run.

Innerforce ZLC is awesome but sometimes feels a tad too fast. TBS on the other hand feels pretty dead on touch game. Looping with it is a joy though. Or perhaps i should just get a clipper cr or wood???

Then there's the rubber. I still like tenergy the best but going through a sheet in 4 months is pretty problematic in terms of cost, especially when i can get 2 sheets of mx-p for 1 tenergy. Really tempted to try Omega V tour and pro as well as I've been a big fan of xiom.

I'm 1300 btw although probably i play around 1450-1550

 

[Boogar]

Still having a lot of thoughts about which setup i should be using for the long run.

Innerforce ZLC is awesome but sometimes feels a tad too fast. TBS on the other hand feels pretty dead on touch game. Looping with it is a joy though. Or perhaps i should just get a clipper cr or wood???

Then there's the rubber. I still like tenergy the best but going through a sheet in 4 months is pretty problematic in terms of cost, especially when i can get 2 sheets of mx-p for 1 tenergy. Really tempted to try Omega V tour and pro as well as I've been a big fan of xiom.

I'm 1300 btw although probably i play around 1450-1550

I have to say i am a big fan of xiom
So you dont like the Tibhar Stratus powerwood? Hmm have you thought of trying a xiom blade?

At the bottom line i think equipment isnt important atleast not until you are really good. But well who am i to talk

 

[NextLevel]

Today was my first time out of the house in a week. Autoimmune problems giving me hell. It's hard to go from spending literally 10+ hours a day in a tt club to having none at all so I'm hoping I can recover soon so I can get back to training!

There is a new cherry juice brand called Cheribundi being sold at a lot of department stories, including Walmart. TRy a 32 ounce bottle of that every day (or half of that) and see how you feel. You probably also need to reduce the amount of animal products/sugar/oil in your diet somewhat but that is your personal choice.

 

[NextLevel]

Still having a lot of thoughts about which setup i should be using for the long run.

Innerforce ZLC is awesome but sometimes feels a tad too fast. TBS on the other hand feels pretty dead on touch game. Looping with it is a joy though. Or perhaps i should just get a clipper cr or wood???

Then there's the rubber. I still like tenergy the best but going through a sheet in 4 months is pretty problematic in terms of cost, especially when i can get 2 sheets of mx-p for 1 tenergy. Really tempted to try Omega V tour and pro as well as I've been a big fan of xiom.

I'm 1300 btw although probably i play around 1450-1550

I'm in the market for an Innerforce ZLC again if you want to sell...

People using fast composite blades as adult learners need to realize that they are trying to ice-skate up hill. Getting something like an Offensive S, SPW or Korbel, helps you get in touch with your feeling for the stroke and that feeling improves your technique dramatically as you know what you are looking for. Once your body is attuned to feeling it on a higher level, then you can take the risk of using composites where the feeling is less. But without knowing what to look for, all shots feel the same. Even on a blade as good as an Innerforce.

 

[laistrogian]

I have to say i am a big fan of xiom
So you dont like the Tibhar Stratus powerwood? Hmm have you thought of trying a xiom blade?

At the bottom line i think equipment isnt important atleast not until you are really good. But well who am i to talk

Yep, not a big fan SPW. For an all-wood blade, i feel like it's really stiff. I get better feedback on looping with my carbon blades

I'm in the market for an Innerforce ZLC again if you want to sell...

People using fast composite blades as adult learners need to realize that they are trying to ice-skate up hill. Getting something like an Offensive S, SPW or Korbel, helps you get in touch with your feeling for the stroke and that feeling improves your technique dramatically as you know what you are looking for. Once your body is attuned to feeling it on a higher level, then you can take the risk of using composites where the feeling is less. But without knowing what to look for, all shots feel the same. Even on a blade as good as an Innerforce.

It's the innerfoce layer btw, not the old innerforce just so you know.

I've always played with carbon blades as my main setup (schlager carbon was my first blade) and while i like some all-wood blade (acoustic, YEO), the lack of the high-pitched carbon sound is rather weird for me.

I actually like innerforce zlc for it's feedback, there's a ton of vibration that comes from it when pushing and blocking. Even my friend who swears my SPW said it shakes too much. Like what a lot of people say, it feels like all-wood but has the carbon power

 

[NextLevel]

Yep, not a big fan SPW. For an all-wood blade, i feel like it's really stiff. I get better feedback on looping with my carbon blades



It's the innerfoce layer btw, not the old innerforce just so you know.

I've always played with carbon blades as my main setup (schlager carbon was my first blade) and while i like some all-wood blade (acoustic, YEO), the lack of the high-pitched carbon sound is rather weird for me.

I actually like innerforce zlc for it's feedback, there's a ton of vibration that comes from it when pushing and blocking. Even my friend who swears my SPW said it shakes too much. Like what a lot of people say, it feels like all-wood but has the carbon power

I haven't tried the Inner Layer ZLC and people who have used it have told me that it is quite different in some ways from the Innerforce ZLC so I won't comment on it. What I will point out is that the frequencies dampened by the composites are often the frequencies you need as an adult learner. It's not just the fact that vibration exists, but vibration of peculiar kinds.

That said, if you already have the carbon/composite addiction, good luck. The SPW is relatively stiff feeling but that is largely a result of the combination of thickness and head heaviness. It's still far more rewarding to use than many composites if you can get used to those things, especially the thickness, as those are the things that you need to get faster blades with larger sweet spots if you do not use composite materials. The way I think of it is that if you are an adult learner and start off with an ALL+/OFF- blade like a Yasaka Extra or Offensive S or Allround S or Peter Pan (basically any classic 5 ply), then you understand the logic of a faster wood blade like SPW or Clipper or Extreme S (thicker, more plies or both) and then appreciate composites better (thinner, less vibration at specific frequencies, sometimes more speed). Kids get good with anything but I have never seen an adult survive the addiction of carbon/composite blades. Going to 5 plies, especially classic limba/ayous contstructions, almost always opens up their understanding of the game.

 

[Shuki]

I'm in the market for an Innerforce ZLC again if you want to sell...

People using fast composite blades as adult learners need to realize that they are trying to ice-skate up hill. Getting something like an Offensive S, SPW or Korbel, helps you get in touch with your feeling for the stroke and that feeling improves your technique dramatically as you know what you are looking for. Once your body is attuned to feeling it on a higher level, then you can take the risk of using composites where the feeling is less. But without knowing what to look for, all shots feel the same. Even on a blade as good as an Innerforce.

Pm me, I'll send you mine, afterward pay me what you think is fair

Edit: it's straight though, with laquered handle

Let me know if you're interested and I'll remove the rasant grips that are currently on it to take pictures for you. It may actually still be ding-less I don't remember ever hitting the table with it.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Yep. The addiction to carbon is interesting.

You take a good All+/Off- blade, and when you are used to a much faster blade and try one of those slower all wood blades you think, "OMG, how am going to play with this? It's so slow and when I mess up it feels awful. When I hit with my carbon blade, it always feels good even if I mess up the contact and mishit."

Now, it seems funny, but those are two of the reasons that a slower all wood blade will be useful.

1) As your strokes get better and the timing of your hips, legs, weight transfer, core rotation gets synced well with your stroke, you start to naturally get more power and then that All+/Off- blade starts feeling faster because your technique improved without you even realizing it.

2) your contact improves because good contact is rewarded since good contact feels good, and bad contact is not rewarded because it feels bad. Again this fact that it is easier to feel the quality of your contact and when it is good and when it is not, an All Wood All+/Off- blade helps your contact and timing improve more.

Both of these things happen on a sub-cortical level (read: unconscious level). And they help your technique improve considerably.

Whereas, with a good carbon blade, good contact feels good. But so does bad contact. And even when your contact is bad, and you don't have your body behind your shot, the ball still goes with power because the carbon does a lot of the work for you. So, for an adult learner, a good carbon blade can allow you to keep doing things badly and think you are doing them well.

Or as a friend who is 2600+ once told me: "What kind of blade should someone who is still developing technique use? Well it depends. If they want to get better it should be an all wood blade with good feeling that is All+ or Off-; if they just want something that makes it fun to smack the ball around, and they don't really care about improving, then they should get whatever they want." The guy who said this was on the junior national teal of a country in Europe when he was a kid and he also told me that, the coach chose the racket for him and there was no choice in the matter. And it was Off- All wood.

There is something about that kind of blade that is worth using.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[NextLevel]

You gotta stay true Hf!

So whats your new emphasis on the fh loop? I quickly watched into the video and noticed a higher finishing postion of the racket maybe?

Not so much higher but standard. In general, I tend to finish my loop too low. I have this smash loop hybrid shot that doesn't get much spin but can sometimes have wicked pace. It's one of the reasons why I am going to a faster blade as my first instinct on my forehand is not usually to topspin, so something that smashes well will have a higher payoff.

 

[ttmonster]

the smash - loop hybrid shot or loop drive or however you call it is really a good idea , it feels sweet when you get it on especially on a backspin ball. However, the catch is that the timing is very critical , compared to a regular pure topspin where the rubber comes into play more. What I have experienced is it needs some adjustment when you change your setup , even when you switch from your older to newer rubbers. I saw your video and your timing was definitely on that day, I saw you do a similar crunch a couple of balls later as well . Faster blade might help more but you might need even more accurate timing

Not so much higher but standard. In general, I tend to finish my loop too low. I have this smash loop hybrid shot that doesn't get much spin but can sometimes have wicked pace. It's one of the reasons why I am going to a faster blade as my first instinct on my forehand is not usually to topspin, so something that smashes well will have a higher payoff.

 

[songdavid98]

Haven't been playing at all recently (2 weeks? I don't know anymore), because teachers tend to create project due dates(for a presentation, a film, a portfolio, a paper, and a software development project) around the same time at the end of the year I'm still alive, so it's fine.

I plan to practice with my family and friends on Thursday (no school).
I'm probably going to warm up my forehand with my sister, and then try to work on backhand shots, since I'm lacking a little bit of speed there. It'll most be flipping and the following shots (I'll probably end up looking like big bully, though). I'll have my brother do some serve and attack with me. Hopefully, he won't get frustrated. I'll try to get him to start doing down the line shots, since I've noticed that he's too predictable. He'll have to start aiming

the smash - loop hybrid shot or loop drive or however you call it is really a good idea , it feels sweet when you get it on especially on a backspin ball. However, the catch is that the timing is very critical , compared to a regular pure topspin where the rubber comes into play more. What I have experienced is it needs some adjustment when you change your setup , even when you switch from your older to newer rubbers. I saw your video and your timing was definitely on that day, I saw you do a similar crunch a couple of balls later as well . Faster blade might help more but you might need even more accurate timing

I've been doing the fast loop/loop drive thingy for a long time. In Mandarin, loop-driving the ball is called 'chong qiu',
https://translate.google.com/#zh-CN/en/冲 球
(chinese characters don't show up for some reason)
, or 'rush ball.' (Chinese has way more specific terminology and words for these shots. You'd be surprised.)

At higher levels, a slow loop, especially one that is high, becomes just as vulnerable as a push. So yes, it is a very good idea.
Any shot that has a lot of speed has a much smaller margin of error(backswing, timing, contact, follow through, etc).
This kind of shot is really easy to overshoot, so you'd have to just practice.

However, it is really hard to practice this, because in order to do this consistently, you'd almost always have to hit the top of the bounce, and unless you are super-hyper-aggressive, you aren't going to be able to both get the timing, speed, and the swing necessary for the shot consistently. It'll will happen once it a while, and you'll see chances for this sometimes, but if you want it to happen all the time, you'd have to go coocoo for cocoa puffs.

 

[NextLevel]

the smash - loop hybrid shot or loop drive or however you call it is really a good idea , it feels sweet when you get it on especially on a backspin ball. However, the catch is that the timing is very critical , compared to a regular pure topspin where the rubber comes into play more. What I have experienced is it needs some adjustment when you change your setup , even when you switch from your older to newer rubbers. I saw your video and your timing was definitely on that day, I saw you do a similar crunch a couple of balls later as well . Faster blade might help more but you might need even more accurate timing

Well, there are two - there is the loop kill for an easy ball - I hit about 6 of 7 of them over two games. I used the T5000 in that match. That's not the shot I am talking about.

I don't think I did the smash loop hybrid in that match. IT is more obvious when my forehand breaks down and reverts to my old stroke. You can see it here with my old blade in some of these points - my opens up and comes across my body.

https://youtu.be/5I9K45MZoQ0?t=350
https://youtu.be/5I9K45MZoQ0?t=397
https://youtu.be/5I9K45MZoQ0?t=673

 

[chuckjordan2]

Our Nexyusa.com website has a running promotion on a big discount of shorts and jersey with players name on back
I also get feedback that the shorts, which are normal Euro/Asia length are to short. They are 15 cm above the knee. That is why they are called shorts. USA people seem to prefer the shorts to be 1 cm above the knees.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

USA players like 15cm Below the knee...

@der_echte, Louis is a good kid. Played him @Charlottesville in the Spring (he was ~ 1600 then).

 

[laistrogian]

I haven't tried the Inner Layer ZLC and people who have used it have told me that it is quite different in some ways from the Innerforce ZLC so I won't comment on it. What I will point out is that the frequencies dampened by the composites are often the frequencies you need as an adult learner. It's not just the fact that vibration exists, but vibration of peculiar kinds.

That said, if you already have the carbon/composite addiction, good luck. The SPW is relatively stiff feeling but that is largely a result of the combination of thickness and head heaviness. It's still far more rewarding to use than many composites if you can get used to those things, especially the thickness, as those are the things that you need to get faster blades with larger sweet spots if you do not use composite materials. The way I think of it is that if you are an adult learner and start off with an ALL+/OFF- blade like a Yasaka Extra or Offensive S or Allround S or Peter Pan (basically any classic 5 ply), then you understand the logic of a faster wood blade like SPW or Clipper or Extreme S (thicker, more plies or both) and then appreciate composites better (thinner, less vibration at specific frequencies, sometimes more speed). Kids get good with anything but I have never seen an adult survive the addiction of carbon/composite blades. Going to 5 plies, especially classic limba/ayous contstructions, almost always opens up their understanding of the game.

Not entirely sure what's the age of "adult" for you but I started with carbon blade when i was 13 and now I'm 20 (took a lot of breaks here and there) so there's that

I do have 2 all-wood, YEO (EL-P / Vega JP) and Offensive S. YEO is probably my favorite all-wood after acoustic. I didn't like offensive S on the other hand, I was using MX-P with and it lacks a crisp feeling, something that I got from YEO and acoustic. It felt like I can't get a read from the blade.

Do you think I should just use my YEO instead or probably buy an all-wood that's actually had crisps feeling? or even re-buy an acoustic?