Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Boogar]

Yesterday i was thinking about tabletennis mechanics and physics. Tried some stuff out for serves etc and ended up doing the spin catcher! I noticed that its way easier with plastic balls than with celluloid.
I always thought the spin catcher is impossible for mortals Turns out with the right idea its quiet easy. Next time im playing i ll try to catch the opponents serve, run around the table and smash it on his side!

 

[Cornel]

As we start bidding farewell to 2017 I guess it's time to draw some conclusions about this year and set some goals for 2018. Here I found my last year's "resolution" :

I hope that 2017 will be a good year for table tennis. First of all I wish, for me and for everyone else on this forum, to keep playing and enjoying this fantastic sport. I hope I'll be able to improve my game, so that on the 31st of December 2017 I will be sure that I would beat today's Cornel. I also want to get a decent camera so I can finally try to film my own games and to analyze them. I think that is enough wishes for me for 2017.

I also want to wish you all a happy 2017. May your skills improve, your body stay injury-free. I hope your rubber will never allow the ball to slip on it(only for those that don't play antispin), and that you will have a good amount of lost matches. It may sound a bit strange but it's losses that are teaching us more(of course I don't mean getting upset, I think you got my point).

Happy New Year Table Tennis Daily Chit Chatters!

Well, even though I spent very little time on the forum I kept playing and I'm glad I did. My skills have definitely improved but I also have been having problems with a shoulder injury. Managed to get a phone with a better camera and last week my tripod arrived but because of the injury haven't managed yet to use them properly.

I wish for the next year to stay injury free and to continue getting satisfaction from the game. Got to record some video of my game, also.

So how was 2017 for you? Did you manage to achieve your goals? What are your plans for the next year?

Happy New Year to everyone!

 

[Boogar]

Great Idea with the resolution from last year! I found mine as well

To improve and still have lots of fun! Also i want to win a tournament of the E series.

On the technical side I want to get a consistent topspin stroke on both wings. Plus getting better at identifying and killing easy balls.

If we speak rating it would be nice to get up to 950-1000 points. And to be able to perform on that level consistently.

Before I forget about it, I hope i can finally settle on my equipment.

So for point one, i think i definitely improved. However, I lost a bit of motivation and fun playing tt.... planing on changing that for the new year! Hell yea!

My topspin stroke is still not stable >.< I feel like I play a different one every day I play... someday it feels amazing... on other its just backhand... then only forehand etc... I haven't had one good tournament stroke wise...a jea I had one were everything came together and I won it. Usually I can only play forehands or only backhands... -.- Which brings me to the next point. I won a tournament of the E series. But now I am ranked too high to play anymore

I am at 945 points now. I peaked at around a 1000 this season, which makes me pretty happy. If I hadn't lost some stupid matches id be far over 1000 xD but well i deserved to lose those as I played very bad. 1000 points are around 1800 Usttr.

Now for the year 2018:

I hope I can continue to enjoy the sport and meet new cool people playing it.

I want to win a tournament of the D category and get up to 1050-1100 points.

I am very motivated to try out spin evasion and counter looping close to the table, also I want to work on my serves big time and develop heavy and deceptive serves!

I need to stay closer to the table and take balls earlier. The way i am playing right now is no fun for me and, as NL would put it, makes one wanna stop playing.

As for my Equipment I will keep the same rubbers and wood for now. I am pretty happy with it... sometimes i get the urge to change it but i withstand that urge, because i know its just because of my poor technique.

Happy New Year everyone!

 

[Boogar]

Grip is a complicated topic, but if you want to play with a neutral grip, it is hard to do better than follow the advice of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi27l74iE10

This video goes against everything i heard about grip. I thought you hold the bat firmly with your index finger and thumb, sort like a pinch grip. The other fingers would just lightly support the grip. This way your underarm muscles stay relaxed... i am intrigued and i want to try it out. The club is still closed til the 9. -.- so sad

EDIT: If i think about it, thats kinda what I do anyways. While playing forehand my index finger is very loose and more up the rubber.

 

[NextLevel]

This video goes against everything i heard about grip. I thought you hold the bat firmly with your index finger and thumb, sort like a pinch grip. The other fingers would just lightly support the grip. This way your underarm muscles stay relaxed... i am intrigued and i want to try it out. The club is still closed til the 9. -.- so sad

EDIT: If i think about it, thats kinda what I do anyways. While playing forehand my index finger is very loose and more up the rubber.

Yes. Both are important. I just want people who are struggling with neutral grip to realize those lower fingers are important. They power my backhand and forehand strokes as well with extra whip but that is just me.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Yes. Both are important. I just want people who are struggling with neutral grip to realize those lower fingers are important. They power my backhand and forehand strokes as well with extra whip but that is just me.

Yep. It makes sense.

I will add some info.

Okay, this is handstands. [emoji2] A lot of yoga teachers try to teach that when you do a handstand you want to press your hand flat into the ground as hard as you can and you want to spread your fingers nice and wide.

Many of the people who try to teach this, not too coincidentally, are not very good at doing handstands. [emoji2]

When you do a handstand, if your hand and fingers are relaxed and NOT pressed flat into the ground, it is much, Much, MUCH easier to use your hands and fingers to help adjust and control the balance. Just like we do with our feet and toes when we are standing. If the hand is relaxed THE FINGERS ARE FREE AND ABLE TO HELP If the hand is tense the hand and fingers cannot really help.

I have a feeling something similar applies in TT: when you are holding the racket too tightly your fingers are not free to make subtle adjustments. When the grip is relaxed, the fingers will make those adjustments without you having to think too much about them.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

 

[NextLevel]

Yep. It makes sense.

I will add some info.

Okay, this is handstands. [emoji2] A lot of yoga teachers try to teach that when you do a handstand you want to press your hand flat into the ground as hard as you can and you want to spread your fingers nice and wide.

Many of the people who try to teach this, not too coincidentally, are not very good at doing handstands. [emoji2]

When you do a handstand, if your hand and fingers are relaxed and NOT pressed flat into the ground, it is much, Much, MUCH easier to use your hands and fingers to help adjust and control the balance. Just like we do with our feet and toes when we are standing. If the hand is relaxed THE FINGERS ARE FREE AND ABLE TO HELP If the hand is tense the hand and fingers cannot really help.

I have a feeling something similar applies in TT: when you are holding the racket too tightly your fingers are not free to make subtle adjustments. When the grip is relaxed, the fingers will make those adjustments without you having to think too much about them.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

That's right. But in terms of setting up the grip so that it can do everything, I think the order of operations here is correct. On terms of focusing the grip pressure there might be other considerations. But that said, I have seen 2300 players do well with the grip that Alois is criticizing and one I have in mind never grip switches.

But someone pointing our how those lower fingers support a neutral grip on a video was long overdue. And you can hold the racket that way and then you will subconsciously use the fingers you need to at the right time.

 

[JeffM]

After checking out the timo boll ALC blades at a table tennis store in HK, I decided to get one from an older batch, as I wanted the weigh to be around 86grams. I tried to keep the rubbers the same as what I was using on my carbonado in order to feel the difference in the blades. So I put on Hurricane 3 neo on forehand, and tenergy 05 on backhand.

I then had a hit with the bat on a table inside the store for only 15-20 min with my friend. Even though the owner tried to sand the handles a bit for me, it was nowhere as extensive as I have on my carbonado, but the blade feels comfortable in my hand. Forehand flat hit exchange feels normal, I didn't have to make too much adjustment. The loops really stood out for me. Despite hitting for a short time only, I really liked the feeling. It was a very solid feeling, perhaps the trajectory was lower, I can feel there is an increase in the speed and the spin. My friend had difficulty keeping my loops on the table, (but that could be due to the fact that he finds it difficult to control the ball with my carbonado as I lend him my blade so he can hit with me). Forehand and backhand loops feels really good. RPB banana flips off short topspin serves were really fast too. I still need alot more time to fully unlock the power of this blade, but so far, I am liking it.



My friend was hesitant when I ask for his opinion as to whether I should get it here in HK or not. But I am glad I got it now. I feel it is simply easier to buy it here than back in Aus, because I am able to choose one that I like here, and weigh it etc. If I were to get it in Aus, the owner would have to probably order it for me, and then I would probably not be able to choose a weight that I like. Not to mention, the rubbers and the blades are also cheaper here.

Now I am faced with a problem. As I only have one table tennis aluminium case, I am unsure if it can fit 2 blades simultaneously. So one would likely have to take the risk of not being as well protected. Just like the Chinese saying: One mountain cannot contain two tigers



As today is New Years Eve, I wish you TableTennisDaily Chit Chatters, a Happy New Year! May you continue to enjoy your table tennis!

In terms of table tennis, 2017 has been a year filled with injuries. My table tennis resolution for 2018 is to stay injury-free, and to unlock the power of my new Timo Boll ALC. It will be tricky for me to find time to play table tennis when I start working.

 

[ttmonster]

Congratulations on your new setup Jeff ! Happy New Year ! Keep us posted on how it goes with your new setup ... a word of caution , I have seen it with my friends and then to some extent for me too .. for any new setup there is an initial euphoria where you feel this is the answer to all your prayers , then you go through a period where you get depressed because you feel you are missing some shots that was bread and butter with your previous setup and finally you start getting truly used to it and you can truly tell whether the setup was good for you or not .. the process could stretch from anywhere from a week to 6 weeks depending on playing level and how flexible your technique is and how soon you figure out the adjustments necessary ... bottom line have patience and let us know how its going for you ... its always interesting to hear about experiences while changing equipment ...

After checking out the timo boll ALC blades at a table tennis store in HK, I decided to get one from an older batch, as I wanted the weigh to be around 86grams. I tried to keep the rubbers the same as what I was using on my carbonado in order to feel the difference in the blades. So I put on Hurricane 3 neo on forehand, and tenergy 05 on backhand.

I then had a hit with the bat on a table inside the store for only 15-20 min with my friend. Even though the owner tried to sand the handles a bit for me, it was nowhere as extensive as I have on my carbonado, but the blade feels comfortable in my hand. Forehand flat hit exchange feels normal, I didn't have to make too much adjustment. The loops really stood out for me. Despite hitting for a short time only, I really liked the feeling. It was a very solid feeling, perhaps the trajectory was lower, I can feel there is an increase in the speed and the spin. My friend had difficulty keeping my loops on the table, (but that could be due to the fact that he finds it difficult to control the ball with my carbonado as I lend him my blade so he can hit with me). Forehand and backhand loops feels really good. RPB banana flips off short topspin serves were really fast too. I still need alot more time to fully unlock the power of this blade, but so far, I am liking it.

View attachment 15080

My friend was hesitant when I ask for his opinion as to whether I should get it here in HK or not. But I am glad I got it now. I feel it is simply easier to buy it here than back in Aus, because I am able to choose one that I like here, and weigh it etc. If I were to get it in Aus, the owner would have to probably order it for me, and then I would probably not be able to choose a weight that I like. Not to mention, the rubbers and the blades are also cheaper here.

Now I am faced with a problem. As I only have one table tennis aluminium case, I am unsure if it can fit 2 blades simultaneously. So one would likely have to take the risk of not being as well protected. Just like the Chinese saying: One mountain cannot contain two tigers

View attachment 15081

As today is New Years Eve, I wish you TableTennisDaily Chit Chatters, a Happy New Year! May you continue to enjoy your table tennis!

In terms of table tennis, 2017 has been a year filled with injuries. My table tennis resolution for 2018 is to stay injury-free, and to unlock the power of my new Timo Boll ALC. It will be tricky for me to find time to play table tennis when I start working.

 

[JeffM]

Congratulations on your new setup Jeff ! Happy New Year ! Keep us posted on how it goes with your new setup ... a word of caution , I have seen it with my friends and then to some extent for me too .. for any new setup there is an initial euphoria where you feel this is the answer to all your prayers , then you go through a period where you get depressed because you feel you are missing some shots that was bread and butter with your previous setup and finally you start getting truly used to it and you can truly tell whether the setup was good for you or not .. the process could stretch from anywhere from a week to 6 weeks depending on playing level and how flexible your technique is and how soon you figure out the adjustments necessary ... bottom line have patience and let us know how its going for you ... its always interesting to hear about experiences while changing equipment ...

Thanks ttmonster!
That is so true. I played with another friend today, purely just wanting to get more used to the blade. I still haven't got used to it, my shots were not consistent. He commented that in terms of the quality of the shots, they are similar at this stage when compared to my old blade, perhaps sometimes there is more power but less spin with my shots. Personally, I feel my shots have a bit lower trajectory than previously, which I am not sure if I prefer it or not, as I like the extra bit of safety with the arch.

I then played a game with him.
I was not adapted to the blade. I could not loop backspin balls with ease, ended up getting alot of them in the net. I took the first set 11-6, lost the second set 6-11, lost the third set 4-11, took the fourth set 11-8, then time was up. So ended up 2-2.

I found that I was not able to grip the bat very well, as the edges have not been sanded to the same extent as my previous blade, and I seem to handle the blade too carefully, i.e. the feeling of not wanting to damage something new. I wasn't natural in my strokes also, when I was warming up with forehand to forehand, my wrist kept moving and I open the bat angle too high, resulting in the ball flying off the table.

So... you are right, I think I may have hit the depression state already haha. Not happy with my performance today. But I guess that is a good thing, as I will definitely improve from this in 2018. Something to look forward to. Once I get back to Aus, I will sand the edges, and hopefully get more comfortable with the blade to play more naturally.

 

[ttmonster]

I agree with you a lot of what you are saying must be because of the sanding of the edges are not done yet ... not sure about why you would be hitting underspin to the net ... it could be a technique issue as well ... it might help you to compare your current video with your previous videos and check if anything has changed with regard to technique before arriving at the conclusion that its the equipment ...

Thanks ttmonster!
That is so true. I played with another friend today, purely just wanting to get more used to the blade. I still haven't got used to it, my shots were not consistent. He commented that in terms of the quality of the shots, they are similar at this stage when compared to my old blade, perhaps sometimes there is more power but less spin with my shots. Personally, I feel my shots have a bit lower trajectory than previously, which I am not sure if I prefer it or not, as I like the extra bit of safety with the arch.

I then played a game with him.
I was not adapted to the blade. I could not loop backspin balls with ease, ended up getting alot of them in the net. I took the first set 11-6, lost the second set 6-11, lost the third set 4-11, took the fourth set 11-8, then time was up. So ended up 2-2.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=pxyvqAeG0tM[/video]

I found that I was not able to grip the bat very well, as the edges have not been sanded to the same extent as my previous blade, and I seem to handle the blade too carefully, i.e. the feeling of not wanting to damage something new. I wasn't natural in my strokes also, when I was warming up with forehand to forehand, my wrist kept moving and I open the bat angle too high, resulting in the ball flying off the table.

So... you are right, I think I may have hit the depression state already haha. Not happy with my performance today. But I guess that is a good thing, as I will definitely improve from this in 2018. Something to look forward to. Once I get back to Aus, I will sand the edges, and hopefully get more comfortable with the blade to play more naturally.

 

[ttmonster]

I saw the first set after figuring out how to run the video ( the link is for editing and it was taking me to my default edit page because I don't have permissions to view your video manager page ) ...

Here is what I observed :

1. Your opponent does not have a lot of spin unless he is serving tomahawk
2. The one tomahawk which had underspin and you missed the RPB on :
a. You did not go down with your legs and come up
b. That side under combination is difficult to loop because its going away from your swing plane , so you need practice more against that , not sure if you are able to loop that specific serve more comfortably with your older setup , it could be because you appear tentative.
3. One more thing I noticed on one combination of BH - FH loop , you went down with your legs on the ball where you opened because it was against underspin and looped it up , when your friend blocked it back , you again went down as if the incoming spin was underspin which it was not ... not sure if it was a focus issue ..

I agree with you a lot of what you are saying must be because of the sanding of the edges are not done yet ... not sure about why you would be hitting underspin to the net ... it could be a technique issue as well ... it might help you to compare your current video with your previous videos and check if anything has changed with regard to technique before arriving at the conclusion that its the equipment ...

 

[JeffM]

I saw the first set after figuring out how to run the video ( the link is for editing and it was taking me to my default edit page because I don't have permissions to view your video manager page ) ...

Here is what I observed :

1. Your opponent does not have a lot of spin unless he is serving tomahawk
2. The one tomahawk which had underspin and you missed the RPB on :
a. You did not go down with your legs and come up
b. That side under combination is difficult to loop because its going away from your swing plane , so you need practice more against that , not sure if you are able to loop that specific serve more comfortably with your older setup , it could be because you appear tentative.
3. One more thing I noticed on one combination of BH - FH loop , you went down with your legs on the ball where you opened because it was against underspin and looped it up , when your friend blocked it back , you again went down as if the incoming spin was underspin which it was not ... not sure if it was a focus issue ..

Sorry about the link ttmonater, I have fixed it in my original post now.

Thanks for your feedback!

2. Yeah I often have trouble doing Rpb in the tomahawk serve, even with the old setup. Will need to practice that more.

3. Yeah, it could be my attention level. I'll pay more attention to it next time!

 

[ttmonster]

Anytime Jeff , I checked a little bit more , I don't think its a equipment issue , you still need to work on your footwork ( hence I keep telling you to get some coaching ) , and also sometimes you were reacting to the ball late and trying to use your arm too much to lift the backspin balls instead of using legs ... I feel its a combination of you being tentative with the new setup , not being totally relaxed and some technique issues ... would not read too much into it ..

Sorry about the link ttmonater, I have fixed it in my original post now.

Thanks for your feedback!

2. Yeah I often have trouble doing Rpb in the tomahawk serve, even with the old setup. Will need to practice that more.

3. Yeah, it could be my attention level. I'll pay more attention to it next time!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Sadly I'm busy with month end/start reports ... taking a brief break to check in. didn't watch NL's grip vid or JeffM's vid yet.

Will briefly comment that IMO, for a PH, sanding of the wings is essential - once the comfort is there, the mind is not distracted by the 'biting' into the fingers ... it's not just the biting, but when sanded and feels smooth, the strokes will be better executed. I've posted pix of my oldschool blade before and it had heavily sanded wings as well as a deeply grooved bottom/back of handle.

I don't believe in resolutions/goals per se ... if i don't achieve them, i get devastated somewhat. i just look to progress a little every time i go to the club. Last year in a few months of dedicated SH BH stroking, I picked up the RPB somewhat. This year, looking to extend the consistency of both my SH BH and RPB block/punch and progressively add in the SH/BH & RPB loop. Also, will work on my FH loop and as always, my footwork needs tremendous work. Also receive of serve, hope to get better at reading spin. Sounds like a lot is on my plate, but beware of the man with a plan LOL

Belated HNY to the DTT CCers!

 

[Der_Echte]

Der_Echte would hope to see ops in general shorten length of stroke if it is a resolution or not... it is something to shoot for, hit or miss to whatever degree.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[confiscate]

I found that I was not able to grip the bat very well, as the edges have not been sanded to the same extent as my previous blade, and I seem to handle the blade too carefully, i.e. the feeling of not wanting to damage something new. I wasn't natural in my strokes also, when I was warming up with forehand to forehand, my wrist kept moving and I open the bat angle too high, resulting in the ball flying off the table.

Ya this is common for Penhold. If you don't sand enough, the first (index) finger cannot wrap around the front of the paddle.
So naturally the paddle surface points up instead of down.

Especially when doing quick topspin rallies, balls tend to fly off the table, because it's hard to "close" the paddle angle especially with limited time to react.

When I got a new paddle, I used my old paddle to "test" sanding.
So if I want to sand the new paddle more, I do it on the old paddle first.
Then if it feels ok on the old paddle, I will "mirror" it on the new paddle.

Maybe this will help!

 

[42andbackpains]

Happy New Years TTDers!!! My News Years resolution is to EJ as much as possible!!! Seriously i have bought too much in the past month. I finally got to play with my new OSP Ultimate II and it was love at first banana flick!!! I finally beat my coach 3 straight and was up 9-0 again this week in the 3rd game. I was on fire again and the banana flicks were landing, Thanks OSP Ultimate II (Copied a paragraph from last weeks post so you guys and gals know what happened.)

(Copied from last weeks post) Usually at the end of my lesson i play a match with my coach(around 2550 USA rating). He starts off giving me seven points and if i win, then we take away one point advantage in the next game. I was pretty much on fire, win the first 2 games and was up 9-0 in the third. Yes 9-0 in the 3rd!!! Then my coach switches strategy and starts playing slow spinny loops & short angle shots. Needless to say i end up losing 3 straight...So Sad My coach knows i like to play with pace so he knew the weak area in my game.

Here is a short review of the OSP Ultmate II i posted on MYTT.
Finally got to play with my OSP Ultimate II for about 3 hours today. I paired it with MX-P on the forehand and T05 on the backhand. I have been playing with a OSP custom made replica of the old Stiga Oversize clipper from the late 90s to early 2000s for about 2 years now. As i get older and more injury prone. I think i needed a lighter blade and a blade with more spin. I have been feeling that my Oversize is a little head heavy and overall weight was round 190 to 195 grams with rubbers glued. I was thinking of buying a OSP Martin, then OSP launched the Ultimate II and i made the purchase quickly and was one of the early buyers to get the early bird discount. I was looking to get more spin and feel out of the new ball and OSP marketing promised this. Now to the good stuff. My blade itself weight was 88 grams and the blade weighed 186 grams with rubbers glued on. The racket does not feel head heavy and the weight feels evenly distributed. With my first couple of loops, i felt right away the spin was increased compared to my Oversize. I also noticed i had a better whip when doing the banana bh flip and the racket would bite into the ball and had a good catapult. Even though this is a all wood 7 ply blade, the racket didn't feel overly hard when hitting like many of todays 7 ply blades. I felt the Ultimate II had good touch, control and overall increased in spin when compared to my old setup. This blade is a definite keeper and will be my main blade from now on. Note, One of my coaches tried the blade and liked it right away. She also asked me to borrow the blade to try for a week with her rubbers glued on. Now i can only hope she returns it...LOL

EJ Virus is alive!!! OSP Ultimate II, Joola Golden Tango(trying it this weekend) and Kinson ball carrier. Maybe a new super secret booster that even the Goon Squad cant detect. Oh Yeah, Tibhar K1 Hybrid Pro when its available.

 

[Der_Echte]

Hen------ry !!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

I finally beat my coach 3 straight and was up 9-0 again this week in the 3rd game. I was on fire again and the banana flicks were landing, Thanks OSP Ultimate II

...

(Copied from last weeks post) Usually at the end of my lesson i play a match with my coach(around 2550 USA rating).

OK, TTD CCers, altogether with me on 3...

10 POINTS AND SERVE PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!