Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[dingyibvs]

So I emailed Mr. Guo who runs Pong Planet about my withdrawal from the tournament. I just wanted him to know that I can't play due to injury so that he can redraw the matchups. This way people won't be short changed in matches as some have no hope of advancing out of the RR stage and only get to play 2-3 matches per event. Surprisingly, he said due to the circumstances he'd give me a refund. That was very unexpected, and definitely gives me a great impression of Mr. Guo!

 

[Richie]

I'm starting to question my sanity.. I spent 13 hours in the table tennis hall today. There was a big time gap between playing the two teams, so we were waiting hours for the other team.

It was the qualification whether we would go down a division or stay, we managed to win enough to stay in division 2,

I'm as usual, pretty hard on myself. The thing is that my level is like a yo-yo, It fluctuates way too much for my liking, especially against certain styles. But then again, I'm injured, I barely practice once a week and I don't play any tournaments or have enough experience to justify being more solid.. so that's just how it is. Expectations are dangerous.

Something else I've noticed is that as the day went on, I played way better in the evening (even though I was physically tired), around 6-7 pm I became so alert and focused, I usually play terribly in the morning. I almost always train in the evening and I'm a bit of an owl. Shame almost all competition is in the day or morning

The whole day was livestreamed so maybe I'll upload some of the matches.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

I'm starting to question my sanity.. I spent 13 hours in the table tennis hall today. There was a big time gap between playing the two teams, so we were waiting hours for the other team.

It was the qualification whether we would go down a division or stay, we managed to win enough to stay in division 2,

I'm as usual, pretty hard on myself. The thing is that my level is like a yo-yo, It fluctuates way too much for my liking, especially against certain styles. But then again, I'm injured, I barely practice once a week and I don't play any tournaments or have enough experience to justify being more solid.. so that's just how it is. Expectations are dangerous.

Something else I've noticed is that as the day went on, I played way better in the evening (even though I was physically tired), around 6-7 pm I became so alert and focused, I usually play terribly in the morning. I almost always train in the evening and I'm a bit of an owl. Shame almost all competition is in the day or morning

The whole day was livestreamed so maybe I'll upload some of the matches.

i know what you mean, our competitions are always in the morning as well...
there's no choice but sleeping early, waking up early (at least 2hours before the match), eating well the day before and at breakfast. and try to have a good warmup as much as possible before the match starts.

in Japan, in some competitions there is no warm-up at all. The most frequent situation is 30mns warmup period but its so crowded we are 8 players (or more like 12 !) per table and we play in the diagonal alternating each ball with another pair of players. If i go alone to a competition, thats usually the worst, almost impossible to find someone to warmup..
and before the match itself, when players are called at the table, there is never any warm-up. at best, rarely, we're allowed to play 3 balls to check if the ball is ok...

the first match is so important and difficult. if I lose it, and/or play bad, it will affect my confidence etc...

having a routine, and finding what works well for you is key.

 

[Der_Echte]

So I emailed Mr. Guo who runs Pong Planet about my withdrawal from the tournament. I just wanted him to know that I can't play due to injury so that he can redraw the matchups. This way people won't be short changed in matches as some have no hope of advancing out of the RR stage and only get to play 2-3 matches per event. Surprisingly, he said due to the circumstances he'd give me a refund. That was very unexpected, and definitely gives me a great impression of Mr. Guo!

Sorry I didn't follow you well enough on the forum lately (at daughter's place in Boston right now)... what got you hurt?

I think my sudden absence got LDM7 to withdraw as well. I feel bad about leaving LDM7 hanging, as much as I care for him and want to give him every tool to grow, my daughter's needs come first.

 

[Der_Echte]

With great disappointment, I have to say that I won't be able to play in the tournament this weekend. I injured my right ankle pretty badly playing soccer on Thursday, the front and right part of my ankle is now swollen up to the size of my lower calf and I can hardly walk.

Due to spring break this week, the majority of my team couldn't make our 5 on 5 soccer league, so we had to play 4 on 5 with no subs. I was too tired near the end of the game, and at the end of a run I tried to stop but couldn't so I slid and my right foot got caught in a pit on the field (the field condition is also terrible, tall grass and very uneven). It got hyper extended pretty badly, I heard some weird pops. I think I tore some ligament, though my active range of motion appears mostly intact. All I can do now is just rest, ice, and NSAIDs. It'll probably take months before I fully recover. I'll try to resume light practices when I'm able to do stationary exercises.

Finally saw your post. Ouch. Hope your timelines are better and feeling is better than reported.

 

[Der_Echte]

stick to TT next time. Safer 🤣

In 2008, in an Iraq camp, I would play soccer with whoever showed up (Uganda guards and a few US military vs the Iraqi Infantry company team)... we did this in summer 45 minutes before sundown... when temps were 50-55 C and only beginning to fall on the sand pitch... we would be running like crazy gazelles going at it... and yes, an imperfection on the pitch with trying real hard can have a consequence.

I did that at age 40 and I was on the heavy side of weight too. Wouldn't give up that for anything though.

 

[dingyibvs]

Finally saw your post. Ouch. Hope your timelines are better and feeling is better than reported.

It's still very swollen, but the pain is basically gone now. I'm gonna start some basic exercises, hopefully be able to do some stationary TT practice in a few days. I've been meaning to work on a BH down the line shot, so this would be a good opportunity.

I had just glued new rubbers on my blade, so a bit disappointed that I haven't gotten to play with them yet. I used a new glue this time, DHS #15 instead of Tearmender. It's a lot more viscous than Tearmender, and doesn't dry as fast, so it's a lot easier to apply evenly. With Tearmender if you apply too thin a layer it'll dry too quickly before it's spread evenly, and if you apply too much then it'll spill everywhere because of how thin it is. DHS #15 also feels a decent bit stronger, which is nice because I seal my blades and with Tearmender I have to reglue every couple of weeks. Maybe it can be stretched out to 3-4 weeks with the DHS glue.

The reason I glued on new rubbers is because I had been experiencing a crazy amount of slippage on the FH side. My first 2 sheets lasted 3 months each, but the past 2 months I've been mixing in a lot of FH drills and I've also adjusted my FH stroke to more brushing due to the change in blade from HL5 to 968. The number of net balls, shots tanked into the net, and outright "tsss" sounds was starting to get way too common.

If the D09c can only last me 2 months (really I started noticing these things after 1 month) then after my current stock of 3 sheets I'll need to look for a cheaper alternative. Boosted H3 is again looking very promising, or maybe I should give the Joola Tango a shot. Turns out the PS version I tried before is not as well reviewed as the regular Tango, so maybe I'll try the regular Tango next.

 

[NDH]

Hey everyone!


We had our annual “Premier Top 8” tournament last night, which is for the best 8 players across the last season (based on average).


Amazingly, I had won it the last 2 times (2018/19…… 2 year break for Covid and then again last season in 2021/22).


I managed to win my group (2 groups of 4), and then won the semi final 3-1.


I played the number 1 seed in the final in an epic match!


He was 2-1, 10-8 up and I ended up winning 18-16 after saving 6 championship points!


I was 7-1 up in the 5th….. Yes, SEVEN - ONE, and I somehow found myself 8-7 down!!

Luckily, I won the next 4 points in a row to claim the back to back to back title!


The guy I played in the final is a very good defender - Short pimples on the black side, and a very spinny reverse rubber on the red.


I wasn’t feeling confident with opening up on the backhand at that late stage in the game (not since I’d just lost 7 points in a row), so I was looking for opportunities to get in on the pimples (he twiddles a lot!)


When my first loop comes back from the pimples, it is absolutely LOADED! I had already dumped more than a few in the net, just not concentrating hard enough.


My tactics against pimples is usually a long-ish serve to the pimples, and follow it up with a powerful shot - But by game 5, the opponent is usually keeping it much tighter which makes it harder.


Still, it worked to go 10-8 up in the below video.


That last shot and following “Come on” was a massive release of emotion after a marathon night - The match finished at 11pm!

 

[JeffM]

Had my weekly dose of table tennis today!

The club captain messaged me that he couldn't make it, so I was initially a bit disappointed but I still went as that is my only table tennis opportunity and playing is better than not!

I first played with an elderly man, who has a handicap of -1. So we agreed and he would start at 0 and me at -8. I won 4-0 and was able to focus alot on my backhand stroke, which I didn't realise will be very important for me later the night.

Then I played a younger man in his 20s who is improving fast. He doesn't have serves yet but his rally ability is getting much better than before, and we were able to exchange some topspin shots away from the table, and I again took that opportunity to practice my backhand and my forehand shots. He had to leave early but we played 2 sets and I won 2-0.

I was going to play with another club regular who I would say is #3 in the club (#2 is the captain, and me being #1 as I have been undefeated by the regulars for months now). But the guy recommended me to play this dude who was just visiting from the city. He said that dude was good so I knew it will be a good one. He got me pretty good at the start, as he has been playing in the city, and the shots that would normally win me the points didn't work on him. My signature forehand loop has been defused! Most players won't be able to block my loop back due to the spin (it was praised by grade A players), but this guy in the first 3 sets has been able to softly block them back and it really caught me off guard as I haven't had anyone to practice like that. So I instinctively told myself to be prepare for the next shot, and I started doing better from there on). I was puffing (which is very rare for me, as I have been working on cardio on the bike and the usual club players couldn't do that to me). Somehow, I adjusted to his serves and started my comeback. I realised that his backhand in topspin rallies are probably better than mine, but if he decides to play close to table, he doens't do full strokes, and that is when I need to take advantage of that and do some quality stroke. So I won some points off when he was close to table and blocking, and I do full strokes, mostly with my forehands and some backhands. Another thing I noticed is if I do my forehand loop against backspin and he blocks it back, I am not comfortable with it as I have not had much practice lately to that, so I started using my backhand to open on his backspin push after my serve and he was having trouble with that (to my surprise!).

I came back to 3-3!! On the 7th set, I had a good start, it was 5-1 for me. But somehow I let it slip to 5-6, then it was a tight game and we got to 9-9, with me serving. I got the point and it was 10-9, but I missed the next 3 so I lost 10-12 as 4-3.

I am actually very grateful to play him as it is like a present from God that I get to play some intense table tennis! I wanted to practice with him after but he was busy teaching another new adult player how to do basic strokes so I didn't barch in.

I then played with the club regular (#3). I won comfortably 4-0 as I have played him many times now and we sort of know each other's style.

It was a great session with the highlight match being against that visitor. Despite my loss, I was very happy that I was able to adjust mentally and nearly comeback. in the 4th set, I was just hoping to get one set back in without losing 4-0 haha and somehow made it to 3-3 with a match point in my favour! I am happy with my backhand performance tonight and happy with my open ups, but I need to practice changing between opening up backspin and then normal topspins as I am not used to that transition. Next week is ANZAC day so no tt session on Tuesday night. I will have to wait for the following week.

 

[Der_Echte]

Hey everyone!


We had our annual “Premier Top 8” tournament last night, which is for the best 8 players across the last season (based on average).


Amazingly, I had won it the last 2 times (2018/19…… 2 year break for Covid and then again last season in 2021/22).


I managed to win my group (2 groups of 4), and then won the semi final 3-1.


I played the number 1 seed in the final in an epic match!


He was 2-1, 10-8 up and I ended up winning 18-16 after saving 6 championship points!


I was 7-1 up in the 5th….. Yes, SEVEN - ONE, and I somehow found myself 8-7 down!!

Luckily, I won the next 4 points in a row to claim the back to back to back title!


The guy I played in the final is a very good defender - Short pimples on the black side, and a very spinny reverse rubber on the red.


I wasn’t feeling confident with opening up on the backhand at that late stage in the game (not since I’d just lost 7 points in a row), so I was looking for opportunities to get in on the pimples (he twiddles a lot!)


When my first loop comes back from the pimples, it is absolutely LOADED! I had already dumped more than a few in the net, just not concentrating hard enough.


My tactics against pimples is usually a long-ish serve to the pimples, and follow it up with a powerful shot - But by game 5, the opponent is usually keeping it much tighter which makes it harder.


Still, it worked to go 10-8 up in the below video.


That last shot and following “Come on” was a massive release of emotion after a marathon night - The match finished at 11pm!

BRAVO NDH. Bravo.

 

[Der_Echte]

BTW, I simply LOVE to play vs this kind of defender.

 

[NextLevel]

It's still very swollen, but the pain is basically gone now. I'm gonna start some basic exercises, hopefully be able to do some stationary TT practice in a few days. I've been meaning to work on a BH down the line shot, so this would be a good opportunity.

I had just glued new rubbers on my blade, so a bit disappointed that I haven't gotten to play with them yet. I used a new glue this time, DHS #15 instead of Tearmender. It's a lot more viscous than Tearmender, and doesn't dry as fast, so it's a lot easier to apply evenly. With Tearmender if you apply too thin a layer it'll dry too quickly before it's spread evenly, and if you apply too much then it'll spill everywhere because of how thin it is. DHS #15 also feels a decent bit stronger, which is nice because I seal my blades and with Tearmender I have to reglue every couple of weeks. Maybe it can be stretched out to 3-4 weeks with the DHS glue.

The reason I glued on new rubbers is because I had been experiencing a crazy amount of slippage on the FH side. My first 2 sheets lasted 3 months each, but the past 2 months I've been mixing in a lot of FH drills and I've also adjusted my FH stroke to more brushing due to the change in blade from HL5 to 968. The number of net balls, shots tanked into the net, and outright "tsss" sounds was starting to get way too common.

If the D09c can only last me 2 months (really I started noticing these things after 1 month) then after my current stock of 3 sheets I'll need to look for a cheaper alternative. Boosted H3 is again looking very promising, or maybe I should give the Joola Tango a shot. Turns out the PS version I tried before is not as well reviewed as the regular Tango, so maybe I'll try the regular Tango next.

The PS is slightly softer and is a backhand rubber of sorts, I personally prefer Golden Tango on both sides for how I play, though I think PS is a good rubber, but I find softer sponge to be more spin reactive when blocking given I prefer the feeling of harder sponge. The slow ball release of softer sponge combined with tack isn't my best friend but PS is not that soft. But it is clearly slower than the regular rubber for how I approach the game.

It's going to be a bit different from D09, less easy spin but more linear (and arguably equally good on power shots). If you can make use of the extra control, it will go a long way.

 

[Wrighty67]

BRAVO NDH. Bravo.

Nice playing NDH, I have to admit to really struggling vs these types of players - just keeping the rally going ling enough to find the opportunity to play that loop is tough.

Congratulations!

 

[Ghostzen]

Hey everyone!


We had our annual “Premier Top 8” tournament last night, which is for the best 8 players across the last season (based on average).


Amazingly, I had won it the last 2 times (2018/19…… 2 year break for Covid and then again last season in 2021/22).


I managed to win my group (2 groups of 4), and then won the semi final 3-1.


I played the number 1 seed in the final in an epic match!


He was 2-1, 10-8 up and I ended up winning 18-16 after saving 6 championship points!


I was 7-1 up in the 5th….. Yes, SEVEN - ONE, and I somehow found myself 8-7 down!!

Luckily, I won the next 4 points in a row to claim the back to back to back title!


The guy I played in the final is a very good defender - Short pimples on the black side, and a very spinny reverse rubber on the red.


I wasn’t feeling confident with opening up on the backhand at that late stage in the game (not since I’d just lost 7 points in a row), so I was looking for opportunities to get in on the pimples (he twiddles a lot!)


When my first loop comes back from the pimples, it is absolutely LOADED! I had already dumped more than a few in the net, just not concentrating hard enough.


My tactics against pimples is usually a long-ish serve to the pimples, and follow it up with a powerful shot - But by game 5, the opponent is usually keeping it much tighter which makes it harder.


Still, it worked to go 10-8 up in the below video.


That last shot and following “Come on” was a massive release of emotion after a marathon night - The match finished at 11pm!

Is that AC in the Video?. That shout sounded like OMG thank god that is over and I came out on the right side!!! Nice one.

 

[NDH]

Is that AC in the Video?. That shout sounded like OMG thank god that is over and I came out on the right side!!! Nice one.

It is!

I beat him 3-1 in last years Top 8, he beat me 2 out of the 3 times in the league this year, but I beat him in the final of the MK Open….. So this put me 3-2 for the year against him (although 2 of those wins were for the important trophies!)

He’s probably the player who you have to work hardest against - The point is never won easily, and he’s such a clever player.

There’s a reason he’s top 175 in the UK!

Have you played him?

 

[NDH]

Nice playing NDH, I have to admit to really struggling vs these types of players - just keeping the rally going ling enough to find the opportunity to play that loop is tough.

Congratulations!

The more you play them, and the more confident you get, the easier it becomes.

But there are some incredibly good players I know who struggle with these types of players as well.

It helps to have the power to put the ball away early (otherwise the rallies last forever!)

 

[Ghostzen]

It is!

I beat him 3-1 in last years Top 8, he beat me 2 out of the 3 times in the league this year, but I beat him in the final of the MK Open….. So this put me 3-2 for the year against him (although 2 of those wins were for the important trophies!)

He’s probably the player who you have to work hardest against - The point is never won easily, and he’s such a clever player.

There’s a reason he’s top 175 in the UK!

Have you played him?

Yes I have played him a fair few times. I have a pretty good record against most choppers to be honest. He's a good player and really does hack that first ball.

 

[NextLevel]

Yes I have played him a fair few times. I have a pretty good record against most choppers to be honest. He's a good player and really does hack that first ball.

Still patiently waiting on the Ghostzen video... patience is a virtue they say...

 

[Ghostzen]

Still patiently waiting on the Ghostzen video... patience is a virtue they say...

And I am lazy they also say! Sorry NL I'll get around to it.... my bad I know I have been promising for ages. Now the season is finished I will get something up.

 

[vvk1]

The more you play them, and the more confident you get, the easier it becomes.

But there are some incredibly good players I know who struggle with these types of players as well.

It helps to have the power to put the ball away early (otherwise the rallies last forever!)

Did you say AC use short pips in that match? I've played him earlier this season in the Wembley and Harrow league (and a couple of times some years back) and he had long pips on one side, just like before.