Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Der_Echte]

MY friend Ali will not be able to come this time, so another day maybe in a few weeks we can make it happen @dingyibvs

 

[dingyibvs]

MY friend Ali will not be able to come this time, so another day maybe in a few weeks we can make it happen @dingyibvs

Ah OK, if your plans change hit me up, we might be back by dinner time.

 

[Der_Echte]

My friend may be going to TTA Sun PM to meet 1-4 each 2000+ level players... so who knows @dingyibvs

 

[NextLevel]

Had a tough week and weekend, played on Wednesday in limited practice and then this morning. Lost my very first match to an underrated long pips player, I went down badly in the early going, deuced it and the lost the next two points. Lost the second game as well, and while I won the third game, I managed to lose 5 straight points from up 8‐6 in the fourth game. I then played another pips player scrambled to win 3‐2. I win my last match 3‐0 to qualify second, then lost my first elimination match.

Continuing to work in my physical fitness. Unfortunately I haven't been able to put in the work to peak at the teams, but I will enjoy it and work on what I can. Will definitely record a lot of matches at the teams, though since it will ln be my first time travelling there from Texas, it will be an interesting experience vs. driving as I have done in the past.

 

[Boogar]

I feel you NL.
On friday i played league against two pips players. One was a fast player who also stepped around to loop. That was a fun game but i lost in close games 1:3 (he was quiet lucky with edges and net balls... but well played to him)
Second pips player was one of the old ones who sucks all the speed out of the game and lets you look like a beginner. Had a big mental battle with him but managd to pull through in the end... funny enough my last resort tactic was just to play the worst serve i have ever used in competition. I just rolled the ball onto his side half long and half high... this got me good balls to loop kill ... i dont get it sometimes.

Third match was against one of the top scorer in my league. A two winged looper who kills long balls. I managed to return his serves half long or attack em. On my serve i got good direct points with my serve and made most third ball attacks into winners. I won in three straight and that felt pretty good.

With that win i crossed the line into the top hundred in my region and top 600 in Switzerland (my peak was 500 for a short while.)

Ah right i almost forgot... i got third in our clubs championships, losing to my teammate (2100-2200 ish in USTT i guess) He had a new serve i didn't know and i had such a hard time returning it... his serves are by far his strongest suit.
On saturday i went to a fun Ping Pong tournament in a local culture location (where people go to to party, hang out make art and do all kinds of stuff) The niveau wasnt that high, but in the end i faced some interesting players. Some might pay my club a visit now - Was a lot of fun and a good wrap for a week with lots of TT.

On another note, I am watching the MLTT matches right now and there is a Swiss guy playing Yoan Rebetez. He is number 9 in Switzerland right now, very cool to watch him play on that stage!

 

[NextLevel]

I feel you NL.
On friday i played league against two pips players. One was a fast player who also stepped around to loop. That was a fun game but i lost in close games 1:3 (he was quiet lucky with edges and net balls... but well played to him)
Second pips player was one of the old ones who sucks all the speed out of the game and lets you look like a beginner. Had a big mental battle with him but managd to pull through in the end... funny enough my last resort tactic was just to play the worst serve i have ever used in competition. I just rolled the ball onto his side half long and half high... this got me good balls to loop kill ... i dont get it sometimes.

Third match was against one of the top scorer in my league. A two winged looper who kills long balls. I managed to return his serves half long or attack em. On my serve i got good direct points with my serve and made most third ball attacks into winners. I won in three straight and that felt pretty good.

With that win i crossed the line into the top hundred in my region and top 600 in Switzerland (my peak was 500 for a short while.)

Ah right i almost forgot... i got third in our clubs championships, losing to my teammate (2100-2200 ish in USTT i guess) He had a new serve i didn't know and i had such a hard time returning it... his serves are by far his strongest suit.
On saturday i went to a fun Ping Pong tournament in a local culture location (where people go to to party, hang out make art and do all kinds of stuff) The niveau wasnt that high, but in the end i faced some interesting players. Some might pay my club a visit now - Was a lot of fun and a good wrap for a week with lots of TT.

On another note, I am watching the MLTT matches right now and there is a Swiss guy playing Yoan Rebetez. He is number 9 in Switzerland right now, very cool to watch him play on that stage!

The first guy I lost to was a lefy pips player. So the forehand is where the backhand is supposed to be and vice versa. He was clearly underrated though. Californians like to say they are underrated lol. I now see that most parts of the country outside of North East just don't play that frequently.

 

[dingyibvs]

I played again with the old HL5 in the club on Friday, getting a lot more used to it now. One thing that really, really stands out is the dwell. My goodness the dwell! It's really unlike any other carbon composite blade I've tried before. I can contact the ball much thicker and still produce good spin.

The downside is that if you don't get a good swing and engage the blade, the shot feels like crap and will die into the net more often than not. The trick is to get a nice, strong "hit-then-brush" stroke, even for blocks, and the ball will dwell on your racket long enough for it to go wherever you're pointing it. With the 968, I need more brush and less hit, which takes a more precise stroke and better timing, thus it's more demanding to use.

Away from the table, the two blade have similar behavior. Both are champs at mid-long distance counter looping, but the 968 is faster. I can see why pros prefer the 968. You've got unlimited power from mid distance and longer, and allows for higher quality shots close to the table even when the high pace may not allow for a bigger backswing. I think for me though, the extra safety allowed by a more hitting and less brushing stroke and the slower pace I'm up against makes the old HL5 a better choice.

Maybe if I get better I'll give the 968 another try. I might actually tune a H3 I have lying around to see if perhaps the 968 + tuned H3 combo gives something similar to the HL5 + D09c combo as well. But for now, I'm gonna stick with the HL5.

 

[blahness]

I played again with the old HL5 in the club on Friday, getting a lot more used to it now. One thing that really, really stands out is the dwell. My goodness the dwell! It's really unlike any other carbon composite blade I've tried before. I can contact the ball much thicker and still produce good spin.

The downside is that if you don't get a good swing and engage the blade, the shot feels like crap and will die into the net more often than not. The trick is to get a nice, strong "hit-then-brush" stroke, even for blocks, and the ball will dwell on your racket long enough for it to go wherever you're pointing it. With the 968, I need more brush and less hit, which takes a more precise stroke and better timing, thus it's more demanding to use.

Away from the table, the two blade have similar behavior. Both are champs at mid-long distance counter looping, but the 968 is faster. I can see why pros prefer the 968. You've got unlimited power from mid distance and longer, and allows for higher quality shots close to the table even when the high pace may not allow for a bigger backswing. I think for me though, the extra safety allowed by a more hitting and less brushing stroke and the slower pace I'm up against makes the old HL5 a better choice.

Maybe if I get better I'll give the 968 another try. I might actually tune a H3 I have lying around to see if perhaps the 968 + tuned H3 combo gives something similar to the HL5 + D09c combo as well. But for now, I'm gonna stick with the HL5.

My HL5 got stolen some time ago, but yes I remember the dwell I had when I was playing D09c on the FH with it, the arc was unreal and I felt I could land everything with it and not make any stupid mistakes.

With Vis + D05 (my current setup), I feel like now my FH loops got a lot more sting and penetration in them now even with short strokes, but I really have to be on point to land them otherwise they shoot off the table a bit too easily. It's nowhere as safe as the HL5+09c setup.

But, against better players I think I'm getting better results with Vis + D05 because I can overwhelm them in rallies without overcommitting to a stroke - the overcommitment costs recovery time and makes it harder to do continuous attacking with high quality shots.

I feel like the big thing is BH. HL5 imo is close to being quite bad for the BH due to the lack of speed which matters quite a lot. I remember losing a lot of BH-BH rallies against TPB penholders ffs which is something I rarely have issues with these days lol. But then my BH has improved a lot so I wouldn't know if it's the blade or my technique.

 

[NextLevel]

I played again with the old HL5 in the club on Friday, getting a lot more used to it now. One thing that really, really stands out is the dwell. My goodness the dwell! It's really unlike any other carbon composite blade I've tried before. I can contact the ball much thicker and still produce good spin.

The downside is that if you don't get a good swing and engage the blade, the shot feels like crap and will die into the net more often than not. The trick is to get a nice, strong "hit-then-brush" stroke, even for blocks, and the ball will dwell on your racket long enough for it to go wherever you're pointing it. With the 968, I need more brush and less hit, which takes a more precise stroke and better timing, thus it's more demanding to use.

Away from the table, the two blade have similar behavior. Both are champs at mid-long distance counter looping, but the 968 is faster. I can see why pros prefer the 968. You've got unlimited power from mid distance and longer, and allows for higher quality shots close to the table even when the high pace may not allow for a bigger backswing. I think for me though, the extra safety allowed by a more hitting and less brushing stroke and the slower pace I'm up against makes the old HL5 a better choice.

Maybe if I get better I'll give the 968 another try. I might actually tune a H3 I have lying around to see if perhaps the 968 + tuned H3 combo gives something similar to the HL5 + D09c combo as well. But for now, I'm gonna stick with the HL5.

The HL5 is just a slower blade with all the benefits and demerits of being a slower blade. IMHO, it is better to get a faster blade like a W968 or a Viscaria and put a stickier rubber on the forehand than to get a slower blade like the HL5 and hit more powerful shots on the backhand. But you could also try a faster rubber on the backhand of the HL5.

 

[Der_Echte]

Saw @Jslick89 ... and also @t95mwp had a hit with both.

J-Slick gunna really cause trouble with players his level and two levels above him if he keeps attacking the balls he should the way he does when he ges decisive.

 

[JeffM]

My HL5 got stolen some time ago, but yes I remember the dwell I had when I was playing D09c on the FH with it, the arc was unreal and I felt I could land everything with it and not make any stupid mistakes.

With Vis + D05 (my current setup), I feel like now my FH loops got a lot more sting and penetration in them now even with short strokes, but I really have to be on point to land them otherwise they shoot off the table a bit too easily. It's nowhere as safe as the HL5+09c setup.

But, against better players I think I'm getting better results with Vis + D05 because I can overwhelm them in rallies without overcommitting to a stroke - the overcommitment costs recovery time and makes it harder to do continuous attacking with high quality shots.

I feel like the big thing is BH. HL5 imo is close to being quite bad for the BH due to the lack of speed which matters quite a lot. I remember losing a lot of BH-BH rallies against TPB penholders ffs which is something I rarely have issues with these days lol. But then my BH has improved a lot so I wouldn't know if it's the blade or my technique.

Stolen racket... that is sad... I hope it wasn't from one of the usual club members too.

 

[blahness]

Stolen racket... that is sad... I hope it wasn't from one of the usual club members too.

Not sure... there was no video footage in the area so there was nothing I could do.... obviously the perpetrator wouldn't admit to it.

 

[blahness]

Today I played with my usual practice partner and damn he played like Ma Lin incarnate today. So many ridiculous af shots - there were 3 close table FH counterloops off my very spinny loops to his FH yikes, outrageous around the net loopkills and a few unbelievable waldner style BH dropshots all coming from him. I wasn't in bad shape either as I had to rely on serve trickery and some luck to win some games. I pretty much lost all 4 best of 5 game deciders lol, and lost another 2 3-0 and 3-1.

I learnt a few things - the BH sideswipe is almost the perfect complement to the chiquita because the sidespin is opposite and can give me a lot more variation in the BH receive rather than over relying on chiquita. It is hugely flexible too because you can do it against all balls. I also did a few successful short BH pushes which won me the point - good to see that my training paid off a little.

The other thing was that to defend against the ultra wide FH pendulum sidespin serve to the short BH corner, it is much better to have ready position with left leg aligned with left table edge, and right leg directly behind left leg but also generally aligned with the left table edge. This stance is noncommital and very physically easy to lower your centre of gravity (just bend forward lol). You can easily lunge with left leg to cut off the wide BH angle and also lunge with the right leg to cover the wide FH angle. Yes its harder to cover the short FH with this but it's not too bad because those serves are a bit slower anyway, just need to lunge fast. If I get to those balls a bit later than I would have liked, I can still do FH sideswipe, flicks or long pushes to lower the quality of the opening loop to get an easier ball to defend for the next ball.

Moving to the FH side is much easier than moving to the wide BH which will happen if you play angle happy He Zhi Wen wannabe penholders.

 

[Jslick89]

Saw @Jslick89 ... and also @t95mwp had a hit with both.

J-Slick gunna really cause trouble with players his level and two levels above him if he keeps attacking the balls he should the way he does when he ges decisive.

it was fun goofin off with you. Thanks for teaching me how to smash with the hurricane! main take away- i still have a bad habit from my tennis days of doing too big of a back swing on smashes....no need in table tennis.

 

[dingyibvs]

My HL5 got stolen some time ago, but yes I remember the dwell I had when I was playing D09c on the FH with it, the arc was unreal and I felt I could land everything with it and not make any stupid mistakes.

With Vis + D05 (my current setup), I feel like now my FH loops got a lot more sting and penetration in them now even with short strokes, but I really have to be on point to land them otherwise they shoot off the table a bit too easily. It's nowhere as safe as the HL5+09c setup.

But, against better players I think I'm getting better results with Vis + D05 because I can overwhelm them in rallies without overcommitting to a stroke - the overcommitment costs recovery time and makes it harder to do continuous attacking with high quality shots.

I feel like the big thing is BH. HL5 imo is close to being quite bad for the BH due to the lack of speed which matters quite a lot. I remember losing a lot of BH-BH rallies against TPB penholders ffs which is something I rarely have issues with these days lol. But then my BH has improved a lot so I wouldn't know if it's the blade or my technique.

Heh, I like the big swing, I can't stop doing it even with a faster blade, so I thought I'd just use a slower one.

As for the BH, yea, it's an issue. Without a big swing you can't generate much speed, but my short term goal is just to apply pressure with the BH until I can get a big FH in.

 

[dingyibvs]

The HL5 is just a slower blade with all the benefits and demerits of being a slower blade. IMHO, it is better to get a faster blade like a W968 or a Viscaria and put a stickier rubber on the forehand than to get a slower blade like the HL5 and hit more powerful shots on the backhand. But you could also try a faster rubber on the backhand of the HL5.

Now that I've improved my BH a bit, I do wonder if something that activates a little easier, like the T05 may work better on the BH side. My BH issue right now though is primarily technique, specifically timing, so I'm gonna focus on that first. When I start looking for more quality I think I might look around a bit more.

 

[dingyibvs]

Saw @Jslick89 ... and also @t95mwp had a hit with both.

J-Slick gunna really cause trouble with players his level and two levels above him if he keeps attacking the balls he should the way he does when he ges decisive.

I guess I called you too late last night to get in on this action haha. I was coming off of 2 straight night shifts so was sleeping the whole day.

I ended up going to my regular club last night, did well with BH rallies but felt like I took a step back with the opening loop. I think I'm gonna switch up my BH training a bit. Pushes in real games usually start in mid table, so by the time it reaches the end of my side it's usually way in the falling phase. Balls from the robot are shot from the other end of the table, so I think I'm gonna have the robot do services instead.

 

[dingyibvs]

Today I played with my usual practice partner and damn he played like Ma Lin incarnate today. So many ridiculous af shots - there were 3 close table FH counterloops off my very spinny loops to his FH yikes, outrageous around the net loopkills and a few unbelievable waldner style BH dropshots all coming from him. I wasn't in bad shape either as I had to rely on serve trickery and some luck to win some games. I pretty much lost all 4 best of 5 game deciders lol, and lost another 2 3-0 and 3-1.

I learnt a few things - the BH sideswipe is almost the perfect complement to the chiquita because the sidespin is opposite and can give me a lot more variation in the BH receive rather than over relying on chiquita. It is hugely flexible too because you can do it against all balls. I also did a few successful short BH pushes which won me the point - good to see that my training paid off a little.

The other thing was that to defend against the ultra wide FH pendulum sidespin serve to the short BH corner, it is much better to have ready position with left leg aligned with left table edge, and right leg directly behind left leg but also generally aligned with the left table edge. This stance is noncommital and very physically easy to lower your centre of gravity (just bend forward lol). You can easily lunge with left leg to cut off the wide BH angle and also lunge with the right leg to cover the wide FH angle. Yes its harder to cover the short FH with this but it's not too bad because those serves are a bit slower anyway, just need to lunge fast. If I get to those balls a bit later than I would have liked, I can still do FH sideswipe, flicks or long pushes to lower the quality of the opening loop to get an easier ball to defend for the next ball.

Moving to the FH side is much easier than moving to the wide BH which will happen if you play angle happy He Zhi Wen wannabe penholders.

That BH sideswipe gives me a ton fo trouble lol, I need to get better at looping those. I play against a guy who receives all my short serves with it, and it annoys the crap out of me! Easy to keep it relatively short and has a lot of side spin.

 

[blahness]

That BH sideswipe gives me a ton fo trouble lol, I need to get better at looping those. I play against a guy who receives all my short serves with it, and it annoys the crap out of me! Easy to keep it relatively short and has a lot of side spin.

It does create some disgusting sidespin similar to the chiquita. I'm surprised he could keep the sideswipe (left to right movement) short, mine is always long and deep (as intended anyway), i feel like probably itll be the penholders who can keep it short. I have to do more of a chopblock movement (right to left movement) for my BH short push - its the only way i can control my short push well.

 

[dingyibvs]

It does create some disgusting sidespin similar to the chiquita. I'm surprised he could keep the sideswipe (left to right movement) short, mine is always long and deep (as intended anyway), i feel like probably itll be the penholders who can keep it short. I have to do more of a chopblock movement (right to left movement) for my BH short push - its the only way i can control my short push well.

He brushes more underneath the ball than behind it and it's a very wrist action with little arm usage. It works really well against my backspin serves even when I serve half long, so I started serving topspins more to him which helps.