Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[NextLevel]

Stuck with a KJH isn't such a bad thing. KJH has a great control and feel at impact to go along with what NL sez. I have had that as my main blade for 2 yrs + since coming back to the sport after a forced layoff. Has a lower gear and an enhanced top gear when you crack it. Make no mistakes, it wont be an OFF+ juggernaut, but you land shot after shot with pressure.

I have been using the LISSOM a lot lately and like the prototype version of M+ on my FH and my old-school stand by rubber XP 2008 on BH. I get along just fine, even if the weight is 206 grams.

You need to change your signature if you are no longer using the equipment that you used to. White ash (which I think is the outer ply of KJH) is harder than what I typically use, but I am adapting. For the first time in forever, I went to the club with one blade in my bag. It is KJH, R47 forehand, Karis M BH. If I play the tournament this weekend with it, I lose my bet so I hope I can find a Karis setup that works (like the one in my signature).

 

[Makelele]

NL, you won't escape from writing in the future your comparison between R47, the Karis and MX-S, right? My backhand is looking forward to it.

 

[NextLevel]

NL, you won't escape from writing in the future your comparison between R47, the Karis and MX-S, right? My backhand is looking forward to it.

MX-S is a great rubber if you don't topspin with your backhand. It is pretty hard to get arc with typical backhand strokes.

R47 is like a more advanced Rhyzm. Extremely grippy topsheet. I have not used it on my backhand so I cannot say for sure how it plays there. But for my forehand, it works really well as I can put the ball on a dime with very fast swings. Hard topsheet so it doesn't have easy spin and speed. But It is a bit spin reactive.

Karis is the most controllable, linear, understandable rubber in the universe.

 

[Makelele]

MX-S is a great rubber if you don't topspin with your backhand. It is pretty hard to get arc with typical backhand strokes.

R47 is like a more advanced Rhyzm. Extremely grippy topsheet. I have not used it on my backhand so I cannot say for sure how it plays there. But for my forehand, it works really well as I can put the ball on a dime with very fast swings. Hard topsheet so it doesn't have easy spin and speed. But It is a bit spin reactive.

Karis is the most controllable, linear, understandable rubber in the universe.

Oh, I have a very different experience with MX-S in my backhand. It changed my confidence for better with the topspin stroke. It has a low throw. The thing that I hate with the Evolution series is that they noticeably shrink when you change them to another blade. So when I experimented with different blades with the MX-S or MX-P, it was like putting cotton in a washing machine.

 

[Makelele]

Sorry for the novel, guys, but to whom it may concern...

I was totally frustrated last weekend, 'cause due to a chain of bad luck i couldn't make it to the WTTC.
I was really looking forward in having a meetup with Dan, or maybe see Matt in real life and also meet Baal there but unfortunately i had some kind a leak in my car and it was loosing oil rapidly which i had to find out just on the night before i wanted to drive to the WTTC which is about 250km from where i stay, so absolutely impossible driving there before this was fixed.
So i took it to the garage the next morning, but unluckily they had to order that part and it wouldn't be there before Friday eve.
This was on thursday morning. So i changed my plans and was hoping to maybe at least see Dan ,(since i knew already from Baal that he wouldn't be there on the weekend) and wanted to drive there either saturday or sunday and asked in different FB groups if someone still had a ticket to sell for sunday, since i had to cancel saturday. And i even found someone trustable (works for a Butterfly store and is also a coach for advanced kids) that was willing to sell his ticket to me, but then i had to cancel that again, because meanwhile the garage called that the wrong part came and my car wouldn't be fixed before Tuesday morning.

But Baal told me that he would be around the corner from where i stay the night before his flight goes back to the states.
So then i tried to find a club near us where we could play a little, but all clubs in my area and that i was cool with the guys there, weren't open on that evening. But then the bad luck turned into good luck and i found a gym in Frankfurt where we could rent a table for two hours with the option for another hour. Meanwhile the garage called that my car was repaired now and i was totally lucky to find the leak before i drove up to Düsseldorf 'cause that would've killed the motor.
Just out of the blue i then had an idea and called the janitor of our club if i could play at our club and he told me that I got lucky 'cause usually wednesday is already booked out by different sections of our club but one group cancelled their practice 'cause their season is over and we could play there which was much better cause we didn't have to keep the time in mind. So then Baal, my friend David who also stays in Houston and me ended up playing there (well maybe 50% playing 50% talking which still was totally fine for me)
Our time was a bit short (only 2.5 hours cause i came home late from work) but i had a total blast.

Unfortunately i was so hyped up i totally forgot to take pics. Sorry guys.

(@NL: i know if there's no cam it didn't happen. But still it somehow did I'll promise next time to not lose my cool and think of pics or a vid. PROMISE)

@Baal:
Thanks a lot for spending time. Even though it was short i enjoyed every second to the fullest.
You play really good. It really was so refreshing playing with you. Great counterlooping off the bounce. I really like that. No one in our league plays like that.
Hope to repeat this as soon as possible. No matter where.

I somehow really feel blessed.

Wow, what a nice meeting! If I could have arranged some things with more time, I would have travelled to watch the WTTC and be able to appreciate Baal counterlooping off the bounce talent haha!
Next time may be...

 

[NextLevel]

Oh, I have a very different experience with MX-S in my backhand. It changed my confidence for better with the topspin stroke. It has a low throw. The thing that I hate with the Evolution series is that they noticeably shrink when you change them to another blade. So when I experimented with different blades with the MX-S or MX-P, it was like putting cotton in a washing machine.

Good for you, I used it for 4 months and I have an extremely powerful backhand but after a while, I gave up on it. MX-S actually has a high throw when you swing hard, the problem is that you need to swing really hard to activate the throw and that almost destroyed me. I could not chiquita with it and get the kind of spin I was looking for. So I moved on.

 

[Der_Echte]

You need to change your signature if you are no longer using the equipment that you used to. White ash (which I think is the outer ply of KJH) is harder than what I typically use, but I am adapting. For the first time in forever, I went to the club with one blade in my bag. It is KJH, R47 forehand, Karis M BH. If I play the tournament this weekend with it, I lose my bet so I hope I can find a Karis setup that works (like the one in my signature).

Haha, I intend to use KJH as my main blade. I though I was coughing up my last KJH to Carl, but I found another 2 in a box in my trunk from when I moved to California I must have forgotten or my trunk swallowed... I sweat so much that I destroy my main blade once a year, this one lasted longer than a year. I always fall back on LISSOM, then get back to main blade once I get another one.

Too much trouble to update that 2x a year. I will be playing KJH in jiff time once I clear it with the CEO to use new rubbers at no cost, prolly gunna hafta owe him some push-ups.

 

[Der_Echte]

Even so, I have 3 Lissoms new in box with me... and a few are upper 80s weight. I might use one of those... if I do at that point I will update sig.

Prototype of M+ on LISSOM is insane top end for such a slow blade, plus I get all the counter-looping fun Kris gives.

NL wouldn't use an ALL+ good feeling blade as main blade... too slow.... or is it?

 

[NextLevel]

Even so, I have 3 Lissoms new in box with me... and a few are upper 80s weight. I might use one of those... if I do at that point I will update sig.

Prototype of M+ on LISSOM is insane top end for such a slow blade, plus I get all the counter-looping fun Kris gives.

NL wouldn't use an ALL+ good feeling blade as main blade... too slow.... or is it?

With Rasanter, who knows ...

With Karis M, never. M+ is a good rubber, just not as much fun.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

another session at my club today.

first i spent quite some time with a semi-beginner, and coached him a bit.
Then i started doing matches with a lot of different opponents

#1 beat easily this semi-beginner

#2 the usual PH blocker with LP. I've never beaten him though the trend is that i'm getting closer and closer to him. Today i played well, (yes I was tchoooing a lot) not disappointed with my level, but he beat me in straight sets 3-0. I lacked an extra bit of luck , and an extra bit of focus, because i did just enough mistakes every set on his LP to lose it. He enjoyed the match and asked for an extra 4th set, but that was the one I should have refused to play, and he beat me hard this last one.

#3 a modern defender with half long pips on BH. Last 2 encounters were 3-0 for me, then 1-3 for him. Today, he played much better than last 2 times, he scored a lot of points attacking (flat hits) with his pips, without any mistakes. I played rather well, but my serves lacked that extra bit of quality which would have been necessary to beat him. Result, 0-3 defeat for me with heavy scores. But i think he deserved it, he played really very well today.

#4 an attacker SH with SP on BH. he won the 1st set -7. looked dire for me, but i started playing much better, once i got used to his SP. He was changing the pace (slowing the ball) with it, to force errors, but I got used to it. He wasn't able to use his pips to make agressive push or blocks along the line, which is the thing stronger SP players do to me. I won 5 6 5 the 3 other sets for my best match of the day. I managed to dominate the BH diagonal, and i scored many many points blocking along the line with my BH. With my FH, i could attack with spin his BH side or strongly his FH side. He beat me 3-2 last time in a match I felt i should have won, so it was a good win for me.

#5 a beginner in a best of 3. easy win

#6 my usual partner, 2 levels above me, blocker with SP on BH. very consistent guy. I had almost never beaten him in 2 years, although i had my first real good win against him 1 month ago. This time, best of 3. i play quite good, I have a good lead in the 1st set but i miss a long serve and lose my focus, to lose it. 2nd set, he has a wide lead, 3-7 but I don't give up, stay all pumped up and come back from behind to win it. In the 3rd set, I'm ahead from the start and close it 11-9

He was not at his best today, but I was really agressive and played very well too, and that was a deserved upset, and a very good win for me.

#7 a teenager that I've never beaten, in a best of 3. In the first set, i destroyed him 11-3, I never beat him in a set so bad. I played really excellent TT. However, in the next 2 sets, he played cleverly with a lot of pace change and serving very well. In the 3rd set, it was 5-5 but at 5-6 he gets a rather lucky point. He's a PH. He wanted to make a (difficult) BH flick on a short ball in the middle of a rally but somehow it ended as a long flat push which surprised me and ended deep on the line. From there, i lost it mentally.

#8 another teenager, in a best of 3. perhaps stronger than the previous one. I've beaten him sometimes in the past, but today, he was really good, very consistent, no mistakes, and I had trouble with his serves. I was also getting tired and it was not my best performance of the day, and it was a 0-2 wide defeat.

All in all, even there was a lot of defeats, I'm happy with my overall level. I lost many matches, but to stronger opponents. and the main reason I lost was serve/receive. At times I could not receive well, it becomes difficult. Sometimes i served very well, but sometimes when under pressure, or tired, the quality of serves went down. Also; when i'm a bit slow after the serve to get ready for the next ball i start missing.

Being more consistent with my serve in all circumstances + be ready to play a 3rd ball anywhere thats where i need to improve most. All the more that i'm mostly serving long these days.

 

[Baal]

If Baal has an auto, you should have him take A66 until it runs out into B42 just west of Wiesbaden. Take B42 all the way to Koblenz. So many sights to see on that road following the Rhein... Then come back down B9 to Bingen.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

I hadn't seen this post but on my way from Koeln to Frankfurt, that is more or less how I went. Stopped in Koblenz for lunch. My rental car was garbage and not much fun on the autobahn so that was better for lots of reasons. Had spent the weekend previously in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Leiden.

Was tempted to stop by Soulspin in Neuwied but didn't have internet on my phone.

I still wonder why I disliked Rasanter R47 so much. It felt linear but somewhat dead and it was really an instant horror for me. I was expecting it to be significantly faster, and maybe I would have liked V47 better. At $30 per sheet, not too big a loss and maybe my friend will like them. But now I wonder if my Karis M has actually gotten faster with use over time? (Bear in mind I use a reasonably fast composite blade). Amazingly, I am still using the same Karis M sheets I glued on in January and as far as I can tell the performance is the same as ever. When Suga had a hit with my setup he did not find it slow, but a good chance that was more the blade than the rubber.

I don't anticipate any equipment changes any time soon.

 

[NextLevel]

I hadn't seen this post but on my way from Koeln to Frankfurt, that is more or less how I went. Stopped in Koblenz for lunch. My rental car was garbage and not much fun on the autobahn so that was better for lots of reasons. Had spent the weekend previously in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Leiden.

Was tempted to stop by Soulspin in Neuwied but didn't have internet on my phone.

I still wonder why I disliked Rasanter R47 so much. It felt linear but somewhat dead and it was really an instant horror for me. I was expecting it to be significantly faster, and maybe I would have liked V47 better. At $30 per sheet, not too big a loss and maybe my friend will like them. But now I wonder if my Karis M has actually gotten faster with use over time? (Bear in mind I use a reasonably fast composite blade). Amazingly, I am still using the same Karis M sheets I glued on in January and as far as I can tell the performance is the same as ever. When Suga had a hit with my setup he did not find it slow, but a good chance that was more the blade than the rubber.

I don't anticipate any equipment changes any time soon.

Keep using those sheets. I made the mistake of changing mine and as much as I like my new sheets, I have to break them in to get the feel of the old ones. I will never change my current sheets until they die.

I suspect R42 is what will be most like Karis, BTW. R47 is a bit of work but I really like the spin on good shots.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Last night, played/hit 3 hrs - 90+ degrees heat ... hydrated a lot and also took ~30 mins break

Played MB - first match of night for me, not warmed up properly, hard to warm up with him for me as he has anti on his BH and he is lefty ... we have fun trash talking each other, never beaten him ... but he thinks one day i will... i don't care if i beat him, but if i do, it shows me i'm getting consistency which i lack ... last week lost 3-2 and 3-0, last night -6,-8,-6 ... i normally don't trash talk my partners (except my old TT crew) ... with MB, we both trash talk for the fun of it ... i didn't play him much back in the 80's, but he recalled me when i started playing again from a chess tournament of all places lol ... since my 'unretirement', i always have fun playing/chatting with him.

Hit with a gentleman next, steady partner ... i'm still getting used to the American Hinoki with 2 Tenergy 80-FX. Perhaps my 5th time hitting/playing with him, the past 2-3 times, we just hit, no match ... warmup FH to FH, then BH to BH, then push, then 3rd ball attacks, etc ... good training with him! My touch with the Tenergy on pushing is not there yet... ball bounces high, too high on my pushing game.

Past few weeks, I've been too self-conscious of my 'flying elbow' on FH smashes or FH loops ... and when i don't flow and am too self-conscious, i have jedi mind tricked myself and consistently miss my fh strokes/loops.

Hit with P. next... we just trained. Good steady partner. With him, I'm confident to switch to SH ... still working my BH... M2 sees me hit and advises me yet again to switch to SH ... during practice, steady enough BH ... may or may not be 'correct' but for me as a PH playing SH and learning the tensor rubber, my SH BH strokes are 'landing in' ... switch periodically to RPB and slowly getting it ... soon will hit SH FH more

DIGRESSION: chatted with W. last week, he's a PH who is 3 levels above me. He is also recently learning the RPB loop. He has an excellent punch as well as having a true PH BH smash! He is learning the RPB loop as it gives him a way to deal with low downspin balls. His advice to 'getting the RPB' - give up the oldschool PH BH block/punch.

Hit with a lady, she's learning SH downspin serves ... i just returned and pushed to help her game.

So wiped out afterwards, about to leave, but B. says are you playing? I thought I would be playing B. Ends up he lost to the SH BH LP player i've played with 2 or 3x before, losing all matches, although 2nd match despite losing first game at 1, i served rocket serves and sidetop to him and got many 3rd ball smashes in and had decent games vs him despite losing ... since then, forgot the 'LP formula' when playing him LOL at my old man memory. Lost 3 straight, we both were tired, and i thanked him for his time.

Going back on Thurs... hope the 2 days off will clear my head of my own jedi mind tricks LOL

 

[Baal]

Yep. I have an intuitive feeling that I zhould not chsnge the sheets until it is absolutely essential.

 

[Der_Echte]

I gave away my Karis M that had 500 hrs and it was still performing for me.

 

[ttplace]

awesome

 

[Suga D]

Wow, what a nice meeting! If I could have arranged some things with more time, I would have travelled to watch the WTTC and be able to appreciate Baal counterlooping off the bounce talent haha!
Next time may be...

No worries. Next time we gonna make it happen. You're very welcome to join in.
Don't hesitate to send a pm whenever you're in the area.

I hadn't seen this post but on my way from Koeln to Frankfurt, that is more or less how I went. Stopped in Koblenz for lunch. My rental car was garbage and not much fun on the autobahn so that was better for lots of reasons. Had spent the weekend previously in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Leiden.

Was tempted to stop by Soulspin in Neuwied but didn't have internet on my phone.

I still wonder why I disliked Rasanter R47 so much. It felt linear but somewhat dead and it was really an instant horror for me. I was expecting it to be significantly faster, and maybe I would have liked V47 better. At $30 per sheet, not too big a loss and maybe my friend will like them. But now I wonder if my Karis M has actually gotten faster with use over time? (Bear in mind I use a reasonably fast composite blade). Amazingly, I am still using the same Karis M sheets I glued on in January and as far as I can tell the performance is the same as ever. When Suga had a hit with my setup he did not find it slow, but a good chance that was more the blade than the rubber.

I don't anticipate any equipment changes any time soon.

Absolutely. That setup ist far from being slow'ish.
Man, you're blade really felt nice. What a blessing it was to hit with it for a few.

Actually i've been moving away from composite blades, since i've touched my Nittaku Killton (3ply Hinoki all wood blade) and is one of the reasons why i hardly tested my Darker 5P2A Carbon blade.
But i must say your Viscaria really has an amazing feeling.
[Emoji106]

 

[ttmonster]

Viscaria always has the nice crisp feeling , and I have always been tempted to buy one. The only reason I stayed away from it was because I felt that the large sweet spot it comes with might hinder my development ... once I do my POC with my provincial hurricane on my Long V , I might consider getting a new setup with Viscaria, Hurrican 3/8 and T05 , as the ultimate weapon . Baal , you might get in a few weeks to check if you have any Black tag viscaria to sell

No worries. Next time we gonna make it happen. You're very welcome to join in.
Don't hesitate to send a pm whenever you're in the area.



Absolutely. That setup ist far from being slow'ish.
Man, you're blade really felt nice. What a blessing it was to hit with it for a few.

Actually i've been moving away from composite blades, since i've touched my Nittaku Killton (3ply Hinoki all wood blade) and is one of the reasons why i hardly tested my Darker 5P2A Carbon blade.
But i must say your Viscaria really has an amazing feeling.
[Emoji106]

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

I was at the sports center again yesterday. I never saw it that crowded on a Thursday with many new faces.
This sports center is getting way too popular. Also, maybe recent World Championships and Japan Open has given some new PR and a new boost to our sport here ?

This time i didn't have chance to play with strong players, i just had some light practice, i had to rotate quickly with my mates, and thus I could never really get to my best condition. We played some sets, I just dropped one out of boredom among more than 15 played. But its useful practice as well. Its important to find the right tuning to be able to beat these players while still maintaining some good quality to win easily and (in the case of the tournament) use that game to be ready for the next ones.

What i notice is (what probably stronger players notice when playing with me), they might do a few good shots, sometimes even a mini-series of good points but they think they must kill every ball, and make too many mistakes - or get exposed to a simple block - , and they collapse mentally easily. Also they're giving away too many points in serve receive, and want too much to win.

In training recently, my mentality has changed from : "i must always win, whatever" to : "i always should play the right way.". in the 1st case, i mean things like changing often/too much tactics according to the opponent's style; or taking too much risk. That way, I could grab a very good and stylish win once in a while, but the next week, it would be business as usual...

Playing the right way may be accepting to lose 3-11, but in the long run thats how to improve. "right way" in this context = try to impose one's style, patterns, or tactics.

 

[Archosaurus]

@Takkyu_wa_inochi

I understand your thought, but isn't that too theoretical and rooted in absolutes? No two people play the absolute exact same way with the same shot placement, quality and habits and whatnot, so why do you think you should play the exact same against everyone?

Say they keep serving no-spin to you, and you flick it because it's no-spin. They loop your weak flick and keep blasting the ball past you. Why is is bad to mix it up and not play into the opponents' game just because you're "supposed to" flick that kind of ball?