Daily Table Tennis Chit Chat

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Your coach could have been Brett Clarke advertising the benefits of straight arm forehand over bent arm forehand.

one of my problems is that i don't have ONE coach, but i take lessons from different ones, depending on their availability (and mine), even if i now favour one. So sometimes i have contradictory messages, or rather, each insist on something different.

I'm not good enough to be at the stage of seeking the "perfect" drive swing technique. I have much bigger problems to solve. My FH is relatively good (for my level) in rallies against topspin / block / flat balls. But against backspin its not at the same level. Thats my problem to solve.

And the observation that i'm losing my balance forward and keep being on the same right foot, I think is key. They / I should have found it earlier, but yeh my swing is going too much forward. I'm also too close from the ball. Because in rallies I like to try to hit the ball early with a shorter stroke, thats my style. But I can't /shouldn't play all balls like this.

But i've not adapted my positioning and form when playing against backspin... Well, not exactly, i've tried with some success to take the ball later and more on my side, giving me more space and a more comfortable timing, but the swing was too random and my right foot looking too much at 3 o'clock as well.

Basically i have to try anything until i find something which works out well for me.

 

[NextLevel]

one of my problems is that i don't have ONE coach, but i take lessons from different ones, depending on their availability (and mine), even if i now favour one. So sometimes i have contradictory messages, or rather, each insist on something different.

I'm not good enough to be at the stage of seeking the "perfect" drive swing technique. I have much bigger problems to solve. My FH is relatively good (for my level) in rallies against topspin / block / flat balls. But against backspin its not at the same level. Thats my problem to solve.

And the observation that i'm losing my balance forward and keep being on the same right foot, I think is key. They / I should have found it earlier, but yeh my swing is going too much forward. I'm also too close from the ball. Because in rallies I like to try to hit the ball early with a shorter stroke, thats my style. But I can't /shouldn't play all balls like this.

But i've not adapted my positioning and form when playing against backspin... Well, not exactly, i've tried with some success to take the ball later and more on my side, giving me more space and a more comfortable timing, but the swing was too random and my right foot looking too much at 3 o'clock as well.

Basically i have to try anything until i find something which works out well for me.

Straighten your am for backspin and point it downwards. That should be enough for your topspin stroke to work against backspin. Think helicopter.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

suds,

any videos?

CCers,

Been busy with real life and haven't played TT nor been on TTD.

I am sure i lost whatever i gained in trying to get used to RPB, in SH strokes as well as touch/feeling on the Tenergy as it's super bouncy for me. Will see if i can play at least 1 night next week.

----------

May all the net and edge balls go your way!

 

[ttmonster]

I think you should try Karis M instead of tenergy , I believe you will like it ...

Been busy with real life and haven't played TT nor been on TTD.

I am sure i lost whatever i gained in trying to get used to RPB, in SH strokes as well as touch/feeling on the Tenergy as it's super bouncy for me. Will see if i can play at least 1 night next week.

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Hello ttmonster,

I think you should try Karis M instead of tenergy , I believe you will like it ...

The Tenergy's came with the blade ... they are not dead yet, and NL mentioned the Tenergy can last a few years!

I don't want to change rubbers/blade just yet ... when i get some consistency in RPB (which may take a loooong time lol), i may try the Karis M on the Nexy Amazon blade and put MX-P on the back. I think i'm used to the MX-P ... more controllable for me than the Tenergy. Bouncier than the chinese rubbers i used to use, but not as bouncy as the Tenergy.

Thank you ttmonster!

 

[ttmonster]

I know its a lot of money to change rubbers , but so far I have been playing with Karis M and I am really impressed with the linearity in the rubbers. Karis H is a different proposition . Both MX P and Tenergy have catapult effect due to which its difficult to play the short game and sometimes they both have "autoplay" features where the ball goes into the table even when you have not done the right thing , plus both of them weigh more ... since you are trying to build technique both for your RPB and for your SH it might be worthwhile switching to any rubber which gives you true feedback instead of jacking up the speed when you don't want it to ... I am getting some boosters from table tennis 11 to boost H3 for my forehand , will let you know how that works out ... but if I were you I would put Karis M on both sides of the Nexy Amazon blade ...

Hello ttmonster,



The Tenergy's came with the blade ... they are not dead yet, and NL mentioned the Tenergy can last a few years!

I don't want to change rubbers/blade just yet ... when i get some consistency in RPB (which may take a loooong time lol), i may try the Karis M on the Nexy Amazon blade and put MX-P on the back. I think i'm used to the MX-P ... more controllable for me than the Tenergy. Bouncier than the chinese rubbers i used to use, but not as bouncy as the Tenergy.

Thank you ttmonster!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

Interesting!! For now I will continue to use the American Hinoki/Tenergy's... but i may go back to the Amazon sooner than later and slap on 2 Karis-M based on your advice!

I know its a lot of money to change rubbers , but so far I have been playing with Karis M and I am really impressed with the linearity in the rubbers. Karis H is a different proposition . Both MX P and Tenergy have catapult effect due to which its difficult to play the short game and sometimes they both have "autoplay" features where the ball goes into the table even when you have not done the right thing , plus both of them weigh more ... since you are trying to build technique both for your RPB and for your SH it might be worthwhile switching to any rubber which gives you true feedback instead of jacking up the speed when you don't want it to ... I am getting some boosters from table tennis 11 to boost H3 for my forehand , will let you know how that works out ... but if I were you I would put Karis M on both sides of the Nexy Amazon blade ...

That is a great way to describe what i feel when i use the Tenergy... i insist all along that it's not me it's the rubber! Thank you again ttmonster!

 

[ttmonster]

Der_Echte is supposed to visit New York some time soon , see if you can get hold of him/Carl , he might have a few used sheets ready for you to try . I think he was supposed to do some clinics there ... may be at 42 and backpains club or somewhere else , not entirely sure ...

Interesting!! For now I will continue to use the American Hinoki/Tenergy's... but i may go back to the Amazon sooner than later and slap on 2 Karis-M based on your advice!



That is a great way to describe what i feel when i use the Tenergy... i insist all along that it's not me it's the rubber! Thank you again ttmonster!

 

[ttplace]

very good

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

played a tournament today with an (American) friend many categories, from kids to more than 70yo, doubles, ladies, mens etc...
32 tables...

normally players gather at 9am, then its warmup time, 12 persons per table (or more !) and doubles begin. but I didn't want to play doubles so i was told to come at 12. Actually i played my first match at 15:30 and my friend at 17:00 !!! only 3 balls before the match starts.

I was in the 40-49 yo category (34 entrants). in the first round, I thought i was "lucky" not to face any of the 4 seeds but I quickly realized that my opponent could have been seeded given his level. He was playing a bit like JOO Saehyuk, defense with LP on BH, fast FH attacks. He had also very good serves, spinny and long, and mixing spin and placement... and was very consistent....

The challenge was too big for me, and tbh i played well BELOW my usual level, I am a slow starter and couldn't find my rhythm, any feeling to the ball, serve was disastrous, my FH was making too many mistakes, and i didn't attack once with my BH. also i was not able to keep my body low throughout all the match. I also was behind from the start in every set, and i could feel the extra pressure. mentally too i was weak.

0-3 a straight 1st round exit, -6 -6 -6, a horrible performance. I played like a beginner, like it was my 1st tournament... Even if i played my usual level, 0-3 could have been the ordeal but at least there would have been a real match, and I believe I would even had a non-zero chance (10%-25% ?) of winning I believe agains this type of player. The guy was very good, I saw him play his next match against a guy who was giving him a better match, and his defense even far from the table was very consistent, low and full of backspin while his attacks were powerful and touchgame very good. Still I should do (much) better, because in training i'm doing much better than that.

Very frustrating. For my friend as well, he was exempt from the 1st round because of an arithmetic problem with the number of entrants... and lost his first match 1-3 although he had a chance in his match.

I wonder; should I give up about participating in such tournaments ?
i'm a slow starter. its the same for my opponent (although he might have played doubles ?), but as for me, I need more time at the table before i start to feel the ball and play my level. If my level was better, the chances of having an easier first round would increase, and i could use this first match as a warm-up match.

Or perhaps i should at every training session, do like in tournaments, just warm up 5-10minutes with stretching, rope jump , shadow training or whatever and immediately do 1 match... and only then drilling again .... and then matches...
???

Alas its not a total surprise, in the last 2 weeks, i could feel I wasn't playing very well and today the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Michal_Z]

Guys if you get time and want to see some epic attack vs. defense matches, check out the Challenger series topic, I uploaded there some great matches

Btw.. - what do you think of the new abs poly balls?

I like them a lot, I got GEWO *** SLP balls and I like them.

But - it seems like I am the only one in the club to like them..

How about you?

 

[42andbackpains]

I took my usual Saturday lesson and was whipped after 1.5 hrs, normally i take a 2 hours lesson. I woke up 3 days continuously to do some errands and that really took a toll on my energy this Saturday.

One of our USA Olympians (Jennifer Wu) came to practice at our club and she is a machine. She must have been playing at least 5 hours straight and was still practicing multiball when i left the club.

It was a strange day though, my back didn't tighten up too much after my lesson. So i decided to play some non serious matches to get some more exercise. Lost to a 1950 17 year old kid 3 straight but i can give him a good fight when i am feeling good. Then lost to a 1700 to 1800 guy 3-2. The 1700 Guy was trying anti rubber on his backhand and he was giving me some issues, I was up in a lot of the games and was oversmashing the no spin anti hits. I will get him next time. Woke up Sunday morning and my back was ok and not too tight. But my scalpula tendinitis was a little tender but in all i am feeling pretty good. Hopefully my back keeps improving.

 

[yoass]

As some of you may now, I've been looking to get back in touch with my FH side after a bout with a neck injury. So here's a little vid of an old geezer fed balls by and moving like a robot:

The goal of this little excercise was to focus on breathing while varying spin, speed and placement. I think the focus on breathing helped.

(edit: not sure why the vimeo.com/223040059 link doesn't work in my browser, it gets picked up and translated to become bee bee code and works on tapatalk...)

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I can actually post in this thread again. I played 2 days in a row. Playing definitely makes me happy. Yesterday I did serve and receive with a friend for about 90 min. Today I just hit with my sister's robot and practiced serves. But it still was fun.

It is nice to feel that 4 months only playing 2 times and one of them was for 10 min, and most of the skills are really still there.

But to me, the most important thing is that, it was sooooo fun to play a little.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

 

[yoass]

it was sooooo fun to play a little.

Amen to that!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

A

I wonder; should I give up about participating in such tournaments ?
i'm a slow starter. its the same for my opponent (although he might have played doubles ?), but as for me, I need more time at the table before i start to feel the ball and play my level. If my level was better, the chances of having an easier first round would increase, and i could use this first match as a warm-up match.

Or perhaps i should at every training session, do like in tournaments, just warm up 5-10minutes with stretching, rope jump , shadow training or whatever and immediately do 1 match... and only then drilling again .... and then matches...
???

Sorry to hear Sir on the first round exit.

Ages ago, my friends and i don't like playing tournaments due to the long waits between matches and short warmup time once we are scheduled to play.

I'm In-Yo/Yin-Yang about this situation ... money/time-wise, the logical mind says to stop participating in these types of tournaments as it's the not the most efficient use of your money/time. But the "heart" mind says to continually challenge oneself ... do what one hates the most in order to overcome the hate ...

With that said, doctor heed thy own advice ... try what you thought up: shadowing, jump rope, etc between matches to get used to the playing conditions of that type of tournament to practice. See if it works for you by going to a tournmanet. Try it not once, but 3x or so so that you may make an informed decision.

My vote is leaning towards the logical mind ... with the entry fees etc use it towards a coaching lesson ... you would have maximized your time for your money as you know the coach will be working one-on-one with you. There will be little to no 'down-time' as opposed to sitting at a tournament cold and waiting for your turn to warm up 5 mins or less.

As a side note, despite being warm or cold, playing a partner one thinks they have no chance whatsoever, or at least will lose 99 out of 100 times ... it's truly liberating! Like the Samurai of old, one has accepted 'defeat' (in the case of the Samurai, defeat usually is Death)... this liberated the Samurai to "not worry over the things that will slow him down" resulting in quicker actions etc.

"Once there is doubt, there is no doubt."
~Robert DeNiro as Sam in "Ronin"

Accepting defeat allows one to get rid of doubt ... just flow, enjoy, play, and learn.

On some level, your subsconcious knows all of this ... but hoping my post helped you dig it out of your subconsciousness and help your play and decision to continue participating in these types of tournaments!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

I took my usual Saturday lesson and was whipped after 1.5 hrs, normally i take a 2 hours lesson. I woke up 3 days continuously to do some errands and that really took a toll on my energy this Saturday.

Yeah, real life/errands happened last week... missed playing ... last 2 nights was busy with real life. Not feeling 100% but will go to the club tonight and see how it goes.

One of our USA Olympians (Jennifer Wu) came to practice at our club and she is a machine. She must have been playing at least 5 hours straight and was still practicing multiball when i left the club.

It was a strange day though, my back didn't tighten up too much after my lesson. So i decided to play some non serious matches to get some more exercise. Lost to a 1950 17 year old kid 3 straight but i can give him a good fight when i am feeling good. Then lost to a 1700 to 1800 guy 3-2. The 1700 Guy was trying anti rubber on his backhand and he was giving me some issues, I was up in a lot of the games and was oversmashing the no spin anti hits. I will get him next time. Woke up Sunday morning and my back was ok and not too tight. But my scalpula tendinitis was a little tender but in all i am feeling pretty good. Hopefully my back keeps improving.

Glad to hear you are feeling pretty good!

*contemplates asking for 9 points and but it may 'too soon'*

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

As some of you may now, I've been looking to get back in touch with my FH side after a bout with a neck injury. So here's a little vid of an old geezer fed balls by and moving like a robot:

The goal of this little exercise was to focus on breathing while varying spin, speed and placement. I think the focus on breathing helped.

(edit: not sure why the vimeo.com/223040059 link doesn't work in my browser, it gets picked up and translated to become bee bee code and works on tapatalk...)

Looking good Sir! Thank you for sharing!

 

[OldschoolPenholder]

I can actually post in this thread again. I played 2 days in a row. Playing definitely makes me happy. Yesterday I did serve and receive with a friend for about 90 min. Today I just hit with my sister's robot and practiced serves. But it still was fun.

It is nice to feel that 4 months only playing 2 times and one of them was for 10 min, and most of the skills are really still there.

But to me, the most important thing is that, it was sooooo fun to play a little.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

Carl, awesome news you got to play some TT!!

*contemplates asking for 9 points*

Too soon?

 

[ajtatosmano2]

As some of you may now, I've been looking to get back in touch with my FH side after a bout with a neck injury. So here's a little vid of an old geezer fed balls by and moving like a robot:

The goal of this little exercise was to focus on breathing while varying spin, speed and placement. I think the focus on breathing helped.

(edit: not sure why the vimeo.com/223040059 link doesn't work in my browser, it gets picked up and translated to become bee bee code and works on tapatalk...)

Hi,
hope you will get back your form soon. I noticed you like to hit the ball in the descending phase. Hitting the ball earlier might help in developing your technique.