Defensive blade with double inverted

[Tuppe]

Hi all. I’m table tennis player from Europe who is playing for +-20 years. Its hard to convert my rating to USATT but I’m pretty sure it’s above 2000.

My play style is pretty offensive, my game is centered around my serve and heavy spin. I mainly win points with my serve and third ball finishes. I try to loop every long ball. My weak points are my footwork and my forehand topspin when I’m put under pressure. With getting older, this problem gets worse. When an opponent is good enough to make me move and put pressure on my forehand, I’m in trouble.

At this moment I play a Donic waldner 89 blade with g1 on forehand and tenergy 05 fx on backhand.

I want to drastically slow down my game in order to give me more time to make my shots. I tried a setup from a defender who uses the Diode V with h3 neo on FH and long pips on BH. I liked the inverted side a lot. My serve was better and my conistency in all shots was better and it gave me more options. I could chop and push well and I could stil do heavy topspins or third ball finishes.

Because of this experience I’m thinking of buying a diode V and use h3neo 37 degrees on both sides. The only thing that makes me doubt is that such a setup is pretty uncommon. And probably there is a good reason for this. I just can’t see the reasons. Can you guys give me some insights in what I’m missing? What would be the main disadvantages of such a setup?

 

[lodro]

/revspin.net/blade/butterfly-diode-v.html
maybe reading the reviews here might give you some insights.

I often come back to a setup which i find very "comfortable" to play with, a TSP (Victas) Blockman II , H3 Neo37 on one side and a H3 -40-2.15 commercial on the other. Even though we are talking about a very defensive blade here, this setup gives great speed but also great blocking and pushing capabilities.

I think the setup you offer might work fine for you but you might be able to do it cheaper than using the Butterfly blade.

 

[Kolev]

If a setup is comfortable for your game why would you worry that it is uncommon? You also mentioned something about a footwork and age and I dont think there is a blade which will compensate for that. One should not forget that H3 can be very unforgiving when out of position
BTW around here there are quite a few very high level players who use different defensive woods and still cause lots of havoc to their opponents. Meanwhile I see players who take faster setups insisting that they need compensation due to age related problems.
So obviously the whole thing is very personal

 

[IB66]

Using a defensive or All- rating will help you control the speed of your shots.
I use a couple of blades made by SDC, 7+2 ply defensive blades, frequency about 965Hz, the carbon layers are there to try and increase the sweet spot size.
Other defensive blades I have are, Stiga Def Pro, Nittaku Resist 2, Tibhar Drinkhall Def (think this has been discontinted).
The Stiga Def pro is a good blade for all round and attacking play, it also has carbon layers. This is worth looking at as well as the Diode V.
SDC blades are made bespoke made (by Sergio), it’s worth contacting him and having a chat as he can tailor a blade that can meet your requirements.
Regarding rubbers, DHS H3 / H3 Neo, Friendship Battle 2 (various versions), DHS H8-80, Victas TDE, Xiom Tau 2, Yasaka Rakza Z / Z EH are all good options.
FH - H3/H3Neo 38 or possibly 39 degree sponge, Battle 2 38/39 degree sponge / Victas TDE / Rakza Z EH
BH - H3/H3 Neo, H8-80 37 degree, Tau 2, Rakza Z
A slightly harder sponge on FH MAY be better but if you liked the 37 degree version stick with it !!

 

[enoxzr]

I've got a teammate who is in a similar position as you are in.
Played 25/30 years ago on one of the highest local levels, came back to train about half a year a go and now returned to competition. He plays a game centered around placement and heavy spin.

Before his return to competition he played with his old bat from years ago and he went out and bought something that was similiar but more suited to the modern game and ball. He ended up with Butterfly Tackiness D 2.0 on his FH, Tackiness C 2.0 on his BH on a Donic ALL blade with carbon layers. I believe he played with Tackiness C before on both sides, with thinner sponges on an ALL blade without carbon.

I think before moving all the way down to a DEF blade, may try an allround blade (possibly with carbon) combined with controlled rubbers focused on spin. If you like the H3 Neo's pair two of them with an ALL blade and see if you like it, move from there!

 

[Ultravisitor]

You got to keep in mind the head size. Most defensive blade are made for Long Pips on one side. Double inverted can get really heavy on some blades.

Maybe just try your blade with hurricane 3. Mabye that gives you enough control already. If thats to fast try a blade inbetween that and an def blade, like enoxzr said.

 

[jammmail]

Agree with @Ultravisitor - chinese rubbers both sides of a def blade are going to get heavy quick!
Victas VS401 is what i would recommend - spinny made for chopping, sounds exactly what you are after!

 

[Lazer]

One of my training buddies plays exactly like this.
He is using a Yasaka Sweden Defensive with Mark V 1.5mm on both sides, and does this very efficiently.
Lower rating than You though...

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Tuppe]

Thanks for all the replies. They were all really helpful. I’m going to go forward with my plan and I’m going to give it a go. I believe the change in playstyle could give me some more fun and variation in the game. And it could help me to stay at a decent level, even as I get older and slower.

I’m going to start with putting the h3 neo’s on an old allround blade that I still have in my drawer from 15 years ago. Buying a brand new Diode is probably not necessary if I read your suggestions here.

 

[IB66]

Agree with @Ultravisitor - chinese rubbers both sides of a def blade are going to get heavy quick!
Victas VS401 is what i would recommend - spinny made for chopping, sounds exactly what you are after!

Regarding balance, go to Sergio!! My blades are std head size AND the handle is about 5-8mm longer than a standard handle. If heavy woods are used on the end of the handle, or weights added then the balance can be shifted into the handle so the head feels lighter.

 

[ejprinz]

I have the Yinhe 980XX 5-ply defensive blade, and the Victas Swat. Both have around 1150Hz, and a soft top layer wood. The Yinhe has the oversized head which is typical for defenders' blades. Because of this the blade is head heavy, while the Victas Swat is more balanced. I play both with H3 Neo 39degree f/h and 1mm sponge long pips b/h (e.g. Nittaku Wallest). I can play both of these blades in tournaments but I have to spend a couple of weeks just with one of them, the difference in balance and feeling is noticeable. I think I am playing better with the more balanced Victas Swat blade, but I could get used to the 980XX.
The tradeoff against faster blades is that even with not so good touch I get more spin with the slower blades, and better control.

 

[skibiditoilet]

Hi all. I’m table tennis player from Europe who is playing for +-20 years. Its hard to convert my rating to USATT but I’m pretty sure it’s above 2000.

My play style is pretty offensive, my game is centered around my serve and heavy spin. I mainly win points with my serve and third ball finishes. I try to loop every long ball. My weak points are my footwork and my forehand topspin when I’m put under pressure. With getting older, this problem gets worse. When an opponent is good enough to make me move and put pressure on my forehand, I’m in trouble.

At this moment I play a Donic waldner 89 blade with g1 on forehand and tenergy 05 fx on backhand.

I want to drastically slow down my game in order to give me more time to make my shots. I tried a setup from a defender who uses the Diode V with h3 neo on FH and long pips on BH. I liked the inverted side a lot. My serve was better and my conistency in all shots was better and it gave me more options. I could chop and push well and I could stil do heavy topspins or third ball finishes.

Because of this experience I’m thinking of buying a diode V and use h3neo 37 degrees on both sides. The only thing that makes me doubt is that such a setup is pretty uncommon. And probably there is a good reason for this. I just can’t see the reasons. Can you guys give me some insights in what I’m missing? What would be the main disadvantages of such a setup?

Going all the way down to a DEF blade may be too much especially for an attacking playstyle. I think that maybe all->off- would work well for you.

maybe something like the yasaka sweden extra or ma lin soft carbon. I don't know, but something not fast, but not DEF slow.

 

[ejprinz]

See this thread. I find it funny that the Victas Swat shows up as OFF blade on Megaspin.net and OFF- on TT11 while the Yinhe 980XX is (modern?) defender blade. Both have 1150 Hz. This would imply that the 980XX is a little harder than the Swat. Either way there is a noticeable difference to faster 7-ply blades like even the Yinhe U1 VB (1270Hz), or the Yinhe 437 (1399Hz). Control is better on the Swat or 980XX. Also the 980XX is more expensive on AliExpress ($ > Pro 01 or Pro 05) than the Swat on Megaspin ;-). Note that the Yinhe 980 is a different (cheaper) blade, with different woods. But also 1150Hz and similar weight to the 980XX, so that's a more cost-effective option.
Also I am playing with the flared handle on the 980XX, so I don't know the straight one.

 

[brokenball]

I have two Tony White Spot blades with anti on the BH and a slow rubber on the FH. This is very slow and will only work if you play close to the table or chop when away. It can block just about anything but likewise, it is hard to hit balls past the opponent. It takes a lot more effort. I think the Tony White Spot blade is made in Hungry for Joola.

Joola Toni Hold White spot - OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I saw an add for Toni Hold White Spot the other day. Does anybody have succes with this blade for chopping / blocking or does it only worh with Anti ?

ooakforum.com

JOOLA Toni Hold White Spot

JOOLA Toni Hold White Spot table tennis blade reviews and ratings on Revspin.net.

dev.revspin.net

Long ago Der Echte made a comment about playing with a Tony Hold White Spot with Reflectoid on the FH and Yasaka Anti Power on the BH. I made one up. It was soooo sloow. I think I still have it.