Going to the dark side......

[Pricey 11]

Hello All,

I am an offensive spin oriented penholder however I want to add some more variety to my game so I have purchased a couple sheets of Joola Octopus to use as a serve, return and push option if I need to use it.

As I have never used LP's before does anyone have any tips into keeping the ball low when pushing and to make the most of them when using a penhold grip or even if it is the same action as a shake hand grip?

Many Thanks

 

[Pnachtwey]

Hello All,

I am an offensive spin oriented penholder however I want to add some more variety to my game so I have purchased a couple sheets of Joola Octopus to use as a serve, return and push option if I need to use it.

I assume you are using the LP on the back side and that it is 0X. I haven't played with Octopus and have no idea how frictionless it is.

As I have never used LP's before does anyone have any tips into keeping the ball low when pushing and to make the most of them when using a penhold grip or even if it is the same action as a shake hand grip?

BTW, I have GD Talon 0X on a Firewall Plus. I block until I get a high ball then either use my FH or twiddle to put the ball away.


Many Thanks

If the LP is close to frictionless you can aggressively block back spin balls. The opponent's back spin becomes your top spin and that keeps the ball on the table. How aggressive you can block these balls depends on how much back spin you receive. The more back spin the more aggressive you can be because the ball will return with more top spin. Weird.

A common mistake is to open the paddle too much or push when hitting a back spin ball so the ball goes too high. Block under spin, don't push.

How much friction the LP 0X provides depends on how you hit the ball. A sharp short contact will not change the spin on the ball much. A slow downward pushing motion will sometimes grab the ball and send it into the net.

Think in terms of complementary energy. If the opponent hits the ball hard you can passively block and still get the ball over but if you don't punch block a slow ball it may not get over the net.

Keep the pace up. One of my practice partners had 388D 0.6mm and Grass D-Tecs 0.6mm on his c-pens. If he just bounced the ball back without pace or placement I could loop these balls back easily. My practice partner now uses S2 for his RPB and that is much more effective.