Is EJing good for improving?

[JJ Ng]

Going back to the original topic, I am not sure if EJ'ing is going to help improving. It depends on your perspective.

Just yesterday, I played doubles. I was using DHS Bo carbon with H3 on the forehand and G-1 on the backhand. I played fine. But with the harder carbon, I clearly could not get my serve as spinny as I usually get. I want to like DHS Bo carbon. It is not an expensive blade. And people compare that to a poor man's version of HL 5.

After my partner and I won the doubles match 3-2, I switched to my regular set up with Gambler carbon blade with H3 on the forehand and Rakza 7 soft on the backhand. Every game, I win extra two points on the service. My partner and I then won the next match (against the same doubles opponents) 3-0.

Each game only goes to 11 points. So if a softer carbon blade with better feel, I can win extra two points on my serves, that goes a long way.

So one can look at the situation and say, I should stick with DHS Bo carbon and practice my serves more, or it could be good for my game to allow the other oppoent gets more of my serves back on the table so I can practice third-ball attack. But frankly, no, at this stage of my life (and my skill development), I am on the quest to find the correct blade-rubber combination than to "perfect" certain skill sets of mine. In fact, I would argue with more feel using the Gambler carbon blade, I will progress faster and further on developing my backhand flip and my forehand loop away from the table, then keep on trying to make DHS Bo carbon work for me.

As of today, that DHS Bo carbon blade was stripped of its rubbers and those rubbers will be transferred to another blade.....

 

[OvrChkn]

When I think about EJing, I look at my bank account and think other wise.

I played a lot in college in our student lounge, got frustrated with cheap Academy Sports Goods paddles, so I did some research, and started with a cheap Yinhe blade, a H3 Neo, and Mercury 2. A few years later, I went with the Stratus Powerwood and the Mark V and Sriver rubbers for no true reason outside of getting new equipment.

Whenever I started back playing in 2021, I obsessed a lot about equipment, so I went all over the place. I quickly replaced my old Mark V and Sriver rubbers, with the Xiom Vega Europe and Rakza 7. After a few months, I was losing a lot, so it's obviously the equipment? Gave my blade away to one of the other players in the club.

Switched to the Sweden Extra, Vega Pro/Xiom Omega V. A few months later, same song and dance. Switched to Vega X/Rozena and then I came back to my original SPW + XVE/R7 combo at the start of the year.

In the end, I found that I just needed to replace my rubber with a new one when it was getting old.

What I did learn a lot from the experience was learning what different rubbers do and I take the different rubber/blade properties in consideration when doing practice matches. I'll probably experiment more because part of the fun of this sport is to learn more about yourself through your own testing and playing.

 

[ttmonster]

Not at all. I have found that the inability to tolerate disagreement as a form of constructive conflict can have dangerous side effects. Was reminded of it today in another context.

It is tolerable and constructive when the disagreement is in good faith NL. If the disagreement stems mainly from inability to comprehend/pay attention to semantics followed by over enthusiastic arguments from a biased position its a waste ... I refuse to wrestle .. etc.
Do you think it is a good use of my time to repeatedly explain the difference between "all pips players are lazy" and "some pips players are lazy" when i clearly paid attention to what I was writing in my first post and those who were reading were not ? ... or answer leading troll questions like "which backhand stroke" from a self confessed pips / anti player who thinks that all their problems in life stems from discrimination they face from using pips/anti and apparently is oblivious of which stroke on the BH an inverted player can make but a pips player cannot ? .. I respectfully disagree . Its one thing to take a good faith opposing position in an argument but it is quite another thing to keep carrying on arguing a position where its clearly based on assumptions and in the process encouraging the trolls to keep trolling.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Some how I feel you James Z. I too have been malignly labelled as non-spinner just because I flat hit for a winner on my strong side.

It would appear TTD forum has a snobbish / elitist attitude gravitating towards a two wing looping stylist.
What happened to we are one big happy family inclusivity?

 

[ttmonster]

Again you answer my question vis someone else but as a pips player I am too beneath you.
That is OK
Anyway you finally nswered my question.

Fine, we have two players. Player SS can loop on the backhand & so uses inverted.
But player B cannot & so uses anothe rubber that matches their playing style or turning their weakness into a weapon by using LP / anti.
How this is a problem now ?

My basic point is that the spooster supremacists have convinced themselves that two winged looping is the one & only way to play table tennis & everyone else is a nuisance.

This is how you got caught by saying "thet cannot play a backhand s stroke" because in yoru mind (2 winged) looping style is the one & only was to play table tennis & got caught exposing your beliefs without you evm knowing about it.

This also why hclnnkhg said: . If they don't want to improve ,

What hclnnkhg meant was that the only way to "improve" is to be a two winged looper.

So hclnnkhg and ttMonster's concept of being a table tennis player is only someone who can be a two winged looper. And if they cannot loop on their weakside (usually backhand) , they should keey trying to force the issue and still play tabletennis the right way, which is two winged looping

The sad part is tha you could apologize about the monumental stupidity of such narrow minded approachto the sport but instead you try to wiggle out of your way by first threatening to leave the group & then try to explain it away with sheer nonsensical explanations

And finally as far myself, I can loop on my backhand just as well as my forehand. But it is just that I can chop much better (in terms of consistency etc) on my backhand than loop on my backhand. (Obviously that is why I use long pips on my racket & twiddle to maximize my potential...........unless ttMonster woul like o make twiddling illegal LOl)

Of course both my backhand as well as my forehand loops suck equally bad & that is obviouly why I am not a pro but that is an entirely different issue altogether

There may be another similar player but one who can loop as well on their backhand but hit much better on their weakside & they should be using pips on weakside

There may be another similar player but one who can loop as well on their backhand but block much better on their weakside & they should be using pips on weakside

etc etc

Forget table tennis ... Have you considered improving your english comprehension skills ?
Hope this helps ...


apparently :

1. adverb
   from appearances alone
   “irrigation often produces bumper crops from apparently desert land”
   synonyms:on the face of it, ostensibly, seemingly

 

[ttmonster]

Thanks for addressing the table tennis issues.

Now I will move on to motion control & standard deviation
Then I will come back to being an English scholar

You have got the order wrong my friend ..start with trying to understand this kid ...

 

[ttmonster]

Feels good to expoae another spooster supremacist

Great job ! Kudos ...

 

[TackyForehand]

I feel like EJ'ing is inevitable. As one improves, he will hit the limitations of his equipment. At this point his level plateaus until he can find suitable equipment. Just as new technologies has changed the table tennis game over the years, new equipment breathes new life into the player. It is not the beginner or advanced players who frequently change their equipment, it is the intermediate players because they are often at the plateau between beginner/int and int/adv. Although changing too frequently is poisonous, but never changing isn't good either. At some point you will have to play with a new setup.

Having a good coach could help you through these troubling times. He could guide you to the right setup directly, saving you time and money. Some people remain ignorant about blade and rubbers from a beginner to an advanced player. Their road never had plateaus.

As some coach famously said "It is not which equipment is the best, but which equipment suits you best".

 

[hclnnkhg]

I feel like EJ'ing is inevitable. As one improves, he will hit the limitations of his equipment. At this point his level plateaus until he can find suitable equipment. Just as new technologies has changed the table tennis game over the years, new equipment breathes new life into the player. It is not the beginner or advanced players who frequently change their equipment, it is the intermediate players because they are often at the plateau between beginner/int and int/adv. Although changing too frequently is poisonous, but never changing isn't good either. At some point you will have to play with a new setup.

Having a good coach could help you through these troubling times. He could guide you to the right setup directly, saving you time and money. Some people remain ignorant about blade and rubbers from a beginner to an advanced player. Their road never had plateaus.

As some coach famously said "It is not which equipment is the best, but which equipment suits you best".

It's not inevitable if you start with Fan Zhendong's setup alc, hurricane National, dignics etc. (I don't recommend doing that)

 

[Zwill]

Maybe EJing is not particularly beneficial but trying other stuff can be. Even for pips or anti players it could beneficial to try inverted rubbers and faster setups so they can find or explore what their opponents shortcomings might be with such gear. Same goes for inverted players trying defensive pips or anti or whatever.
I'm not saying to convert to the totally other style for a period but just try it in "spare" time.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Some how I feel you James Z. I too have been malignly labelled as non-spinner just because I flat hit for a winner on my strong side.

It would appear TTD forum has a snobbish / elitist attitude gravitating towards a two wing looping stylist.
What happened to we are one big happy family inclusivity?

View attachment 25828

Nothing wrong with flat hitting, especially if it is not all you know how to do:

Here: this is for you Gozo: Matt Hetherington is amazing at slapping the eff out of the ball:

That video is about 11 years old so, before Matt came to US. He may yell at me for posting this yet again. But I love how he sets himself up for high balls to slap with his spinny loops.

 

[JJ Ng]

Nothing wrong with flat hitting, especially if it is not all you know how to do:

Here: this is for you Gozo: Matt Hetherington is amazing at slapping the eff out of the ball:

That video is about 11 years old so, before Matt came to US. He may yell at me for posting this yet again. But I love how he sets himself up for high balls to slap with his spinny loops.

Apparently, Matt never got formal coaching, right? He plays very well!

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Nothing wrong with flat hitting, especially if it is not all you know how to do:

Here: this is for you Gozo: Matt Hetherington is amazing at slapping the eff out of the ball:

That video is about 11 years old so, before Matt came to US. He may yell at me for posting this yet again. But I love how he sets himself up for high balls to slap with his spinny loops.

Awww geez Carl!

That is so kind of you. You're the best!

You have shown me that I am not a queer player and that there is someone great out there who also plays slappy-slappy TT.

https://pingsunday.com/best-forehand-rubbers-table-tennis/

Refer to FH type No. 2.
Matt & I are probably playing as Type 2 FH as per ERT's classification.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Awww geez Carl!

That is so kind of you. You're the best!

You have shown me that I am not a queer player and that there is someone great out there who also plays slappy-slappy TT.

https://pingsunday.com/best-forehand-rubbers-table-tennis/

Refer to FH type No. 2.
Matt & I are probably playing as Type 2 FH as per ERT's classification.

Well, for you, learning how to loop so you are not only stuck with one shot would be helpful.

Good, hard flat hits, used strategically can be excellent. But if you want to learn to play, what you will actually need to learn if you would like to change your level is:

1) Learn how to READ incoming SPIN.
2) Learn how to COMPENSATE for incoming spin.
3) Learn how to GENERATE your own spin.

Without developing those things, you are at the mercy of the ball and will continue not to understand why some of your shots go in and some do not.

If you watch Matt's slap shots, he has set them up with the spin of his loops forcing high balls; he has read and knows the spin on the ball and so he has adjusted his racket angle and contact to compensate for the incoming spin. He is not just slapping and hoping.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Apparently, Matt never got formal coaching, right? He plays very well!

Are you kidding? Do you know who he is?

Of course he got formal coaching. And he is a coach. He coaches at Lily Yip's club in New Jersey.

Here: this is him on TTDaily. He is one of the original members of TTD:

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/mhtabletennis-tutorial-videos.23124/

And this is him on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mhtabletennis/

But perhaps it is worth understanding how young he was in that video. It at least 1/3 of his life ago which is why I said he would kill me for posting it.....but I love that video.

@Matt Hetherington

 

[pgpg]

EJing is somewhat useful for getting first hand experience with various bits of equipment and calibrating whatever you read on forums and review sites. And realizing that there is no magical rubber/blade that will make you better overnight.