Talk me out of buying Appelgren Allplay please!

[Kokain]

I don't know what to write here. I'm just in a mood where I got tired of constant table tennis practice and can't keep simple drills on the table. Have I tried this blade? Yes one of our top players is using it, he has 2 and I tried playing with it but my first loops were disaster, they barely reached the net. I don't know if I should just EJ for the sake of trying to master something slower just to see if I will be happier or not.
Maybe I feel better if somebody answer this question, anyone gone from OFF to ALL blade? Did you end up hating it or was it worth putting more balls on the table? I don't even know why I'm writing this, probably because I have nothing better to do than bitch and moan on a table tennis forum. I know I will regret it in the morning.
It's not like I'm having a problem with loosing, matter of fact I'm on a winning streak but there is always these 2 guys at a club you just can't beat and you start contemplating on using technique instead of power, or trying to figure out how do they create so much spin from such a little movement, maybe my spins are not as good, maybe after the first game they figure something about me that I don't know and play to my weakness...dunno. Should I really waste money I don't want to spend but regret not trying it earlier. Last time I did some EJing I was in ecstasy when I went back to my Hurricane Long 3, granted armed with more knowledge and remembering the weaknesses I should try and stay away from, or just keep it in play till the real rally begins.

 

[Der_Echte]

No one is gunna see me talk anyone out of buying a blade they are dead-set on, nor will any one see me talk anyone out of jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge if they are of such a mind...

 

[ttmonster]

Post a video of you playing and we might just be able to talk you out of it , or wait ... we might talk you into buying it ... who knows ? ... that's the excitement of posting a video and letting people come at you with their knives and daggers ... but believe me it will be worth it ... Der_Echte might not talk you out of jumping from the Brooklyn Bridge but if he gets in the mood he might just tell you a good technique for your dive so that you either die sooner and not experience the pain , or just get into underwater base jumping of course without the parachute

 

[imgoodatgolfthough]

I don't know what to write here. I'm just in a mood where I got tired of constant table tennis practice and can't keep simple drills on the table. Have I tried this blade? Yes one of our top players is using it, he has 2 and I tried playing with it but my first loops were disaster, they barely reached the net. I don't know if I should just EJ for the sake of trying to master something slower just to see if I will be happier or not.
Maybe I feel better if somebody answer this question, anyone gone from OFF to ALL blade? Did you end up hating it or was it worth putting more balls on the table? I don't even know why I'm writing this, probably because I have nothing better to do than bitch and moan on a table tennis forum. I know I will regret it in the morning.
It's not like I'm having a problem with loosing, matter of fact I'm on a winning streak but there is always these 2 guys at a club you just can't beat and you start contemplating on using technique instead of power, or trying to figure out how do they create so much spin from such a little movement, maybe my spins are not as good, maybe after the first game they figure something about me that I don't know and play to my weakness...dunno. Should I really waste money I don't want to spend but regret not trying it earlier. Last time I did some EJing I was in ecstasy when I went back to my Hurricane Long 3, granted armed with more knowledge and remembering the weaknesses I should try and stay away from, or just keep it in play till the real rally begins.

Im trying various combos and know the feeling of the 2 guys who always win.Im getting close to those guys now and like you i think with the right equipment and mindset i can win.

 

[darnner123]

I believe that anyone with decent equipment already (which you have really good equipment already) can practice up to a decent level without changing equipment.
You sound like a new player (sorry correct me if I'm wrong) because you can't even do loops yet.
When you get better you understand your playstyle better and would be able to buy the right equipment!
You also get to not waste your money on equipment you do not know would be good for you or not.
But then again no one is stopping you from buying so buy it if you really feel like it hahahahaha

Have fun! xD

 

[SilentRain]

i went from Off to All to improve my game and it worked. What happened was I got back into the game after a 5 year break. Before that I trained for at least 7years. I got new equipment (TB ALC with T05 FH and T80 BH) and boy was it cataclysmic. Luckily my training partner got a new blade and wanted to sell his old Stiga Clipper CR WRB with new unboosted H3 neo on it for 20 pounds. I took the offer, slapped on Xiom vega euro on BH and trained a solid year with coach until I could loop backspin and serve well. I then moved back to my TB ALC with T05 and could control it very well. After 2 years, I've moved to JM ZLC as I did not like the numb feeling of ALC even if i could control it very well.

TLDR
If you're not at a level where you can consistently loop balls back on to the table, then its a good idea to slow down. The cheapest and easiest solution would be to get slower non tensor rubbers rather than buying a new blade. Unless you're so bad that you really need to buy a new weaker slower blade. The decision to buy a new blade would depend on personal judgement because only you know your skill level and not us. For me, the decision to get a new blade was easy as it was second hand and cheap plus i had as least 7 years of training so i knew what level I was and wheater the equipment is too fast or slow for me. At that point of time, i was too rusty and the equipment was too fast for me to develop effectively.

 

[Sali]

Definitely it is a blade matter - not the rubber. You should fit the correct blade to your level. Of course it is much easier to play topspin stroke with faster blade, but the problem is you do not have much control with that so sometimes ball lands on the table, sometimes off. Other problem is it is not easy to place the ball were you want to and last thing is returning serves short - also very hard.
So if you want to improve your technique you should start with slower blade, which will help you understand the incoming spin and control the ball. If your topspin goes into the net you should think about the grip. probably you hold the racket too hard, your muscles work too hard and still you do not get enough power on your stroke.
If you do not like this blade you can try something different like Grubba all+ or stiga ALL clasic or the new andro ligna all - which is twice more expensive.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Sorry guys. I get the sense Kokain's level is close to the level where a faster blade is okay and I think most of you misunderstood his question and answered a different question for a player who is lower level than Kokain.

@ Kokain: I have gone from fast Off close to Off+ carbon blade to slow all wood Allround blade a few times before.

Here is the first thing you should know, at first it will feel horrible and pretty much like torture because of how slow the blade is. But, if you gave it 2 months of giving in to it and getting used to it, that speed blade will start feeling more normal and it will improve your ability to use your hips, core rotation and weight transfer to make your stroke more powerful with the extra control and it will start feeling like a normal speed at a certain point.

But I have two ideas for you that are different:

1) You are using HL3 with T64. T64 is fast, not so much spin, low throw so less control because the rubber has a high speed/spin ratio. The first idea would be to start by trying T05 with your same blade. T05 has higher throw, more spin and less speed. So it has a higher spin/speed ratio.

That might be enough switching to T05.

2) The second option is a next step if switching to T05 isn't enough in the direction of less speed and more spin. And the second option is putting T05 on a Tibhar Stratus Power Wood. It is a very good all wood blade. It is Off- but fast enough especially if you get one that is 88 grams or over. That blade would add a decent amount of spin and control and it would take the speed down 1 notch rather than dropping the speed of the blade 4 notches (Off>Off->All+>All).

So, really, it is something to think about. But going with something that is a little slower and decently spinnier might be a good option. Which could mean just T05 or it could mean T05 + Power Wood.


Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

 

[Baal]

It is slow but it is a really good blade, fantastic feel and weight distribution. There is more to a blade than just overall speed level, and the Appelgren All is one of the classics, deserving of much more widespread use. It is the same reason that a Viscaria is not just another ALC blade. It is more than that. Same with the Appelgren.

 

[Kokain]

lol some of these comments...

@UpSideDownCarl You know Carl, kudos to you sir. You really a good judge of character, if my respect was +3 it probably raised to +5 for you. Playing with an OFF blade is really not a problem for me, if anything it's easier, neither I'm having major issues with strokes etc. So first thing first, I got my hands on a different ALL+, flexible blade, in fact I have couple and I asked previously in this thread if anybody knew what it was
http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?11922-What-blade-is-this-(no-brand)-All-5ply
Immediately going into this blade with the same rubbers I realized the trouble I was having is definitely me. The blade actually didn't made much difference and I was landing consistently as my OFF setup. No technique needed adjusting due to looping great and being flexible. It's me being a little lazy, I relied too much on he OFF++ doing the work for me and not putting the core, legs, and being in position to lean forward to keep them more in, land them lower and spinier. I probably went for kills too many times, even though I'm a looper and I don't play with flat hitting rubbers anymore.

@Sali Yeah power looping seems to be a big forte with OFF setup, I never lose in this game. However, yeah short game and serve returns in particular have been bugging me, especially against very good players where we are pretty much finishing a rally at either serve return, 3rd ball attack or at best 5th ball. I can't spoon them with Tenergy 64 as good as I could with the Chinese rubbers, but that's why I do try flick serves and go into rallies quicker. If anything I'm having more fun looping backspin and killing it. Tensing up during matches and having soft wrist on return is something I'm struggling with so the ball pops up more often than it should. Not a problem in 2nd division as most people won't attack it due to struggling to read their spin back, but in 1st division you have people coming in from crazy angles and just killing it with loop + placement.

Ok, ok, so let's keep this thread on topic which is about the Appelgren and not me as a player. Therefore, I have somebody who will gladly let me try GreenApple Allplay with the same Tenergy 64 rubbers, before I spend unnecessary money, and give an opinion on whoever stumbles in this thread years from now. My worry is not putting the time into mastering the blade, but screwing my fast game, my winning shots going past the opponent, the fast pace, trying to race with a 1.6 in a 3 liter class competition. Plus I don't want to drop to the lower half of the division as I have matches to play (Even though I'm not planning on improving huge amount as I don't want to live/breath table tennis or even go out to competitions). Ah Fack and I heard the head is too small, meaning should I get one, swapping rubbers will no longer be an option and more money down the drain to get either Tenergy 64 or we will see, possibly something else like Carl suggested. Anyway see ya for now, will update when I get it and start playing with it.

 

[Der_Echte]

No pics of anyone jumping off bridges in confusion and panic? Yet ???

I am disappointed.