Why difficult to stop being an equipment junkie? Haha

[jk1980]

There is value in trying new equipment and seeing what is right for you. But that value mostly comes once you have reached a certain level and have a somewhat defined way in which you play the game. A lot of people are not at that point, and based on your post, it sounds like you are not at that point either. If you want to attack and finish a point ASAP, why do you want to practice playing far from the table?

This was definite true for me. Of course if you change blades and setup every few month you will never get to the state so that you have real confidence in your setup and begin to play more intuitively and stable.

Of course i could play with a w968 and tensor rubbers and i would score great points, but i could just as well play with the TMXi and Dignics 09c and score the same points. The thing is, that i would take the ball going to long on powerfull loops as a given and say "hey, that is just my consistency that i only land 50% of the really powerful loops".
Only when i forced myself to downgrade (to a Nittaku Acoustic) and stick to it for 3 month i have gained so much in consistancy and suddenly my body intuitively does strokes that get me out of difficult situations because my body automatically adjusts. There is basically NO fear of not being able to loop any ball. I can loop them all. Even my training opponents who chopp with heavy underspin are wondering how i simply loop their heavy chop balls.

Now i am finally able to not concentrate on any technique or shot, but just focus on tactics and how i setup my game inside matches. Once you get such a revelation of basically upgrading your level inside just a few month it cures your EJ virus, because suddenly you fear of losing it all gain, when switchting to something else.

Of course if you dont notice big differences between all the blades you cycled through this just means you never got accustomed to any of it in the first place.

 

[ML fan]

btw, this is me back on planet earth, that is, back to using something earthly. My son's Nittaku Acoustic ( five ply all wood ) with t05fx on BH.
View attachment 35118
View attachment 35119

Where are you in the video?

 

[olive-nguyen]

Do you have a place to play? How long are you staying in Kajang?

I'm staying with my cousin and aunt. Came 2 days ago and will stay till the 20th

 

[Tyce]

To answer the question in the title:

There's no feeling quite like playing with a new setup. It's called the "honeymoon period" for a reason: you notice all the great qualities and don't really pay much attention to the downsides.
So again and again, getting something different will trigger that positive bias. And as soon as the honeymoon period subsides, you start thinking about the next piece of kit that you want to feel all those positive things from.

The EJ is an optimistic animal, it wants to see the best in things.

 

[ML fan]

This was definite true for me. Of course if you change blades and setup every few month you will never get to the state so that you have real confidence in your setup and begin to play more intuitively and stable.

Of course i could play with a w968 and tensor rubbers and i would score great points, but i could just as well play with the TMXi and Dignics 09c and score the same points. The thing is, that i would take the ball going to long on powerfull loops as a given and say "hey, that is just my consistency that i only land 50% of the really powerful loops".
Only when i forced myself to downgrade (to a Nittaku Acoustic) and stick to it for 3 month i have gained so much in consistancy and suddenly my body intuitively does strokes that get me out of difficult situations because my body automatically adjusts. There is basically NO fear of not being able to loop any ball. I can loop them all. Even my training opponents who chopp with heavy underspin are wondering how i simply loop their heavy chop balls.

Now i am finally able to not concentrate on any technique or shot, but just focus on tactics and how i setup my game inside matches. Once you get such a revelation of basically upgrading your level inside just a few month it cures your EJ virus, because suddenly you fear of losing it all gain, when switchting to something else.

Of course if you dont notice big differences between all the blades you cycled through this just means you never got accustomed to any of it in the first place.

Yes. Thank you for this long reply..I really experience this that I have not yet established tactics and gameplay because of these. I envy you, that you have already figure it out. I still don't where my path is in the blade. But I believe, I love DHS h3 rubbers in my fh and bh.

 

[Larshos]

I think men will (I'm going out on a limb here and guess you're male), in almost any hobby or interest, be subjected to the EJ phenomenon. We like to have nice gear, research the next purchase, collecting and trying out different setups.
If you go to any forum for a specific sport, car (brand or type of car), musical instrument, hunting/shooting,
tools, bikes, gaming/computers - they will all be filled with people suffering from EJ'ing under different names.

And with TT being a sport where the equipment is affordable, relatively speaking compared to a lot of other hobbies, the bar is even lower for buying more/new gear.

 

[ML fan]

I think men will (I'm going out on a limb here and guess you're male), in almost any hobby or interest, be subjected to the EJ phenomenon. We like to have nice gear, researching the next purchase, collecting and trying out different setups.
If you go to any forum for a specific sport, car (brand or type of car), musical instrument, hunting/shooting,
tools, bikes, gaming/computers - they will all be filled with people suffering from EJ'ing under different names.

Yes. Hehe. In bikes and other, they call it upgraditis.haha. but I know in table tennis, it will just ruin my progress..yet I dont know.what is for me.

Btw, I just tried CNF stuor. Clone of revoldia cnf. I like it,.crisp,.powerful on powerful strokes yet control in short game. But, I want a quality blade that I want to settle

 

[boretennis]

i don't remember any EJ'ing around when i first played table tennis as a kid in the late 1980s. in my blurry memories almost everyone played mark v, sriver or donic vario. if you wanted it a bit slower you would have a 1.5mm sponge and if you wanted it faster it was 2.0mm or thicker. you would make a decision once. and if the ball would hit the net or you overshoot the table it was due to your own abilities only and not because the equipment wasn't right.
simpler times. just like you would listen to the records you had at home and watch what was on tv in that very moment.

 

[Tyce]

i don't remember any EJ'ing around when i first played table tennis as a kid in the late 1980s. in my blurry memories almost everyone played mark v, sriver or donic vario. if you wanted it a bit slower you would have a 1.5mm sponge and if you wanted it faster it was 2.0mm or thicker. you would make a decision once. and if the ball would hit the net or you overshoot the table it was due to your own abilities only and not because the equipment wasn't right.
simpler times. just like you would listen to the records you had at home and watch what was on tv in that very moment.

100%

Internet both ruined and enriched the experience

 

[Hotdog]

I just want to add that EJ is a social disease. My club mate bought a new setup, so he loaned me his old one for a week. I end up loving the feel of carbon so I then start shopping for a new blade. I get a new setup and I let another club mate hit a few with it. He loves it and the next session he shows up with a whole new setup. The worst thing you can do at the club is try someone else’s bat.

 

[Brs]

and for me, it is not difficult because there are only two commercially available one ply shakehand: Darker Speed 90 & Tibhar H19.

If penholder, woe unto you... so many to EJ. I pity the fools!

custom blade makers can do you an amazing one-ply. Could have an SDC supersonic 150 15mm blade, if you are a real EJman.

 

[Brs]

to answer the OP, EJ is difficult to stop in exact proportion to improving is hard.

If you are working with coach, training, getting better by the week - not so much tempted to EJ. If you are stuck, that new dignics/k3/cnf/SALC starts to look mighty gooood.

 

[pedro.dantas]

succumb to your deepest darkest desire. Unleash 100% your darkest fetish; EJ is fun, it is satisfying, makes you have a cortisol high always. You want it, your brain craves for it... surrender to it.

Not cortisol, dopamine…

 

[Colin Ksh]

Question here : Do you buy several blades because you play very often/ rotate them every now and then or BOTH or you just like to collect them? I only have one set up but I’m very tempted to get another one 😂 something from bty actually XD since I’m using like 75% xiom setup right now (tmxi pro and omega )

 

[Tyce]

Not cortisol, dopamine…

No cortisol, because it keeps you stressed about equipment

 

[rpb23]

I have tried different blades. Shakehand.
Zlc
Alc
Inner alc
5 ply wood
7 ply wood
1 ply kiso hinoki, currently for almost 4 months.

I saw something that it is for hitters.
Now, my EJ VIRUS got activated..

Searching for new.
My playstyle is close to mid but I want to practice far too. I want to attack and finish point asap. And want to be a looper.

Ejing sometimes make me excited to try new blade and excited to play if I jave something new.

But I want to stop this.

Why stop something that makes you happy? Life is short. Unless if you have to use your food money to buy a new blade.

 

[rpb23]

To answer the question in the title:

There's no feeling quite like playing with a new setup. It's called the "honeymoon period" for a reason: you notice all the great qualities and don't really pay much attention to the downsides.
So again and again, getting something different will trigger that positive bias. And as soon as the honeymoon period subsides, you start thinking about the next piece of kit that you want to feel all those positive things from.

The EJ is an optimistic animal, it wants to see the best in things.

Well said.
Whatever a new setup, I usually had a great feeling with it. Unfortunately, the feeling only lasted couple of months. Then the negative side started to show. Maybe a new blade/rubber setup like a new dated woman to most men.

 

[pedro.dantas]

Why stop something that makes you happy? Life is short. Unless if you have to use your food money to buy a new blade.

Totally agree

 

[riemsesy]

I have ventured to the far beyond, to the edge of the universe. There is nothing out there....It is because of this I have stopped EJ'ing!

Human stupidity stretches beyond the infinity of the universe.
You must have seen it there. And that’s why you stopped ej-ing.
😉

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Human stupidity stretches beyond the infinity of the universe.
You must have seen it there. And that’s why you stopped ej-ing.
😉

and wiser for it. Amen!