OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hello. I've got a few really important questions that i would appreciate some advice on. I have been searching online, on here mainly, for the answers but there is so much ambiguity in what i find. Maybe i'm just confused!

Basically, i want to try to akkadi L2 0.6mm. I've been impressed by Åkerström using it, and i play a very similar game. Predominantly using my forehand attack, or twiddling for backhand attack. But what does such a thin sponge do to an LP? In terms of reversal? It still occurs at some level doesn't it-but reduced? I know it's more versatile for hitting and chopping when i get pushed back.

Also, is a stiff blade, such as the persson powerplay, going to aid reversal, even with thin sponge? And finally, i'm sure that control can't be reduced so significantly from ox to 0.6mm ...can it?
Sorry for the long post. There's only so many hours and days i can search. I need to make some decisions on this for my game to progress. Thanks in advance guys.

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offensive combination

stiga stellan bengtsson 1970/71 has a cracked handle now, so ....

donic jo coppa gold: 2.0mm black
yasaka phantom 007: ox red / donic akaddi l2 0.6mm red

Well, let me address at least one of these questions that I'm more confident of the answer to.

Yes, with an 0.6 sponge, you can usually still get some reversal, assuming you're using an LP that produces good reversal in the first place. I'm not familiar with the Donic Akkadi L2, though I've heard some good things about it. If you try it, I -- and, I'm sure, other members of this forum -- would be curious to hear about it in more detail, since I haven't seen any reviews of it here. But on the reversal question, I use a 1.3 sponge on an LP that has a decent amount of friction, and it STILL produces some reversal, so 0.6 should be okay. In reality, I don't think you need a massive amount of reversal to get your LP to force some errors from your opponent. The key, in my view, is causing your opponent to misjudge the spin on the ball, and whether he thinks an underspin ball is just a dead ball or thinks a dead ball has topspin on it, you'll get him to hit it into the net or off the edge of the table or just get an easily attackable high ball. The only reasons that a LOT of reversal is good is (a) with low-level opponents who really have no idea what LP is all about and from whom you'll get many balls hit into the net; and (b) that high reversal is more likely to prevent loops. I'll discount (a) as insignificant and focus on (b). Countering loops and forcing loopers not to loop is obviously an important objective, but that can be accomplished without superhigh reversal, especially if you chop. For chopping, reversal isn't necessary. In fact, in some ways, the less reversal your LP has -- and the more friction it has -- the more powerful your chops can be, at least if you're chopping off of loops. If you play a close-to-the-table game, however, high reversal might be more desirable because it's harder to chop right at the table, and so you're usually just blocking (or chop blocking, for which you need a lot of control, which OX also gives you more of), which is why OX might be better for close-to-the-table play. But, again, if you're willing to back off the table a bit and chop, the comparatively lower reversal you get from using an LP with a thin sponge shouldn't be a problem for you, and, like you said, you'll also be able to hit the ball more effectively.

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thanks traditional tradesman, that's a good answer. I think i will be trying the akkadi in 0.6mm. As i said, this is mainly on the basis of what i've read about it and the Åkerström footage. (i would urge you to watch the match against dima ovtcharov the world #13, it's a great match)
He plays at the table with that sponge thickness so i hope it will work for me, and as i say allow me to feel i can still force errors through chopping mid distance. When i get pushed back now, i feel bit lost with ox. Blocking and chop blocking is my game but i do get forced back a few times a game.
Any thoughts on the blade? That's something crucial to the balance of this set up of course.

_________________
offensive combination

stiga stellan bengtsson 1970/71 has a cracked handle now, so ....

donic jo coppa gold: 2.0mm black
yasaka phantom 007: ox red / donic akaddi l2 0.6mm red

A stiff blade is good for blocking, but whether is suits your style is hard to say. A fast blade can be really nice to block with, but it's also easy to overhit with. For chopping a slower blade should give you more control but the faster blade more reversal, so if you're only away from the table on rare occasions, it might work just fine...

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Thanks haggisv, i'm not away much- and i don't step away naturally- it's just something that happens. I do attack strongly so i think a relatively fast, but stiff, blade should work for me. I'll have a think about it. With fast tensor on one side and lp with a thin sponge on the other i just hope i can still control it.

_________________
offensive combination

stiga stellan bengtsson 1970/71 has a cracked handle now, so ....

donic jo coppa gold: 2.0mm black
yasaka phantom 007: ox red / donic akaddi l2 0.6mm red