OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've recently (6 months ago) returned to playing TT after a 10 yr break (having played at school).

in the last few weeks I've switched (from Tackiness Drive) to using Friendship 802 on my BH and
find it suits my style very nicely
-I don't loop on the BH side; just push, block, drive and chop. it's easily my strongest side-
So at the moment I working on improving my FH play:
basically I'm trying to develop a more aggresive looping game on my FH
(where I use a 'normal' inverted rubber-e.g. Sriver), whilst retaining my BH style.

any suggestions about a blade that would assist me/ allow me to play with
these contrasting styles (which can't be that unusual a combination)?

The blade I have is a Butterfly Andrzej Grubba All+ (the only blade I've used-I was told to get something 'allround' to start with)
Someone at my club felt that that this was pretty hopeless for looping and that I'd also need something 'stiffer'
for SP play.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
(I'm in the UK and have previously bought from Teesport -though I got my 802 rubber from Eacheng).

Why congrats! Welcome back to table tennis play!

I would suggest getting more familiar with the ball with more play rather than spending at this point. If you're using the original 802 with the rather hardish Friendship orange sponge, you'll probably feel good to go with the Grubba All+;

While it's true that you'll probably like a stiffer blade on the short pips, I certainly think you can stand to put that aside for later, after saving up and finding out what particular properties you would like in your (eventually) new bat.

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

thanks for that. to me the blade/ rubbers (yes, it is the original 802 I'm using) combo feels fine so I'll hold off from investing in anything new for the time being and concentrate on improving my technique.

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FH: DHS Neo Skyline III
BH: Palio AK 1997 Biotech
Blade: YEO


http://www.murrayfieldtt.com | http://www.youtube.com/user/MurrayfieldTTC

At this point just work on your technique. Equipment junky-ing at this point may actually impede your development. It's a rather slow blade to be sure, but you can loop just fine with it if you learn to loop properly.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

I've actually tried my SP's on another blade I had
(a cheap one I picked up some time ago when buying some balls off
eacheng.net -think it's called Galaxy Y-4)

I know that some of you have warned me against 'Equipment junky-ing' but I did find this slightly quicker blade
suits my game better (hitting more winners with my backhand
punches and drives etc without losing control) and is helping me develop a 'proper' forehand.

not sure if I should continue to use my 'cheap' blade or if I should look for a better quality
blade with similar characteristics.
the person who is helping me with my forehand suggested 'Stiga Energy Wood'
Anyone else use this with SP's?

_________________
FH: DHS Neo Skyline III
BH: Palio AK 1997 Biotech
Blade: YEO


http://www.murrayfieldtt.com | http://www.youtube.com/user/MurrayfieldTTC

The Energy wood is a soft and flexy loopers blade, which is not the most suitable for short pips at all, although it might suit your forehand.

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Energy Wood's probably alright if you use a rather hard sponge...like that orange sponge from Friendship. Don't worry about getting the small bat details right now; Find something rather 'easy-to-use' and easy to buy so that you gain consistency and technique quickly.

It's rather easy to find suitable hard sponged short pips, as many of the popular, effective, and cheap short pips are made in China!

Baal mentioned this before -- it's quite tricky to find a blade that suits both your forehand (looper - soft-feeling is nice) and your backhand (hitter - hard-feeling is good). He suggested to compromise and get a good blade suited for your forehand instead. The forehand will eventually be stronger than your backhand when you get the techniques right.

_________________
Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

thanks again for your advice.

_________________
FH: DHS Neo Skyline III
BH: Palio AK 1997 Biotech
Blade: YEO


http://www.murrayfieldtt.com | http://www.youtube.com/user/MurrayfieldTTC