OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Since it seems to be a somewhat new crop of players using the frictionless antis -- who are the top guys to watch? So far I've got Luka M. and AA!

I've been watching a good number of pushblocker's videos (LP blocking only), and was curious if such a style could be done with anti-spin rubbers? Or does his style require LP to work? It's magical watching him frustrate the looper-fiends!

What I like to do is anti-spin on the forehand for blocks/attacks against any back spin and inverted on the backhand for heavy spin loops. Originally I had been maybe 80% backhand oriented, but after slapping on a sheet of transformer some months back, I can't give up the sensation! So now I usually block with anti until they return a weak ball, and then banana flick it for a kill shot. I had done a lot of chop training on the forehand, but in an actual game I never back off the table! Just don't have the mentality for it, I suppose.

At any rate, I'm looking to climb the ladder of points, and seeing which strategy is a good one to follow. Any ideas lads/lasses?

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Watch a Russian guy, called the criss cross blocker. He does great 4H blocking using anti. He has videos to watch. He gives fits to trained loopers.

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Panda Drive / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Xiom Omega IV Elite Max / Play right-handed
XVT balsa carbon 10mm / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Globe 979 Long Pips OX / Play Left-handed shakehand
Stiga Def Wood / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH GD CC LP OX .. Play Left-handed
Cpen SOS Wood / 4H 729 802-40 2.0 / BH GD Talon use righthanded shakehand grip
HARDBAT / Shakehand Hock 3 ply / Friendship Dr Evil OX .. Play Right-handed

Russian guy 4h blocker aggressive using anti spin

https://youtu.be/Z5Nd0yzNoaA

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Panda Drive / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Xiom Omega IV Elite Max / Play right-handed
XVT balsa carbon 10mm / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Globe 979 Long Pips OX / Play Left-handed shakehand
Stiga Def Wood / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH GD CC LP OX .. Play Left-handed
Cpen SOS Wood / 4H 729 802-40 2.0 / BH GD Talon use righthanded shakehand grip
HARDBAT / Shakehand Hock 3 ply / Friendship Dr Evil OX .. Play Right-handed

Russian guy is fun to watch but no way near the best anti players. We have Simon Huth of Germany (has beaten Ruwen Filus a few years back), Sushmit from India viewtopic.php?f=35&t=30714, Luka Babic from Montenegro viewtopic.php?f=35&t=30589, Amelie Solja (easily the highest ranked) and a few more. Look in the thread Frictionless anti players:
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=18060

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Def-attack's attempts to find balance between defence/attack | Getting better - health and game |
My Youtube

Russian guy is only one using anti on his 4H aggressively, which is the type the thread starter is looking for.

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Panda Drive / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Xiom Omega IV Elite Max / Play right-handed
XVT balsa carbon 10mm / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Globe 979 Long Pips OX / Play Left-handed shakehand
Stiga Def Wood / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH GD CC LP OX .. Play Left-handed
Cpen SOS Wood / 4H 729 802-40 2.0 / BH GD Talon use righthanded shakehand grip
HARDBAT / Shakehand Hock 3 ply / Friendship Dr Evil OX .. Play Right-handed

Would pushblocker's style of basically only passive blocking (no chop-block) have been "better" with a frictionless anti? I don't see how he benefits much from having the LP over anti for that style. Kind of like the chubby russian guy blocking with anti. Ann Alvarez is another i discovered earlier today.

I found the anti easier to block and handle than the LP's I've tried. I didn't know if that was the common trend or not, as people seem to say anti is harder to control.

It seems LP blockers are much more common, and most don't chop-block all that much.

_________________
SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

LP reverses the spin which fits Pushblocker's style. Anti is easier to control than LP but more predictable to your opponent.

My main weapon with LP is chop blocking close and away from the table. less reaction time needed to do the stroke without good footwork.

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Panda Drive / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Xiom Omega IV Elite Max / Play right-handed
XVT balsa carbon 10mm / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Globe 979 Long Pips OX / Play Left-handed shakehand
Stiga Def Wood / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH GD CC LP OX .. Play Left-handed
Cpen SOS Wood / 4H 729 802-40 2.0 / BH GD Talon use righthanded shakehand grip
HARDBAT / Shakehand Hock 3 ply / Friendship Dr Evil OX .. Play Right-handed

The problem with anti for me is the aggressive push of the bounce with 90 degree racket angle.. That shot does not work with anti.. You have to do it with open racket angle.. I use my blocks just to set up my aggressive pushes.. Blocking works GREAT with a good frictionless anti but pushing aggressively is difficult.. Antis that block well are usually slow which hurts you when you try to be aggressive when pushing..

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2010 Florida State Champion
Dr. Neubauer Firewall Plus with DHS G888 1.8 mm and Giant Dragon Dragon Talon OX National Team

Aggressive push meaning the 'punch' kind of shot against back spin? Like this kind of attack?

https://youtu.be/xZTQiipUMCY?t=3m3s

I had a similar issue with the antis, which is why I swapped to pips for the time being. Only, I found the anti blocks too slow for me. The reversal wasn't winning me many points, so I use a speedier pip to block back with some pace and less 'deception'. I could attack very well with the anti against back spin. Even better than with LP, because the frictionless surface converted more backspin into top spin. So even against pushes with low rotation, I could still hit them hard. I might consider trying the .6 mm thickness with the anti for a test.

Have you tried any of the newer hard anti spins? Ones with the stiff plastic kind of rubber? mega block or dr rhino for example. I can see what you're saying to be true for stuff like nittaku best anti or juic neo anti. Soft topsheets on soft, dead sponges.

_________________
SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...