OOAK Table Tennis Forum

This weekend is the big St. Joseph Valley Open in South Bend. Dan Seemiller and the rest of the crew there put on a great tournament. Just wondering if there's anybody that will also be there. I'll be taking some videos to see how much progress I've made since December, my last tournament. I'm playing U-2000, U-2100, and O-40 on Saturday, then U-2550 before I go home on Sunday.

It's going to be a fun couple of weekends, the following weekend, Saturday the 17th, I'm playing in a giant round robin tournament in Schaumburg. Two big events in two weeks, should give me a good idea on what I need to work on prior to the team championship in Rockford at the end of May.

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"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

Had a fun time at the tourney last weekend. Learned a lot from a strategy perspective about how I need to play. In U-2100 I lost 3-1 matches to a players just over 2000 and a penholder rated in the 1980 range. Both matches I won the first game, then they adjusted to my style and I relied too much on getting errors off my pips. Needed to be more aggressive in hitting with the pips and picking my spots to use the forehand, I rushed getting the forehand loop into the game and missed too many. Played a guy rated 1773 with anti and destroyed him 11-1, 11-3, 11-7. It's like he'd never seen pips before.

In U-2000 I lost to the second seed in my group 3-1. He played a really, really smart match against me, just giving me dead pushes and never attacking. I got too conservative and failed to get my pips hitting game into play.

Had perhaps my best match in Over-40. Got seeded in the second round against a guy rated over 2200. He crushed me the first game, just overpowered me at the table, so I backed up and tried chopping. That turned the match momentum around and I won games 2 and 3! He narrowly beat me in game 4 and crushed me in game 5, but it was a great learning experience for me.

On Sunday, I was awful. Didn't get to warm up before I played and it showed. Stunk it up against a 2200 girl and a 2150 looper and got destroyed. Finally started putting my game together against a 2000 level pips player but lost 3-1.

Looking forward to playing another tournament, a giant round robin in Schaumburg this Saturday. Hope to put the things I learned in use and gain back my rating points.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

Well, I went. Felt like crap all weekend. Found out after I got home Monday when my wife had me go to the doctor that I had bronchitis and fever. Maybe that's why I was coughing up blood Sat and Sun. Felt really bad in the morning and early afternoon. But I guess after I coughed up all the blood and got it out of my system I felt a little better by the evening. Doug kicked my ass real quick around 12:30 on Sat. It was my first match and to give Doug credit he has gotten so much better since the last time we played. It would be very hard to hang with him even if I felt good. Sick? No way. Done in 3. I did (not sure how) come in 3rd in the U-1800. Got to play Coach Seemiller in the O-40. We had a lot of fun in that match. I did get him to put a few into the net from my chops. His ball control is outstanding.
I woke up around 3 am Sunday puking. Yea, not fun. Finally got my act together around 10. Too bad because I was suppose to play in the doubles at 8:30. Yea, didn't make that. Again, sorry David. Went ahead a defaulted the rest of my matches on Sunday and drove home. And I puked twice on the side of the highway. Not fun trying to stop at 70MPH with a mouthful of puke. Good thing I didn't wreck. Vicki would have been PISSED! Today is Thursday and I'm still not 100%. I hate being sick.

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Equipment:
Victas Koji Matsushita, Yasaka Rakza 7 2.0, TSP P1r Curl 1.5-1.7

USATT Rating: 1869

MOLON LABE!!!

Yeah, you were clearly off Joe. Thanks for the good words. Hopefully we get to play again at a tourney when you're at full health, I always enjoy playing you and I know it would have been a different match if you were healthy. I hope you are feeling fully better soon, I know that can hold on for a while, and it takes time to get your strength back.

_________________
"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5