OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I've stuck the thicker-sponged variant on my backup JSH blade which I might try in my league match tonight. I've then put the thinner-sponged variant on an Innershield blade which I'll use for comparison on Friday.

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My blog: "Learning to play: as a modern defender": http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=22254
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtazeX ... oICGS9bqNg
Join the OOAK Discord!: https://discord.gg/Yw2hYUdz3g

[Other gear I've used]
Blades: Butterfly Defence 3, Butterfly Defence Pro, Butterfly Innerforce ZLC, Butterfly Innershield, DHS Power G7, Stiga Offensive Classic Carbon
SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
LPs: Butterfly Feint Long II (1), Butterfly Feint Long III (0.5, 1.3), Tibhar Grass D.TecS (OX), TSP Curl P1-R (0.5, 1, 1.3), TSP Curl P4 (1.3)

Did you try them out Dunc?

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Blade: Stiga Rosewood
FH: Tenergy 05
BH: Stiga royal

I did, yeah - though not in a league game.

There were noticeable differences between the thinner and thicker sponges, but that could also be because the blades have glaringly different properties.

Neither rubber generates a lot of its own spin. Obviously more than a LP but significantly less than Spectol - and that's a relatively low-spin SP. I felt like I couldn't grip the ball much at all with the thinner sponge.

Both rubbers are easy to control. The thinner sponge was less affected by spin - I could chop really heavy topspin balls more easily. Over the table on pushes etc. I find both rubbers to be consistently easy to use and I despite having only just picked them up I found myself making very few mistakes in that department.

Now with regards to the effect.. I just don't quite understand this rubber. It would appear to catch my opponent out when neither of us expected it. I do think there's an element of reversal with this rubber but I don't know how to wield it! If you punch through the ball, it has a SP-like effect, but with the thicker sponge in particular it's actually quite a hard shot to play because if you brush the ball AT ALL you will get topspin. These rubbers are very capable of developing medium levels of topspin, seemingly more-so than they're capable of developing backspin (but I know that's impossible). If you push the ball, and brush, you get backspin. I guess, then, that if you "push" without actually brushing, you might get a little bit of reversal.

I had disasters trying to block the ball with this rubber *but* I'd imagine that's because I've spent all season blocking with SPs, nor was I ever a good LP blocker. I suspect the technique for blocking with Pimplemini is more similar to blocking with LP than SP.

_________________
My blog: "Learning to play: as a modern defender": http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=22254
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtazeX ... oICGS9bqNg
Join the OOAK Discord!: https://discord.gg/Yw2hYUdz3g

[Other gear I've used]
Blades: Butterfly Defence 3, Butterfly Defence Pro, Butterfly Innerforce ZLC, Butterfly Innershield, DHS Power G7, Stiga Offensive Classic Carbon
SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
LPs: Butterfly Feint Long II (1), Butterfly Feint Long III (0.5, 1.3), Tibhar Grass D.TecS (OX), TSP Curl P1-R (0.5, 1, 1.3), TSP Curl P4 (1.3)

Thank you So much dunc. it was so informative.
what about hitting at the table? is it easier to hit with thicker sponge noticeably? are attacks still dead and hard to block for opponents?

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Blade: Stiga Rosewood
FH: Tenergy 05
BH: Stiga royal

The thicker sponge variant is REALLY easy to attack with. You can topspin with it like a normal inverted. Obviously that's harder with the thinner sponge but it still works. You can't play a LP-like attack with it though, you have to punch like a SP.

_________________
My blog: "Learning to play: as a modern defender": http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=22254
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtazeX ... oICGS9bqNg
Join the OOAK Discord!: https://discord.gg/Yw2hYUdz3g

[Other gear I've used]
Blades: Butterfly Defence 3, Butterfly Defence Pro, Butterfly Innerforce ZLC, Butterfly Innershield, DHS Power G7, Stiga Offensive Classic Carbon
SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
LPs: Butterfly Feint Long II (1), Butterfly Feint Long III (0.5, 1.3), Tibhar Grass D.TecS (OX), TSP Curl P1-R (0.5, 1, 1.3), TSP Curl P4 (1.3)