OOAK Table Tennis Forum

It goes against my better judgement and finances, but I'm in the market for a new blade since I found out my current one is a 'learner' blade (Tibhar Match/Tibhar Smash).

So I'm curious, I like speed for hitting, but I like blocking even more, so I was curious if blocking by the table is really a defensive move that requires a slower blade or if it relies more on the angle/closing your racket face/ect. I'm excellent at blocking with the Tibhar Match, 2.0mm sponge and 729 rubbers, but I want them to be even faster right down my opponent's throat, so can I kick up the speed a notch or should I slow it down even more for more control?

I really hate backing up from the table and chopping while waiting for death, and I like my blocks to go back at them like a bullet from the 4th circle of hell, but will an offensive paddle be difficult to control and keep it on the table?

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

samsonov alpha

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Donic Defplay senso,Tenergy 05 fx 1.9/388d ox

go as fast as you can handle, how experienced are you? I would use something like sardius or samsanov carbon or if you like wood the tibhar h-1-9.

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the re-evolution of war
Bty Gergely Palio Macro Era 42.5 Max DHS H2 Max

Get an offensive blade like the Butterfly Petr Korbel and a couple of tensor rubbers.

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OFF+ in the 85-95g range. For blocking I like blades that are very stable, have a huge sweet spot for consistency, and contain no Balsa. BBC Table Tennis' Fiddler and Anvil blades (with 7mm cores) are two of the best I've used.

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BBC Gray Ghost, TSP Super Spinpips 21 Offensive Sponge, Giant Dragon Talon OX
My solution to the polyball: Stop trying to spin it!

Thanks for the help guys. So basically blocking has little to do with the speed of the paddle so long as you have the right touch?

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

Depends some on the level you play at. The best players in our club, (high level) use a fast carbon blade with euro type rubber, non tacky. Sriver FX was the favorite. That is not slow. Good control comes more from the right blocking stroke than the rubber used although none of them used tacky rubbers on the backhand. Too many people use what should be called a lift stroke when blocking. That was one of the first things my coaches changed for me. They teach a block stroke as a very short, ( a few inches? ) forwards stroke, pressing down on the bat. Here you are blocking VERY hard, Very spinny loops. Also block off the bounce, not at the top. If you block a ball up high, it will bounce almost as high when you return it. They want to block at or below net height while the ball is still rising. They use the FX as it has a softer sponge and gives more control. Alot of points are won with a good, crisp angle block. The faster the loop, the faster the block goes back.

I'll go with a fast blade for sure then, since backing up from the table and chopping and manipulating spin just isn't me.

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

I use A Yinhe, W-1 Carbon rated Off. Not off+. I have Sriver FX on the backhand and can block the loops from the coaches if I can get the bat on the ball. I could not block their loops with anything until I got coaching to learn the proper block stroke. (These guys are provincial players)
They like fast bats but not too hard. Bats like the T-1 just do not give you any feel.
One of the best times to see a good block stroke is to watch the best like Ma Lin, Ma Long etc when they warm up. One will loop and the other block. Study the blockers stroke carefully. It is a VERY short stroke and they do NOT LIFT the bat. The bat moves forwards and they are pressing down on the bat. The stroke is VERY short. Watch carefully where in the balls arc they block. The ball is rising. One of the things they taught me was a very low stance, feet wide apart. That actually made blocking and other strokes better.

Fast, stiff, heavy (heavier the better) blade, no more than OFF in speed with rubbers that you can use for attacking as well as blocking. A ton of choices around. Egal (doesn't reall matter) whether it is Jap/Euro or Chinese rubber. Low to medium throw is even better for rubber, think Bryce (the ultimate blocking machine ever made... and it is billed as the speed gluers dream and rightfully so) and Gambler Outlaw. On such a blade, even allround rubbers like Sriver, dawei Inspirit Quattro, Venus, and Globe 999 become a blocking asset. You can block with anything, but if you want to make your active blocks more offensive or pressuring, a stiff, OFF blade will make your rubber shine. Some exceptions to the low throw rule are the high throw T05 and BTY Tackifire series. The speed on active blocks kinda counteracts the high throw tendencies. The throw (my opinion, but not a verifyable fact) isn't exactly a linear thing, but that is debatable for sure.

Thoughts? Critisims (Der_Echte calmly screws on his sniper scope in preparedness...)

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Thanks for all the help guys; now my only challenge is finding a store which has both the blade and the rubbers I want, which has been a challenge thus far.

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

After reading some threads from here, dttw, and online articles about wood properties, I realize that I need a very soft, thick, and flexible blade with high dwell time since I want to use OX rubbers, but need to generate enough dwell time to generate topspin so the ball doesn't float.

I read that Balsa and Bamboo are excellent for dwell time. However, Balsa blades are very light and people here have said that heavier is better for blocking. Would a very thick balsa blade be good for dwell time, such as the Joola R*1? What about the bamboo?

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

R1 is good, you might pair it up with that hardbat rubber haggisv is sampling, air something. Its got a thick base so would add some weight to it.

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the re-evolution of war
Bty Gergely Palio Macro Era 42.5 Max DHS H2 Max

It has to be pips, like you said, to be OX.

The problem with OX is that the ball doesn't stay on the blade long enough to generate spin, so even though the speed doesn't seem to be a huge issue, the blocks are sent back at the opponent while keeping the same spin (i.e., the extreme topspin stays on the ball, so it's sent back with extreme underspin), which causes the ball to float with the underspin instead of drop with topspin.

Therefore, I need a blade that causes the ball to stay on the paddle long enough to give it a bit of topspin so my blocks drop on the table. I've alternatively heard that balsa, bamboo, and fiberglass are flexible and allow this, and the Joola R*1 is the only blade I've seen advertised that the ball "literally buries itself in the blade," which is balsa.

There is a fiberglass blade that I really like the look of which is a full 12 oz. heavier than the R*1, yet only 6.7mm thick, so I'm not sure if the heaviness of the fiberglass or the supposed flexibility of the R*1 is more of an asset in my situation.

@metal monkey: If I could get my hands on that rubber, I would, but I'm probably limited to something more widely available at this point. Also, is there a less popular blade which is supposed to have similar properties to the R*1, i.e. - ridiculous dwell time?

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Nittaku Kamkit w/ Air Panamera OX
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

Balsa has that weird feel that i never caught on though plenty of the other here just love. Its a blockers blade, not really a looping blade. High dwell on hard impacts and no dwell on slow impacts (or is it the other way around? )

I cant really help you with short pip ox as I am not fond off the thought, ive only tried dr evil bothside and although i lost alot of games was okay to use. Im a more passive blocker than a hard one, i seem to prefer the friendship 563-1 or the dhs c7.

Are you planning to order online or just from your immediate area?

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the re-evolution of war
Bty Gergely Palio Macro Era 42.5 Max DHS H2 Max