OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I have too many double inverted bats, so I guess I'll be selling shortly. Don't know what to get rid of, though. I find that I play better with the Instinct+, but I prefer a straight handle, and I do like the larger sweetspot of the reinforced blades.

Don't know whether it's the softer rubbers or the all wood responsiveness that makes the LKT better for me, or if its playing characteristics are just similar to my old Stiga/Butterfly bat. Not sure what I should choose for my primary setup, as I like the control and low speed spinniness of the soft LKT pro rubbers, and the speed and "power spin" of the Friendship.

The pip setup will be of secondary use I guess (to use as a last resort against those powerspin servers who get me every time, or perhaps for variety only if my hand speed improves sufficiently to continue that spin while keeping control).

Will find out some more when my foot heals. Testing my patience now...

Achilles tendon feels OK (well, almost OK ... ).
Strained muscle is still hurting, but a lot better than a week ago (when it, admittedly, did hurt really bad.)

Really want to go training tomorrow...

Must act sensibly! I'm an adult after all (or so they say).
The painkillers are deceptive. TT training tomorrow will only make things worse. Have to let it heal properly!

Really, really want to go play some. Please, mom ...

Driving the kid over for the training session tomorrow. Have to be there overlooking everything, perhaps give some advice.
Will be restraining myself from any physical exercise. (Anything involving the right pedal extremity, at least.)

Tough!

Made it! Training today and I didn't make a mess of my right foot/leg.

Luckily there were other responsible adults, so I didn't have to lead warmup or drills or anything. Feeding some multiball, and in between I did some exercises with minimal footwork and no pressure on the right foot, mostly service and forehand fishing.

First day with the equipment ordered from Eacheng (balls and loaner bats):

One new guy bringing an old bat with glazed rubbers (literally, the rubber surface got cracks with each hit), and one of the regulars who broke his bat today, so two of the loaners already tested. Cheapest premades from Friendship and ThreeNine, and both borrowers seemed to be very pleased. The chinese take their TT seriously, it seems...

Excellent control with the ThreeNine, and the Friendship can make just about any stroke. Can hardly wait for the day a chopper comes around asking for a loaner with long pips. XiYing 979 is fairly easy to control in blocking, even on 2 mm sponge. Alas, I haven't got the footwork for proper chopping yet, only a few test chops, so I can't say for sure that it's usable, but at ~NOK 60 ($10 or thereabouts) it's a bargain.

Also dirt cheap Friendship balls. The * balls feel quite soft, but fairly well balanced and with a nice bounce, so OK for multiball (and probably excellent balls to feed to a robot, should we ever get one). Competition grade (***) balls are OK too. Hard, round and balanced, no noticeable flaws while playing. However, we cracked 3 of them, so not nearly as durable as the Stigas that we have been using. Oh well, you get what you pay for, I guess. We pay 4-5 times as much for the Stiga *** balls.

All in all a good training session, considering I'm not allowed to train today. (Don't tell ma, son!)

keme, next time you order from eacheng get the 1 star double fish 100 ball box, they are a harder and rounder ball than the friendship ball. Most of the double fish 1 star are indistinguishable from a 3 star ball

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TG3 / 802

Thanks foam! Obviously I should have asked for advice here before ordering 100+ balls, but all in all they're OK, so I'll just save that info for later.

I had a slipping encounter with an icy parking lot the other day, properly pulling that half healed calf muscle, so I definitely won't be training TT for a while. Muscle fibres torn, so rest is what the doctor ordered. That's no obstacle for EJ-ing, though. Hence...

Background:
Had a few hits "solo" with my dual inverted setups (took a bunch of balls and did some target practice with long range fishing/looping), and I think some adjustment is in order.

Using the LKT Instinct+ with LKT pro rubbers I can get almost any stroke on the table. However it looks like the ball trajectory is quite high and the bounce too close to the net, which would leave me open to counterattacks. I guess soft rubbers on a fairly flexible blade yields high throw (high trajectory) and lots of topspin (pulling most balls down on the table).

The Yasaka Synergy with medium thickness 729 rubbers plays a good deal faster (flatter ball trajectories) than the Instinct+, yielding better depth which is useful when playing from a distance, but loops are not as spinny as desired.

The Galaxy T-2 with thicker 729 rubbers felt excellent when feeding multiball and blocking, but it is not so good for those hard spinny strokes. Little spin and I miss a lot. I guess firm rubbers and a stiff blade means less dwell, lower throw, and less spin. Inferior control with the Galaxy probably because a bat with lower throw and more bounce requires a more open blade angle than what I'm used to.

Proposed changes:
Harder rubbers on the Instinct+ (I'm thinking 729 on some 2,0-2,2 sponge)
Softer and perhaps tackier rubbers on the Galaxy (thinking of tike the LKT pro rubbers from the Instinct+)
Same kind of rubbers with more sponge on the Yasaka.

Not sure how much my "dry training" translates to normal playing, when incoming spin and speed is introduced.
Does this make sense, or am I totally lost? (Comments are more than welcome.)

Be careful with that achilles Keme. I had no problems with mine and still snapped it back about 4 years ago now while playing TT. I went down on my haunches to retrieve a ball and as I tried to come back up the pressure on it was too much and it went. At the time I just thought I'd rolled my ankle, didn't realise it had snapped. Try doing some strengthening exercises when you can...stand on that foot and balance as long as you can...try lifting your heel off the ground while standing on the one foot (its ok to balance yourself with a hand to a wall for this). Prevention is better than cure, believe me!

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red National Pogo Ox
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs Ox
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 BH Red Dornenglanz Ox
Table tennis directory / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I think the Instinct+ is not really that flexible (it's a 7 ply after all), so they should combine well with the LKT rubbers. getting most of your shots on is a very good sign, and you just need to work on placement and keeping them lower. if you feel like experimenting (since you have the time ) go ahead an try them on another blade, but you'll likely find some advanatge/disadvantage with every combination.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Table Tennis Reviews / Articles | Table Guide | Robot Guide
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My setup: Blade: Re-Impact OOAK Dark Knight | BH: Dtecs OX red | FH: JUIC 999 Turbo 2.0mm blk
Check out my huge 'for sale' thread here | My OOAK Interview

Thanks, you're right! The Instinct+ seems noticeably stiffer than the "regular" Instinct. I'll keep the LKT rubbers on, and perhaps only grind down the flare a bit on the handle. Have a few spare LKT pro rubbers I can try on other blades.

I bought quite a number of budget priced rubbers from Eacheng, intending to learn more about how playing characteristics relate to rubber/sponge properties. It turns out that those rubbers feel just right. I'm doing well with the LKT pro, and my son uses the 729 rubbers with success. (I have also sold a few of those rubbers to club members who needed an upgrade.)

@reb: Thanks for your concern! You're quite right about prevention vs. cure. I've been doing those exercises, but have to give it a rest now 'till my calf muscle heals. With any luck, that rest will finish off my tendonitis too. I had a couple of cortisone injections, but they only helped for a couple of weeks each time. Sure felt good to have two feet in normal working order, but I can't be having that cortisone shot every other week...

WOW! Its been 4 years? I still remember when that happened.

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Equipment:
Victas Koji Matsushita, Yasaka Rakza 7 2.1, TSP P1r Curl 1.5-1.7

Will be 4 years in May, so only 3 years 9 months really

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red National Pogo Ox
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs Ox
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 BH Red Dornenglanz Ox
Table tennis directory / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Leg improving. Pills have taken out the tendonitis it seems, and the muscle can take some load now. Not good for proper play, but I am training tomorrow.

I figured out the 729 rubbers on those fast blades too. Just have to hit harder to dig into the sponge a bit (very important with the T-2, it seems), and I get the spin and control I need. Nice to have something for hard hitting, to let out a bit of steam. Not changing to softer rubbers any time soon, I think.

Have ordered a couple of Hurricane 3. Should be here any day. (Also ordered a combo with H3 Neo and a Friendship blade for a friend. What's in the Neo? We will find out, i guess.) EJ vibes again (said friend acting as proxy).

I want to try some "fun stuff" again. Got myself some sponge and I wonder how much I should use on the Pluto. I couldn't quite come to terms with it in OX. Flat hits and sideswipes worked OK, but as soon as I tried thinner strokes (small angle only, no brush stroke) it seemed to lose grip completely. Fix it with 0,5mm sponge? 2,2mm? Anyone? (Or is that "slip" exactly what Pluto is supposed to do?)
Perhaps just keep it OX but on a softer blade. I had it on my Yasaka Synergy, which is rather hard and rigid. That may have been the bad choice. FAILURE

Schools have a winter leave this week. Lots of snow and good conditions in the hills. Still, we had a good turnout last saturday and a couple of others say they are coming tomorrow. Perhaps fed up with skiing, then. I hope I'll be fit for some coaching.

Good to hear you're recovering well keme!

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Table Tennis Reviews / Articles | Table Guide | Robot Guide
Re-Impact Blades | Avalox Blade Overview | Table Tennis Robots
My setup: Blade: Re-Impact OOAK Dark Knight | BH: Dtecs OX red | FH: JUIC 999 Turbo 2.0mm blk
Check out my huge 'for sale' thread here | My OOAK Interview

Got some sheets of sponge yesterday. Tried my hands at gluing a double fish 1615 topsheet to 0,5mm sponge. Interesting project, I thought.

Glued sponge onto blade first, then topsheet to sponge. Didn't staple the topsheet properly to cardboard, so when I picked it up to attach, FLOP, a corner came loose and the sheet folded over onto itself. FAILURE ... almost. Took me 5 minutes to gently open it up again. Only tore it up slightly at the cutaway edges, so the part that went on the blade was undamaged (stretched but not torn). Attached it, and there were no apparent bubbles or bumps. To be on the safe side I used some cast iron items from the kitchen to weigh it down overnight.

Next challenge: cutting that sandwich. The knife went through quite easily, but it's not exactly what you'd call "factory finish". I faintly recall someone mentioning long pips and scissors. I believe I have just discovered the connection. I may be posting a picture of my shameful outcome...

Fairly difficult to get that one right, but I hope it's playable. Saturday will be the first real test (if my leg can support a bit of chopping action).

Got a "bat bag".
Why do I need it? I have too many table tennis rackets for my own good.
Telling myself it's for the benefit of the ones I'm trying to coach and advise, but the truth may be that I can't make up my mind, or simply that I'm bitten by the EJ bug.

In the bag:

Double inverted
LKT combo: LKT pro XT 2,0 LKT Instinct+ LKT pro XP 2,2
Sweet spot: LKT pro XP 2,2 Yasaka Synergy Friendship 729 General 1,8 Up for a change any day now ...
Hotspot: Friendship 729-08 2,1 Galaxy/YinHe T-2 Bomb Bombard Tension 2,2
Reference: Friendship 729 General 1,8 Galaxy/YinHe Y-4 Friendship 729 General 1,8

pips+inverted
The revamped oldtimer: LKT pro XP 2,2 Stiga "Stellan Bengtsson" Friendship 802 2,2
Magic wand: Friendship 729 General 1,5 Stiga no-name Double Fish 1615 0,5

... I also carry things I don't use ...

Backup for the kid: Friendship 729 General 1,8 Stiga Algol Friendship 729 General 1,8 Blade from my son's old bat, equipped with rubbers similar to his current setup.
Toy for the other kids: Stiga Magic 1,2 Stiga no-name Stiga Magic 1,2

Saturday. Not a great turnout, just me and 8 youngsters. A few of the talented ones, so it was not bad either.
Saturdays are generally more casual, more match practice and less drills, so no coaching effort was required.

New rubbers on the T-2 ("hotspot", see previous post) turned out to be a pleasant change. I guess I'll be using Bomb on FH and 729-08 on BH.
The Bomb feels really hard, but I can still get a lot of spin on most any stroke. The 729-08 feels a little more flexible than the plain 729, so it adds control, but also it seems more spinny. "More gears" may be the term. Now, with my limited footwork, I can still get decent loops and flicks on both wings. (Right leg is still only an "advanced crutch", wih next to no use of the calf muscles.)

Having a hard time adjusting the Bomb side for incoming spin (short spinny balls), but I'll get the hang of it. Just have to be ready a bit earlier, i guess, so I have time for a full stroke. Footwork is the key.
The rubber may also require some extended breaking in, but generally it plays very well. For the time being it's every bit as fun as the Tackiness-D too, so it may seem that I've found a new favorite rubber. I'll have the full picture after some hits with the older players.

I had one of the boys feeding me various shots for trying out the 1615. Really strange to play that slow combo after the fast T-2.
Looping and passive blocking were near impossible. Mid distance chops was fine, and at the table flat hitting also. I had to be very active when blocking, and also the right blade angle was very different from that of the "hotspot", so my reflexes were far off. When given time to think, I could control the ball very well, kept really low over the net with chop or sideswipe, and I could do fairly dead drop shots even on very hard/spinny balls. All in all a fun experiment, but going away from the table I had to move a bit more, which was too much for my leg. FAILURE ... sort of.
I soon went back to the "hotspot" combo for the rest of the training session. Will get back to that experiment when time is right...

Swapped bats with the "feeding boy" for a couple of minutes. I think he's getting ready to upgrade now. His Donic/Schildkröt CarboTec does have a solid feel, but there is nothing special about it playing-wise, and as far as I can tell (and also according to responses in another thread here) the blade does not comply with ITTF rules. I really feel bad about expressing some approval of that purchase (he called me from the shop), although he seems happy with it (and would probably have bought it anyway). My T-2 is still a bit fast for him, but I have a few other aces up my sleeve (down in my bag, that is).

Hurricane rubbers (and another bomb, IIRC) coming monday or tuesday (along with a few things I ordered for one of the other players). The Yasaka will get at least one side of Hurricane 3, perhaps both. I'm starting to get way too many different combos (and I haven't yet mentioned the unglued rubbers and fresh blades I have in store). If someone asks, I'll have to say I'm selling. Won't sell just any one of my bats, though (oops, the EJ bug bites again).

Left leg feels like tepid spaghetti now. Got to get some sleep. Going to feel better in the morning.