OOAK Table Tennis Forum

If ANYONE in the pip world gives me major problems, it is a skilled operator of SP on BH. These Koreans who use this, a few males and several regional top female players (2200+) simply give me fits by handing me back a ball with a different spin that defies logic given their stroke. If I hit a spinny loop, they block it medium fast, I should get back light topspin, but NO!! These suckas know how to make a slight 1-2 cm dip at impact and give me back knuckle or light underspin!! Then they have the audicity to laugh their azz off (inside that is. Outside, it is game face) when I hit my next shot into the net! If I hit a fast low spin BH drive, they bump it off the bounce with a loose wrist. Sometimes, on some of my spinny loops, they wait for it to rise to net hight, then do a BH punch that likely goes by me down FH line if I am stepping around to hit another FH. I make my money vs these players making heavy topspin to their inverted, which they don't handle well, then finishing the point if it isn't already over. I try to play a speed-drive type of game on my opening shots, I am playing into their strengths as they can BH to BH or FH to FH drive all day long without a miss, especially those pesky Div 1 females.

A lot of the tricky blocks the SP operators here execute are done mostly with their wrist tension, or lack of it and a very slight movement at impact that is very hard for me to notice. More tightness in grip and more punch give a very fast near knuckle ball drive. Loose wrist and zero movement gives back very light topspin, or if the SP is a bit old, a knuckle or even light cut. A drawback mocement and a drawdown of a cm or two at impact gives a light underspin that is often read as light topsin, a fatal mistake. I am not even going to talk about serve receive options with SP on BH wing, those jokas kill my disguised knuckle, which is my best serve. That forces me to use my other inventory that is less high payoff.

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Thanks for that. I will try any and all the techniques you mentioned.

I as a looper and as a modern defense player found short pip players the most difficult to deal with.
You have to be darn good to consistently keep going to it. Especially against a skilled short pip player.
The reason I never tried it before now was because I was taught as a two wing looper, and my backhand was ineffective with short pips before.

When I used long pips I learned to hit with them, and somewhere in between I picked up some short pips and my backhand drive clicked. I just gotta work the short game.
Just like in golf.... the small shots win you the game. Service , little flicks, blocks, and well placed pushes...

I found that the better my loop got the better my footwork away from the table had to get.
I feel comfortable closer to the table , and I never developed a long distance backhand loop, only off the bounce backhand loops, which is similar in timing to short pips so I figure why fight it.

It is fun for now so I guess that's all that matters.

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-Teddy

Great blog! my compliments

I just changed my backhand into long pips and my frame in an oversized defensive one. now playing for 6 weeks and thinking of trying an inverted chop rubber on backhand.
I dislike tenergy, back to basic and trying to get a good technique with contrallable rubbers

go on! I will read it with great pleasure

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Welcome to the dark side of table tennis....

Joola Rosskopf exact medium
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I have been away from table tennis and my blog for a while now. I figured I'd give a thanksgiving installation. I'm thankful for this sport because it keeps me coming back and more in shape than I would be golfing. Also I'm thankful for my family, which is growing. We will be having a baby girl on December 11th, and that will be the newest installment to my family table tennis team for the 2019 team tournament of choice.

I have found a permanent home fore my short pips in a couple years old shaved down innershield zlf which incidentally had a fairly new sheet of tenergy 05 on it.

The times I have played with short pips on my backhand I've played closer to the 2100 players in the club taking 2 out of 5 games a couple times as of the last time I played about a month ago so overall I play at least at the same level I did with long pips if not a notch better. With short pips I still chop, but only when forced to. I find myself flicking, hitting, and blocking more (in that order). I still have to improve my block but with 802 1.5 it is fairly easy. I'm probably trying to do too much by mixing dead hand, chop blocks, slight side, and slight top blocks. When I get time I'll train my block more.

Good news about thanksgiving is my brother will be in town so I will get one night to play with a 1600-1700 player who plays better against pips than inverted. (His club is 50% long pips, and anti, plus he is a hitter who has a decent loop).
Which means possible video time. I'll try to grab a camera and train a little so I can post something.

Anyway. Gotta write a final paper for a business law class so I'll write again in a few days.

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-Teddy

So I've gone through all of my video collection to see what I do best. I have to admit my backhand loop is not bad at all. The 2 years of long pips have opened up some new possibilities. First of all my backhand hit has developed. I was only able to backhand loop, block, and push. Also my forehand has not really gotten better, but I am more apt to look to use my forehand and move into position rather than sitting on my backhand.

Friendship 802 has been pretty nice for my custom blade, but it doesn't respond equally. Sometimes the ball drops off the rubber, sometimes the ball kicks into the sponge and flies over the table. It chops well, but I'm doing my best to only chop when necessary. Also I've been limited to robot training for a few months now so I'm working mostly footwork drills, and serves.

So overall I've been playing with a new short pip. Yasaka PB1. It's not the spiniest. It's not the fastest. It does have a soft sponge, it is fast enough, and most importantly it has a very linear response. It does what I think it's gonna do. It also can grab the ball when needed if I just let the ball sink in the sponge more. Chopping is possible, but that's not what I wanna do. I wanna hit and block with variation to support my forehand loop. Also flipping to it for a put away smash off of a lob is quite good.

I also put together a paddle for fun. A hardbat. I think when I start playing again I will play all the lower ranked players with a hardbat and chop mostly. It will allow me to learn hardbat and eventually enter hardbat events, and not really interfere with my regular attacking game.

When I was attempting modern defense I could not chop effectively, and my mobility was not strong enough. Thus I have been practicing what I am good at. Attacking. I can't help but wanna attack a juicy ball. If I read this blog later on and think about putting long pips on a blade other than to help a training partner with a weakness I should slap myself. If I wanna chop I'll get my fix with the newbies at the club and my lower mobility buddies.

My new goal is to enter the Michigan State Championship this year and play as well as I did last year with long pips. The chances of that look good even though I'm not playing much as long as I get a few good practice sessions and so long as I get a good half hour to groove my loop and block. Hope to get back to the game soon (6 months or so).

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-Teddy

Its not easy to transition from game to game while changing equipment too often ( trust me) I know what your game is like and attacking with your Fh is your best asset. I myself will do one more go around with ANTI- just to have some fun, I might also look at going back to inverted as well as I am working flipping and hitting with my BH more. I also attack more with the LP and just have to make some adjustments. Hope to see you at the club when your all caught up.

Peace GIG

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*IT IS NOT LOGICAL TO PLAY WITH LONG PIPS*
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.


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flaired handle and 90 grams