OOAK Table Tennis Forum

The TTEdge formula to improvement:

1. Get uncapped technique on your major strokes (serves, pushes, loops) and movements.
2. Get better as you use them and learn to adapt to the ball for the rest of your life.

Back to the subject...

You act like you are still in high school for your jokes - okay, maybe a college freshman... how one earth did he pummel you?

But seriously, what makes you think he was playing you lackadaisically? People have this silly idea that because someone is not bending their knees or running around like they are, they aren't playing you seriously. In this match, he is a chopper! He wins using his defense, not his offense. He wants you to miss. You obliged. That looks serious enough to me. I mean, no offense, but I beat players blocking all the time. They say that because I am not looping, I am not playing them seriously. But no, I once could only push and block. I had no real loop to speak of. I played that way until I was USATT 1700 or so, even beating and troubling 2000 level players with it. So it might not look serious to you, but I can do it well enough to beat you if you are not going to be consistent. So it is up to you to note that I am not looping and pick the right strategy. So that a well trained player anticipate and chop and block your loops better than you can make them at your level is not special.

The only part of his game he didn't use was his offense, but you don't know how he plays higher level players. It's quite possible that his chopping is 2000 level and his offense 2300 or vice versa. Who knows for sure?

On the other stuff, you are using too many different strokes. You need to make your form and match approach more structured.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

Haha.. I guess the rhetoric on this blog does come across a bit as a high school student.

That was how I felt though after that match, totally schooled.

It's like I got left back in elementary and middle school and this guy got a full ride at a prestigious German Table Tennis college.

Hopefully some colleges will still accept my lackluster, left-back-multiple times, delinquent high school student status so I can earn an O2000 USATT degree

Here are a couple of vids that have nothing to do with my blog, but are worth watching. Think of it is a thank you for watching my crappy technique

Thanks for that, aerial. Very illuminating.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

so I'm around the Oklahoma City area for work and stopped by the OKC Table Tennis club--I got wrecked by some guys that are really good flat-hitters (they can loop real good too)

I've known this for a while now that my backhand is sometimes way too slow and spinny--but I get away with it a lot when people get spun out or block it high which leads to an easy forehand loop-drive for me... but these guys were ruthless and just hit through all the spin. They were able to hit through my forehand loop too which I thought had a decent amount of pace on it but I guess not..

Usually I am able to be the offensive player in my matches, or more so at least, but it kind of feels like if they flat hit, I should try to block it wide or into their elbow..

I also tried to adjust my shot to be more power and less spin but in the end I couldn't overcome the OKC locals. The average club regular there seems to be mid 1700s or even 1800, it's pretty impressive.

No, no, no. Spin level and placement. Learn to use spins other than topspin as well - hooks and fades can be pretty effective against hitters. It is easier to hit through pace than to hit through spin if you make the spin heavy enough that the opponent hesitates.

You just haven't hit a spin level where you are protected by your spin. I could probably play these guys the exact same way you played them and get different results because of the level of spin. Raise the spin level!

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

I gotta agree with that last advice. VS those types, heavy heavy spin is a good friend, and so is a good service/attack game. Takes a LOT of pressure off you.

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

so while at OKC TTC, I got to hit with an ex-olympian:

http://okgazette.com/2015/07/09/elite-t ... homa-home/

to my astonishment he said my backhand was really good and my forehand sucked!

he gave good reasons though and after looking at the video i can see why he said that.

i have been working on my backhand a lot and tried to be consistent as possible, whereas in my mind's eye my forehand was at a higher level and my backhand was catching up. this might be true in terms of the amount of power i can load onto the forehand but now i can see that from a technical standpoint my backhand is actually better than the forehand...

he kept saying i was "dumping" the ball on my forehand stroke and i can see that my elbow does come up a bit too high and i raise my right shoulder

i need to get back to basics and make my stroke tighter, with less elbow flair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu2ZU3f7t-U

He gave you very valuable information. Elbow flaring ruins many forehands - sometimes, it can be borderline unavoidable but it is bad in a base stroke. And it ruins many shoulders too.

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Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

alright, i have been training a lot and now it's time to enter some sanctioned events...

signed up for the New York State Championships at Westchester and plan on signing up for the Rochester Open the following weekend after... hopefully I post some good results

You doing the May 2016 Weschester? 28 May 2016 ?

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

I might, but that will be three weekends in a row that are used up for TT--the gf won't like that lol

alright, well, long story short I went to the 5th in all my U2000 matches but lost... came back down like 8-2 versus a OX LP player only for him to get net dribbles in deuce to seal the deal... the other player was just better than me so no real qualms about that.

In the U1600 I went to the semi-finals before I played like crap and hit all the high pop-ups into the net... I guess I keep forgetting to spin when it's a higher ball thinking I can finish--then I mess up and wash rinse repeat.

I have been busy with interviewing for a new job so my TT has come to a halt--breaking 2000 by the end of this year seems a little unrealistic at this point in time but I think I will try until the very end... we'll see if a miracle happens

Good luck in the job hunt! I guess it's not TT related?

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not TT related--it would be awesome to work in the TT industry, although I don't think it's very sustainable here in the states... I'd probably make peanuts trying to be a sales rep or something. My background is in electrical engineering so I don't think I am quite qualified to design rubbers, maybe I should have done chemical engineering