OOAK Table Tennis Forum

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Tactics Enthusiast

That's fair enough. I'll make a video about it. It won't be any time soon as I have other stuff on the list.

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Last year I watched a superstar from England lose one of the most important matches of his life. I think he ended up fishing about half of the points. I spoke to him a month later and told him what I thought about it. He didn't disagree and he said he was nervous because he had recently lost to the opponent in league and it was a bad draw for him. He didn't say he thought he could fish the guy off the table or something. His fishing skills are excellent, but not good enough to win a big match.

Fishing is like going to the ropes in boxing. It's something that happens when things go wrong or when certain players are nervous. When things go wrong for me, I end up practically volleying the ball. I don't recommend volleying the ball either.

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When I see pros fish it seems to me the intent is to at some point get a attacking top spin ball that will get them back into the point. So perhaps a way of thinking about it would be to fish a couple of times and then go for a top spin ball. I do this in practice as it gives the guy I'm working with more time to setup for his forehand loop and I get a chance to work on fishing and looping from far back. I win points this way against weaker players but it's never the goal; something went wrong.

I actually concluded recently that I needed an even faster blade than the one I am using now and that all wood won't cut it - need a faster composite, maybe an innerforce design as I can't stand too much carbon. I am reluctant to spend full price on a ZJK ALC so I am testing some of my older blades that I couldn't give away. It will be interesting. I need a blade that let's me have a decent block 3 feet off the table.

Some of the changes to my feeling since I came back are interesting. I used to like Hinoki and Limba but now I can't stand them. I need something hard like koto or walnut. I know I used harder outer plies when I played at the end of 2017 to early 2018 on pain killers but the disdain for limba and Hinoki vs how I used to feel about them is puzzling. Is it common for taste in outer plies to change so radically? It might be a new plastic ball thing.

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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, what would you call the FH shot Gionis and Filus frequently do on their FH away from the table? These guys do not really chop on FH, and it does not look like counterloop either - they simply guide ball back. Jian Li does it quite a bit too.

I tried it a few times when stuck away from the table, and at least at my level it frequently is a safer shot (compared to all-out counter loop attempt), since the other guy now has a chance to screw up, especially if placed well. NL saw it in person, I believe, and actually encouraged it, IIRC.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

I have to confess that I've never developed any taste in outer plies... I have no idea what any of my blades have on top.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Variation is part of the game of a chopper or any defensive player. You are trying to induce mistakes partly by playing longer points and partly by giving people looks they are not used to seeing when playing conventional players. The answer I would give to you about fishing and lobbing of any shot would be much simpler - practice it. All the defensive players in my club have advanced lobbing games and complain that if we had a higher ceiling, I would struggle more against then playing longer points.

If Fastmover was asking about chop blocking, I would recommend any close to the table player work on that too. Just look at how your points generally evolve and ask yourself if the skill you want to master or add plays a role in your game.

Sidespin pushing of serves is not going to get you to 2700 if done all the time but if you are below 2200, it can be useful and can mess up juniors or people who have trouble reading spin. Can also help you keep the ball short if that is the absolute priority against s particular opponent.

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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

Same with me. Rubber matters to me but the blade seems to either fit my hand or does not.

Fine. If I am the only one who feels the difference between softer and harder outer plies then time to move on.

Finally I do recommend that people use Fastarc G1. Part of the reason. I enjoy TT again is because of this rubber.

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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

What about one of the Stiga hardwood 7 plies?

I use Vega Pro atm. I want to test G1 but am going to wait until end of season now. Worth the change or just stick with it since they are supposedly so similar?

Also you aren't, I don't like harder woods except anegre was good for me. Limba best feel by far for me. Never tried hinoki.

I wasted enough money on Stiga Eternity blades that had issues with their outer plies that Stiga will never get a dime from me again. Ask Big D if you doubt this.

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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'm sure there is a difference, it's just I never bothered to dive into details of what causes what. Kind of viewing blade as a 'whole thing'.

Yes, saw your change to Fastarc G1 and even priced it out, but I'm in month 1 of my "same setup for a year" journey, so it will have to wait a bit.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887

Yeah, I cannot distinguish different outer plies either. I can feel the difference between a hard and a soft rubber, or a very fast and very slow blade, but other than that I hardly feel anything.

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Tactics Enthusiast