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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 10:55 
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Bytes worse than his Bark
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Inspired from "What' be the hardest part of table tennis for you to learn?" thread is this one, with due acknowledgement to Debater for suggesting the topic.

My name is Retriever and I am an anti-EJ.

The blade I use I have used since new 20 - 25 years ago.

I tend to use rubbers for longer than a year. The current set date back to October / November 2016. The forehand one is showing signs of wear, so probably later on this year I will be changing both.

As to why, well it is mostly that I subscribe to the theory that once beyond a certain level of skill a player can use most of the same class of rubbers to play well if they persevere. I can still remember when I jumped on the Joola Tango bandwagon (as around here it was at one stage all the rage) and took a few weeks to stop pushing / chopping easy balls out. It probably didn't help that the previous rubber I used was 729 RITC Tack Speed 2000.

I am also of the mindset that I have one set up and just use that. For a few interstate tournaments I have taken a back up bat which I borrowed from one of my children, but that was something still of the same class of rubber but totally different in case of emergency.

Budgetary concerns also kick in. I can see that having a few blades and a few more rubbers kicking around can quickly add up in the dollars department, and I don't see much use in that.

Anyone else care to chime in?

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 12:16 
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You do know you can't take the money with you when you go, right? So for those who have the money and enjoy trying every new blade and rubber that comes out, there's really no harm. We should remember that the junkie in ej is only a joke. Nobody is out committing crimes or ruining their life to feed a tt habit. Not even Tommy Zai, the unstoppable ej madman.

To me the argument that ejing hurts your play is stronger than the cheapskate argument.
But even there, some people may not care if they play worse, as long as they enjoy the ejing more. I spent a lot on tt last year, I just did it taking trips to play different places. But if I would have gotten more joy out of buying one of every blade butterfly makes, then that would have been the right thing to do.

As usual moderation probably works the best. Pick a blade you like and buy two or three cause things happen. Replace your rubbers with more of the same when they get worn. Every five or ten years maybe try something new, just for a laugh. It's certainly not ej, nor anti either. Call it Baal-ing.

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 13:12 
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Roar Talent
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No. I am not an anti EJ. Trying out new equipment is one of the joys of table tennis if not the most enjoyable.

But I admit it. Sticking to a single type of blade has made progressive improvement in my game. But yes, I do try a lot of rubbers.

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 20:34 
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Sitting on Defence
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Red_lion wrote:
No. I am not an anti EJ. Trying out new equipment is one of the joys of table tennis if not the most enjoyable.

But I admit it. Sticking to a single type of blade has made progressive improvement in my game. But yes, I do try a lot of rubbers.


I agree completely. Discussing, experimenting with, and tweaking equipment is a big part of the fun for me. Whether or not it helps my game is not the point :)

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 21:01 
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Iron Pips
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Joo Se Kev wrote:
Red_lion wrote:
No. I am not an anti EJ. Trying out new equipment is one of the joys of table tennis if not the most enjoyable.

But I admit it. Sticking to a single type of blade has made progressive improvement in my game. But yes, I do try a lot of rubbers.


I agree completely. Discussing, experimenting with, and tweaking equipment is a big part of the fun for me. Whether or not it helps my game is not the point :)


+1

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 21:48 
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Intellectually I am anti-EJ. My personal abilities/shortcomings far outweigh the influence of equipment.

The basic behaviour of all grippy LP I tried (and those were a lot) is more or less the same. Inverted-like I get the same results with Tackiness C, Sriver, Mark V, FS 729, Tenergy, Vega Pro, VS>402 DE, whatever, given some familiarisation. Even no real difference using inverted both sides, or short pips or a combination of any of those (well, SP on FH does not suit me, but I could adapt). It always seems a tradeof between speed, grip and control.

But, Alas, I like the fun exploring these little differences. So I spend too much effort and money on equipment instead on training. But a waste it is.

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 21:59 
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The EJ's Boogyman
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I'm with Retriever. My previous blade I had used for 25 years and as there is little difference between most modern inverted tensor rubbers I tend to but the cheapest one with softish sponge. I think it is much more fun to spend my time practicing than trying new equipment. If I practice I play better, if I play better I have more fun. Each to his own though.


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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 22:03 
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I like EJ'ers. Their discussions and reviews help me choose the right stuff for my own game. No doubt I buy more than I need, but it's part of the fun. It's still a very inexpensive hobby compared to many.

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2018, 23:24 
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I definitely fall in the group of people that intellectually know EJ'ing is probably bad for my game, but I enjoy trying new equipment, and it is one of the most enjoyable parts of TT.

Still, almost always I have a main setup, and rotate EJ setups for testing. Almost all of my training was with a Defplay/dornenglanz OX/Omega IV Asia (or P-1R 0.5mm).

That being said, in another thread I identified myself as more of a "Style Junkie" or "Emulation Junkie." I find a player with a style I enjoy and attempt to emulate them. Sometimes this leads to EJ'ing, but not always.

As stated before, I too have discovered that my level doesn't change that much with a change in equipment, so long as it's the same kind of setup. Going from chopping to JPEN for example, is another story. The latest style I'm trying to emulate is attacking, with a either double inverted or SP forehand setup. I have yet to decide how to proceed. I'm still close enough to 1600 even with that setup, with a shift in the people I lose to and beat, but still roughly the same level.

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PostPosted: 23 Jan 2018, 01:48 
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I buy and sell on e bay so i dont really spend that much.if i buy something second hand and if dont like it i just sell it on.
my set up at the moment cost me under £40
second hand old defplay £20
old best anti £10
old mark v £5,

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PostPosted: 23 Jan 2018, 02:20 
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Blade: DHS PowerG-9 OFF++
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BH: Palio Thor
I still haven't been able to decide which equipment makes significant difference to my game :lol:

I first started with GKI Kungfu ... too basic and I wasn't able to play beyond a few basic strokes. Though I did learn to read spin and play counter-hits and pushes with it.

Then I got a Yasaka Ma-Lin Ti-Carbon III ( pre-made ) + New Era ( classic not the Zap ) which really really was the "perfect" setup for me.... if only I had known that at the time! :@ :lol: :rofl: Too bad I hit everything but the ball with it. I learnt RPB and chops and serves and almost every aspect of my current game except having any kind of accuracy or consistency :rofl: Destroyed both blades I had ...

I went then with DHS Power-G9 with TG2Neo and G888 .... The WORST mistake of my life! I got the Tennis / Golfers elbow which kept me in misery for nearly 1.5 years ! Bandages, compression, elbow support, you name it I was doing it. No RPB for nearly 1 year and only blocks and pushes on the BH side. Finally figured out how to reduce the weight of the racket ( PG9 + TG2N + G888 == 197 gms ).

I got the first TSP Black Balsa with Xiom IV Euro and Rakza7 ( previously I had gone with Rakza7 Soft and Rakza 7 on the Ma Lin Ti+Carbon and liked it a lot ). My game truly started to shine, but BB7 was too hard and not enough dwell ... 2nd TSP BB7 and I knew the problem was with the blade's hard top-ply. Got me a TSP Versal + Rakza9 ... blistering speed ... no bloody control :rofl: :lol:

TSP Versal + 729 SuperFX ... finally getting the hang of power loops and heavy spin serves. Then 729 OEMs ... then 729-2 .... briefly 729-5 ( similar to MarkV ) ... then back to 729-2 and 729 OEM :-D

Then FINALLY Yasaka released the Hybrid rubber Rising Dragon. Wonderful way to build up my game. It is still an integral part of my primary setup with Stag Balsa-Koto C-pen blade with RakzaX + YRD :-)

TSP Versal is now my training setup with STN for FH and Rakza9 for BH.

Yasaka Battle Balsa with YSD ( Shining Dragons ) is AMAZING! YBB has incredible SOFT top-ply and SPRINGY blade ! You wanna be the Defense / Block Master ? A-la Jan Ove Waldner ?? THIS is the Blade ! You wanna be the LOOP King like WQL or Ma Lin or Wang Hao etc ? THIS is the Blade! You wanna SMASH your way to victory ? SMASH even below the table balls ??? THIS IS THE BLADE !!! :rofl: :lol:

Anyways now I got THREE setups I am in love with .... TSP Versal , Stag Balsa-Koto , and now Yasaka Battle Balsa ! :-D :rofl:

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Backup C-pen blades:
  • TSP Black Balsa 7.0 :
    1. FH/BH-YRakza9/XOmegaVT
    2. FH/BH-TSP Spectol/Yinhe Qing OX
  • 729 Bomb C-P : FH/BH-DHS H2 Orig/DHS H3 Orig
  • TSP Versal :
    1. FH/BH-XOmegaVA/YJupiter-II
    2. FH/BH-*blank*
Fun blades:
  • Yasaka Battle Balsa(ST) : FH/BH- DHS TG2Neo/Gewo HypeXT 47
  • Dr. Neubauer
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    ***************************** : FH/BH-YRakza7/YRakza7
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PostPosted: 23 Jan 2018, 03:17 
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I like to think of myself as a recovering equipment junkie as I have spent numerous amounts dollars on gear. With that said, I have such a hard time resisting trying new gear out.. I always have my "home" setup and I return back to that setup when I've gone off the beaten path a wee bit.

I enjoy trying out new gear, it's one of my favorite things in the world! It gives me a perspective of what a rubber/blade can and cannot do. Which in turn helps me understand (to a certain extent) what to expect when playing someone I've never played.

Also I wouldn't know whats out there in terms of rubber/blades and what impact it could have on my game if I didn't try new equipment out. I'm just thankful I'm married to a woman that supports my habit as she knows it makes me happy :)

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PostPosted: 23 Jan 2018, 06:30 
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Bytes worse than his Bark
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I just love playing against EJs. Their unfamiliarity with their equipment allows me to have a lot of fun. Usually what they have is too fast or too spinny which makes it easier for me to win points. Or when they have ventured to something less fast or spinny that doesn't threaten what I do, but they expect that it will for some reason.

Of course, that applies to me when I have new rubber too as I get used to it, but that is only for a brief period every year or two if I have gone for a different brand (see transition from 729 RITC Tack Speed 2000 to Joola Tango for example) or just due to the difference between the older rubber and something straight out of the packet.

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PostPosted: 26 Jan 2018, 11:11 
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Kim Is My Shadow
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On a personal level, no I'm not an anti EJ. If you apply the same argument to other aspects of life no one would get out of bed. Experimenting is how we discover things and grow as people.

On a coaching level, there is a junior who comes to coaching. He uses a cheap "shop" bat, ie not ITTF approved, same smooth rubber both sides. It's now affecting his ability to learn how to play a forehand drive correctly as the ball just slides off it with no grip. It's detrimentally impacting on his ability to improve. Now, I could take the approach of switching equipment would make him an EJ and therefore I shouldn't do it, or I could offer some advice, let him try a couple of different set ups to demonstrate my point and let him find one he likes which will help his development further rather than hinder it. Where do you draw the line with EJ? Changing when you fancy a change, or when your equipment is holding you back or when......

Go too far though and chop and change regularly so no rhythm or understanding of the equipment is gained and you can do harm - so yes, anti-EJ but only when considered in the context of why the equipment is changed and what is the intended benefit.

This anti_EJ thing is not a simple question to answer.


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PostPosted: 26 Jan 2018, 17:51 
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Hello everybody...

My name is Rokphish and I'm an EJ.
It's been three months, two weeks, and one day since my last purchase...

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