OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi

I have created a pair of new threads last months where you guys really helped me out.

I now got a new problem. I have advanced quite a bit in playing strength and rating. This has naturally led to that I face better players in tournaments. Even at higher levels, some players struggle with my DG ox but most know how to play vs me. Typically a fast unspin service deep in my bh and then attack hard since I cant really can't do much unless I play FH attack second ball attack. The better players dont either seem to have problem reading the amount of underspin when I chop mid distans/ back. Right now I attack alot with FH and with BH I chop 2/3 and block close to the table 1/3. I'd like to increase the balance to about 50/50 or more (in favor of blocking). Since I aim to get even better and climb the ratings I feel like I have to do something.Would a 0,6 0,8 or 1,0 sponge be the solution? I imagine I could create some underspin by self vs no spin serves and loose loops and maybe even push/lift/semi-attack with it. The reversel I lose doesnt seem to matter anyway. Is this correct thinking? Other thoughts?

Extra question: I hate that DG last so short time. Is Metal TT Death similar? Should I try that LP in 0,5 mm insteed?

Death in 0,5mm is insanely slow (which could be a good thing if that's what you want). We have a talented (quarter final in USM) young player in our club (Norrtull) who has been using Death OX for about a year and he's still using the same sheet. He hits quite a bit with it so I would say that it's durable.

Ok thanks for the replay!

It must be faster than ox, right? I mean the ability to make my own spin vs non-spin (at least a Little) vs not losing to much funky feeling / reversal / wobbling balls. Im also from Sweden, about 1900 now in swedish rating (comeback last autum after 15 years of break). I have played quite a few competitions and advanced quickly but now its getting tough. Getting to 1/8 final in Swedish Championships is real high level if its 15 or 17 year class. Then he definitley is a 2100-2200 player?

No. I think that Death OX is faster than Death 0,5mm if we talk about hitting. The Death sponge is very dampening (but then again I'm used to Dtecs 0,5mm which is quite fast). I've only tried Death in OX for about 5 minutes when borrowing his racket during a practice session.

I believe he's 14 and his ranking is only about 1600 but that probably comes down to him not competing that much. You quite often see the kids in these age groups being quite "under ranked". I've seen him play evenly against the better 15-16 year olds during practice and those guys are 2000+.

(I just restarted after a 25+ year break and switched to LP in March. I'm quite evenly matched with 1300 players so I'm way below your skill level.)

I have now ordered DG 0,6 mm. Maybe that is the way to go. In the meantime waiting for the DG to arrive Ill play with an old Curl P1 0,5 mm that I already have.

After being frustrated by the fact that the two sheets of my Dr. N Troublemaker OX started losing pips in droves only two months or so after I started using them, I'd decided to give the Death Metal OX another try. I'd found it to lack control back when I was playing with the XuShaoFa ball, but with these ABS balls, it seems promising, particularly in its ability to attack. I can't comment on whether or not it's similar to the DG, since I haven't tried that in a few years. My memory of the DG was that it was very controllable and predictable, BOTH for me and for my opponents, and that, in combination with rapid loss of pips, was the reason I went away from it. When I have a chance to keep trying the Death Metal, I'll report back.

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I. Re-Impact Tachi Plus 2019; FH: Nittaku FastArc G-1 1.4mm; BH: Saviga 77 Monster OX
II. Re-Impact Turbo; FH: Spinlord Sandwind 1.5mm; BH: DMS Kamikaze OX
III. Re-Impact Smart; FH: TSP Spinpips RED 2.1mm; BH: Dr. Neubauer Gangster OX
IV. Sauer & Troger Firestarter; FH: Spinlord Waran 1.8mm; BH: Giant Dragon Snowflake OX

Why don't you send an email to Carsten ? He may send you two rubbers for free. You may have been unlucky to get a faulty batch? .

As far as DG is concerned, yes, durability is a great problem for many; in my case, the rubber lasts about 6/ 8 months .In my experience, DG is the rubber that made my opponents make the most mistakes ,.... and when I attacked back spin they never sent the ball back,.. very low trajectory and sinking effect .....

I suggest you try DG again - maybe the blade is not suitable for DG? - I will be changing to frictionless anti for a while, maybe my extra Trouble maker can be for you for free if you like . There is a thread here entitled ' rubbers for free ' where I mention I give away all my material for free when I feel I will never be using it again .

I understand your frustration anyway .

Thanks, Charmander. That's very kind of you to offer the rubber for free. I don't want to write to Carsten because I already got my first sheet from him for free (as a sample for testing), and though I paid for the second one I tried, that comes out to about four months for the cost of one sheet, so it's okay. Also, because of this issue, I wound up trying the Death Metal OX again and kind of liking it more than the first time I tried it, so I'm going to stick with it for a bit to see if it pans out. It's great for attacking and can create many different effects depending on whether or not you add wrist, etc. Have to try it against a greater variety of players to know whether or not I'll stick with it. I also have a spare sheet of the DMS Kamikaze OX sitting around, and that's also a rubber with great reversal. It kind of reminded me of the DG but without the pips falling out. So if the Death Metal doesn't work out, I'll probably stick the Kamikaze on. Anyway, as I said, I'll report back once I've had more of an opportunity to try out the Death Metal.

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I. Re-Impact Tachi Plus 2019; FH: Nittaku FastArc G-1 1.4mm; BH: Saviga 77 Monster OX
II. Re-Impact Turbo; FH: Spinlord Sandwind 1.5mm; BH: DMS Kamikaze OX
III. Re-Impact Smart; FH: TSP Spinpips RED 2.1mm; BH: Dr. Neubauer Gangster OX
IV. Sauer & Troger Firestarter; FH: Spinlord Waran 1.8mm; BH: Giant Dragon Snowflake OX

I used DG 0,6 mm today and it worked perfectly!

Tonight Im gonna practise with really good players from Another club. It will be a intresting test. I will report back in this thread.

I really liked the thin sponge compared with ox. But I got a few minor problems that probably will be solved when Im more used to the new sheet.

- A little more sensitive to serve returns - the ball tend to pop up
- Need to get used to the different feeling with a sponge. I dont "feel" the hit as much

Pros
- I can hit with the rubber vs underspin (I didnt get this to work with ox). The ball gets really "wobbly". I need to practise this alot tho, right now Im not secury which balls I should hit or not
- Lower chops from mid distance
- Easier to block close to the table
- I can make my own underspin vs non spin balls
- Nice to glue. Ox is a nightmare to glue

It seems to be a contradiction.

I have played some weeks with the DG 0,6 mm and it suits me better than ox. Now I just thinking about testing out the 0,8 or 1,0 sponge
I will keep playing with this until christmas atleast tho, before I try something els.

To the last responder. I mean its much easier to block vs top spin but a little more sensitive to spinny serves. The spin was not the issue with blocking with ox but rather the hard feel.

DG (ox) - what kind of rubber is this?

Dornenglanz by Spinlord. Only comes in OX

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887