OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I really love .5 curl p1r. I find chops are awesome. Plenty of control and variation. I also find this rubber easy to hit with. So, roll, flick drives all possible. I also love the way it allows smooth transition from Def to attack. So mixing chop with hits is pretty darn good. After lookin at many mixed reviews, taking the plunge and buying a sheet im loving it. All said and done, it's not all plain sailing. To be really effective, one has to be proactive in looking for Windows to surprise attack. This is the key to a great defender.

For long range chopping, to 1.4-1.7 mm.Curl P1R is the best ( better than 1.3 Feint Long 2, 1.6 Grass DTecs and 1.2 Donic Piranja Formula ).
Possible to create heaviest backspin and easier to attack with ( after Piranja )...and next is 1.0-1.3 mm.Curl P1R with slightly less ( still one of the best ) underspin.
Also Curl P1R can be very tricky and difficult to read the ball for opponent, specially if you use it good with thick sponge.
I'm not saying that it's not possible to create as much backspin as 1.4-1.7 mm with using 0.5 mm. You can... with technique...
After seeing man and woman Korean defenders, some Chinese defenders (using 1.4-1.7 and 1.0 -1.3 ), Chtchetinine ( 1.0-1.3 ) and some others use P1R with ''thick'' sponge, it's obvious ..in a way.. no need to give energy to think so much about this ...are you a chopper, take 1.0 or 1.5 mm. stick with it and train sincerely...
I wouldn'start with 0.5 and after go with 1.0 or 1.5, no, I'd start directly with 1.0 mm.

Well, I'm starting to question this. It's true this was true in the past, but nowadays... I don't know. The most succesful choppers in both sexes don't use it. They either use a short/medium pimple (woman's side) or another LP (Gionis/Filus/Ma Te). Only Wang Xi is still using it. But...

Even if P1-R is still the best LP to defend with, I start to question if it is possible to play a true and effective defensive game with LPs. Just look at the same Wang Xi or Ruwen Filus: IMO they aren't true defenders anymore. The ratio defense/offense has shifted more towards offense than defense. This is either a distorted picture I get from the editing of the Bündesliga games or it's just the plain truth.

I even find Joo's game, although still the most beautiful one I've ever seen, not as effective anymore as it used to be. They hit trough his chops like a knife cuts trough butter. This is even more true for Seo Hyo Won: her defense isn't anything near effective as it used to be. A fact I find really sad.

The truth is: all players had and have to adapt to the less spinny game and this is even more true for the defensive game, being the most adaptive of all play styles. I think Me Te - being offensive on both sides - and Hou Yingchao - utilizing crazy spin variation - and a lot of woman defenders lead us the way. And if you think about it: LPs were invented to counter the heavy topspin game. That heavy topspin game isn't there anymore. So maybe, just maybe, as a defensive weapon LPs aren't necessary anymore.

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There's always stuff to improve!

My blog on being a LP defender beyond 2000 USATT and the pips discrimination that comes along with that

At the sub-top defence is still alive, same for womans table tennis. Less effective perhaps but still alive.
Imho Ruwen Filus is an type of allround player. the style I absolutely adore. The shift towards allround instead of absolute defence I welcome, but perferably as an add-on instead of a replacement.

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~ Puttin' pressure on you kids like I'm a soccer mom. ~

Been playing .5 curl p1r for about 6 to 12 months now. Gotta say it's a great rubber and suits my style. What I like personally, is its ability to transfer between hits and chops so effortlessly. I've improved a great deal although still make mistakes probably because I push it too much. Funnily I love attacking almost as much as chopping. Maybe because it reminds me of when my dad use to play hardbat style. I'm not a bad hardbat player myself so works well for me. I'm sure the 1mm would be faster. I've tried a few 1mm long pips, and although pretty good do prefer the thinner sponge.